Vice Media Turning Vice TV into Sports-First Channel

Vice Media Turning Vice TV into Sports-First Channel

Vice Media launched a sports brand, Vice Sports, earlier this year and has since begun to shift Vice TV’s programming strategy towards sports-themed docuseries, programs, and games. The network has aired over 500 hours of sports-related content YTD, including select live events.

But Vice Sports is not constructing an ESPN or Fox Sports competitor (think: news, highlights, debate).

“We're not going to be a 24-hour a day live network,” Peter Gaffney (president, Vice TV) said. “It’s really about sports and culture for us, [delivered] with an authentic outsider's voice.”

Having games on the channel is simply part of a broader content strategy. 

“It's hard to focus a network on sports and not have some live events,” Gaffney said.

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Vice TV debuted in 2016. The independent basic cable network was created as a joint venture between VICE Media and A+E Global Media.

Historically, it has delivered documentary-style programs to millennials. However, Vice TV’s current leadership team is actively working to convert the channel into one that broadcasts sports and sports-culture programming for Gen-Xers and younger viewers.  

Their logic was simple. Most of the network’s viewers are male, their median age is 54 and pay TV subscribers over-index as sports fans.

“Because that's what has kept the bundle together,” Gaffney said. 

Vice TV is in 40mm U.S. cable and satellite homes. There are ambitions to grow that figure.

“We want to [make] Vice TV available to as many viewers as possible,” Gaffney said. “Our evolving programming strategy —particularly, our focus on sports and bold storytelling— is helping us connect with new audiences across more [pay TV] platforms.”

And the company is working to grow its digital reach too as an increasing number of people consume content outside of the traditional television ecosystem. It currently has 9.7mm followers across Vice TV/Vice Sports YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok channels.

But Vice TV has no interest in becoming a full-time live sports network. It views itself as a differentiated ‘storytelling’ platform.

“Authenticity is a key tenet of our content,” Gaffney said.

Vice Media has historically been willing to touch on themes that rights owners and their broadcast partners wish to stay away from. Dark Side of the Ring –a show focused on pro wrestling scandals, tragedies, and controversies– is Vice TV’s most successful television series.

“That show represents what we’re trying to do,” Gaffney said. “These are stories that people have wanted to hear about for years but never [had] an outlet to air on.”

Vice Studios has since introduced Dark Side of the Cage, a series that dives into MMA’s untold stories.

Of course, being authentic is not always easy for a network that wants to maintain strong relationships with rights owners. Remember, the leagues control all of their broadcast footage and expect partners to go along with the narratives they want to tell. 

“In sports storytelling, there’s always a balance between creative freedom and the realities of rights and access,” Gaffney said. “Our goal is to work collaboratively within that framework to tell stories that feel both real and responsible.”

Vice has begun acquiring live and ‘look live’ sports programming to supplement its storytelling efforts. 

But viewers aren’t going to find NFL or NBA games on the network, at least not live ones. Big four rights are too expensive.

“We [do have] a show called NFL Classics: After Further Review,” Gaffney said. “It’s a different type of storytelling, a ManningCast of classic games.”

Peyton Manning appears in every episode. The Omaha production, in association with NFL Films, gives Vice TV premium NFL content at a fraction of the price.

Instead, the network is acquiring rights to challenger properties aligned with its aggressive/edgy brand, and properties who can help differentiate the channel’s offering.

“We tried World Championship Darts. We tried World Chase Tag. We did Arena Football 1 earlier this year. We have BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing. [And] we had Big3 Basketball games [this past summer],” Gaffney said.

The company is learning what works as it goes. Some of those acquisitions have resonated with the audience. 

“BKB has done [particularly] well for us and has grown over time,” Gaffney said.

Combat sports are expected to be a big part of the network moving forward. AF1 could be back in 2026 too.

Others have failed to capture the viewer’s imagination.

“The look-live or recorded sports have generally not worked,” Gaffney said. "We've learned that audiences don't just want shows to look live, they want them to actually be live. And sports that are non-exclusive and can be seen on different channels and platforms have not resonated with our audience [either]."

Darts struggled on the network too, largely because those watching failed to understand the intricacies of the sport.

“When it's not simple to [follow] in terms of the rules, it [is] tougher [to keep the viewer engaged],” Gaffney said. “It's like watching a movie that is in a foreign language; if the audience doesn't understand the game, they aren't going to stick with it.”

Remember, the typical Vice TV viewer is not a hardcore fan.

“Our audience is more interested in the [cultural aspect of sport]. They want to go behind the curtain, go deeper, and hear stories that transcend [the game],” Gaffney said.

Look for the network to continue adding live events to its programming schedule. And when it’s not airing games, viewers can expect more of the ‘gritty storytelling’ that Vice is known for—just more of it focused in and around sports.

“There [is all sorts of] unbundling and re-bundling [occurring in the media industry],” Gaffney said. “We can't predict exactly what is going to happen, but we believe that whatever does happen, much of it will revolve around sports. And we want to be a part of that new entertainment economy.”