PORTLAND, Ore.—The WNBA’s Portland Fire and NWSL’s Portland Thorns announced a multi-year media rights deal establishing Gray Media’s KPDX (Fox 12 Plus) as the regional broadcast home for the two professional women’s sports teams in Portland.
Additionally, the Portland Fire WNBA expansion team announced that they have signed a deal with Kiswe to offer a direct-to-consumer service that will give fan access to live games, original programming, and in-depth team storytelling on a newly-branded Portland Fire streaming platform.
“The partnerships with Gray and Kiswe represent an important step in continuing to cement Portland as the global epicenter of women’s sports,” said Michael Whitehead, sports marketing director at RAJ Sports, which owns the two teams. “These partnerships are designed to put fans and accessibility first and will set a new standard for how women’s sports can be enjoyed.”
“Our goal is to ensure all fans have the opportunity to view free over-the-air games and support our local professional athletes,” added Gray Local Media regional vice president and general manager, Corey Hanson. “Fox 12 Plus is honored to provide the space to highlight women’s sports, giving them the visibility they’ve earned and inspiring the next generation of athletes.”
Fox 12 Plus will serve as the exclusive local broadcast home of the Portland Fire, with all available games airing on Fox 12 Plus and select games simulcast on Fox 12 (KPTV).
Game broadcasts will be produced in partnership with Raycom Sports, a subsidiary of Gray Media.
The Portland Thorns will continue their local broadcast presence on Fox 12 Plus with expanded match clearance, shared weekly storytelling segments, and inclusion across original women’s sports programming.
In addition to linear broadcast coverage, the Portland Fire will debut a branded direct-to-consumer streaming platform built and operated in partnership with Kiswe featuring interactive live game streaming, exclusive bonus content, and innovative fan experiences built to bring all Fire fans together.
“At Kiswe, we believe that fans want more than just a place to watch a game, they’re looking for community,” said Kiswe CEO Glenn Booth. “Our partnership with the Portland Fire is about far more than powering another streaming service. It is about building a dedicated digital destination where the team and its fans can connect. By combining interactive livestreaming with exclusive content and engaging fan experiences, we are creating a community-centric platform that reflects the passion of Portland and ensures every Fire fan is part of the action, no matter where they are.”
The new partnership also includes original studio programming focused on both teams, community initiatives, and athlete storytelling, including coverage highlighting the upcoming Kaiser Permanente Performance Center – a first-of-its-kind, dual-purpose professional soccer and basketball complex from RAJ Sports designed around the needs of women athletes. Content will be distributed across broadcast, digital, and connected TV platforms, including a dedicated Fox 12 CTV experience.
“This landmark partnership underscores a shared commitment by RAJ Sports, Gray Media, Raycom Sports, and Kiswe to build an innovative multiplatform media model that expands access and celebrates women’s sports,” said president & CEO of LHB Sports, Entertainment & Media, Inc., Lee H. Berke, who advised RAJ Sports on these transactions.
