The partnership will also include “Panthers Preview”

This story is based on a March 21, 2023 press release from the Bay Area Panthers 

By Staff Report

The Bay Area Panthers and KPIX CBS Bay Area announced a new television broadcast agreement which includes a Panthers pre-season preview show, two away games and seven home game broadcast rights throughout the 2023 season.

The season kicks off March 26 at the SAP Center in San Jose with the Arizona Rattlers.

The partnership continues the great relationship between the Indoor Football League’s team based in Morgan Hill and the local station, said Bay Area Panthers TV play-by-play announcer Dave Lewis who returns to the broadcast booth for the 2023 season.

New color analysts alongside Lewis, will be veteran TV announcers Aaron Garcia and Steve Papin. Both were legends of the Arena Football League with more than 25 years of combined playing experience. They will add tremendous insight and color to each of the games throughout the season, Lewis said. They will be replacing former color analyst and Hall of Famer, Darren Arbet, who returned to the sidelines as the new Panthers head coach and general manager this season.

As part of the agreement, all Panthers home game broadcasts will air in high definition on KPIX owned CW 44 Cable 12 Bay Area (KBCW-TV), which are the official television partners of the Bay Area Panthers and the flagship television stations of the Bay Area Panthers Television Network.

The partnership will also include “Panthers Preview”, which will be various segments to air in the Bay Area and online. KPIX sports anchors will break down the play of the Panthers and provide behind the scenes team profiles throughout the season.

The extension will also include additional new programming content: “2023 Panthers Pre-Season Preview”, which will be a 30-minute in-depth pre-season show airing on KPIX CBS Bay Area on Saturday March 25th at 7pm (PST) and on the CW 44 Cable 12 Bay Area on Sunday, March 26th at 4:30pm (PST) right before the Season Opener 5:05pm kickoff. The show will take fans inside Panthers Training camp, while highlighting the Bay Area Panthers players, coaches, IFL and staff. The partnership extends to cross promotional partnerships, social media engagement and community outreach throughout the year.

Two away games are also being planned for broadcast on Sunday, June 11th at the Arizona Rattlers and Saturday, June 17th at the Vegas Knight Hawks

“The Panthers are proud to continue a great partnership with KPIX CBS Bay Area and the CW Bay Area”, said Panthers Team Vice President Javier Ortiz.  “We are proud of our association with the entire team at KPIX CBS Bay Area. We are excited to bring live professional indoor football and additional programming to more than two million television households across all Bay Area communities. Delivering fast-paced, impactful, high-quality, live sports programming to viewers and advertisers in our local communities is what we strive for”.

KPIX CBS Bay Area General Manager, Scott Warren said, “We want to thank the Panthers organization for making this partnership possible and we are looking forward to the upcoming 2023 football season. We will continue to explore new and exciting ways to reach Panthers fans and families that truly enjoy exciting Panthers Indoor Football content. The entertaining game day atmosphere blended with the speed of play is unmatched. We are excited to showcase Panthers Football and our advertisers to all fans and over two million Bay Area households that can be reached with our broadcasts.”

 

2023 Bay Area Panthers

TV: CW 44 Cable 12 (KBCW-TV)

Home TV Broadcast schedule

Sunday, March 26, 5:05 PM v. Arizona Rattlers

Sunday, April 16, 5:05 PM v. Tucson Sugar Skulls

Sunday, April 23, 5:05 PM v.  Northern Arizona Wranglers

Monday, May 8, 7:05 PM v. Vegas Knight Hawks

Saturday, May 20, 6:05 PM v. Frisco Fighters

Saturday, June 3, 6:05 PM v. Duke City Gladiators

Monday, July 10, 7:05 PM v. San Diego Strike Force

Away TV Broadcast schedule

Sunday, June 11, 3:05 PM v. Arizona Rattlers

Saturday, June 17, 7:05 PM v. Vegas Knight Hawks