Those of a certain age will recall when an antenna on the roof was required to receive a handful of UHF and VHF television stations in a given market. The days of Ultra and Very High Frequency networks were what most households knew before something called ‘cable’ became all the rage.

Cable television was a gamechanger of gargantuan proportions as fans could watch, get this, home games on their television (likely color by then) in the comfort of their den. Imagine that! Home games on the family TV!

Indeed, networks such as PRISM – the unwieldly Philadelphia Regional In-Home Sports and Movies network -- began to air in the mid-1970s and carried home games of local teams, something that was previously unheard of. Of course, it came with a price as such networks were considered premium channels. Paying an additional sum was a minor inconvenience for something that proved to be on the front end of regional sports networks (RSNs) that would eventually rule much of the television sports viewing landscape.

Not that rabbit ears and the age of digital and high-definition signals are made for one another. Alas, Scripps Sports has been providing viewing opportunities that cover all of the bases: over-the-air, cable, satellite and streaming.

A major professional property in the Tampa Bay television market was added to Scripps Sports’ inventory when it was announced Wednesday that the Tampa Bay Lightning were on board. The Bolts broke away from the RSN model, which carried the team’s broadcasts since its inaugural season of 1992-93. That included this past season when they were carried by FanDuel Sports Network Sun. FanDuel (formerly Bally) RSNs are owned by Main Street Sports Group, the name the former Diamond Sports Group emerged with earlier this year following Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

Scripps Sports, a division of the publicly traded E.W. Scripps media behemoth (NASDAQ: SSP) founded by Edward W. Scripps in 1878, will carry the Lightning on WXPX-TV, which will launch July 1. The network will be branded The Spot -- Tampa Bay 66 and carry news and entertainment programming in addition to the NHL club’s games effective the 2025-26 season. (Scripps owns the ABC affiliate in the Tampa Bay market.)

“A world-class fan experience starts with access, and fans have made it clear they want it to be easier to find and watch our games,” said Steve Griggs, chief executive officer and vice chairman of the Vinik Sports Group (VSG), which operates the Lightning, in a press release issued by the team. “This partnership delivers on that. We’re looking forward to working with (Scripps Sports president) Brian Lawlor and the Scripps Sports team to expand our reach and bring the excitement of Lightning hockey to more homes across Tampa Bay.”

It is the second time in as many years Scripps came to an agreement with an NHL team in the Sunshine State. It was last July when the company announced the Florida Panthers, fresh off winning their first Stanley Cup, signed a multi-year pact with the idea of making sure fans in Miami/Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach on the state’s east coast, as well as Fort Myers on the west coast, could easily see their team free of charge.

Panthers CEO Matt Caldwell said at the time that Scripps’ “distribution network and accessibility makes them the ideal partner to stream and carry Panthers content on and off the ice.”

Scripps Sports now has agreements with four NHL teams: the Lightning, Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Mammoth.