Sinclair Multicast Networks Achieve Double-Digit Audience Growth in 2025

Sinclair Broadcast Group’s family of free, over-the-air multicast networks — Charge!, Comet, ROAR, and The Nest — posted double-digit audience growth across key markets during the 2024-25 television season, with several networks setting new all-time ratings records. The growth marks a significant milestone for the company’s strategy of leveraging underused broadcast spectrum to build niche, advertising-supported channels.

What Are Sinclair’s Multicast Networks?

Sinclair’s multicast networks are digital subchannels that air on local broadcast stations alongside the primary affiliate. They operate on a free, ad-supported model (FAST) but are delivered over the air, reaching viewers without a cable or streaming subscription. Sinclair’s multicast portfolio includes:

• Charge! — A female-skewing crime and mystery channel featuring shows like Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU.
• Comet — A sci-fi and paranormal channel with series such as The X-Files and Stargate SG-1.
• ROAR — An adventure and outdoor channel focusing on hunting, fishing, and exploration.
• The Nest — A home and lifestyle channel originally launched as a real estate-focused network, now expanded to broader lifestyle content.

These networks are available on local broadcast TV (via antenna) and have increasingly added carriage on streaming platforms such as YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, and others, as The Desk reported.

Key Growth Metrics for the 2024-25 Season

The most recent publicly available data — covering the 2024-25 television season through June 2025 — shows across-the-board double-digit audience growth. According to Sinclair’s official press release on Nasdaq.com, the following year-over-year increases were recorded in the top 10 designated market areas (DMAs):

Network	Year-over-Year Growth (Top 10 DMAs)	Notable Programming Drivers
Charge!	+21%	Criminal Minds, America’s Funniest Home Videos
Comet	+17%	The X-Files, Stargate franchise
ROAR	+40%	Original outdoor series, The Inertia partnership
The Nest	Not specified single-digit/ double-digit growth claimed overall	Property Brothers library, home renovation shows

By November 2025, the networks achieved even stronger ratings, with Charge! and Roar setting new audience highs. FinancialContent detailed that November 2025 was the “best season-to-date” for several networks, with Charge! reaching its highest-ever monthly household audience share.

What Drove the Double-Digit Audience Growth?

Sinclair executives point to three primary factors: strategic programming acquisitions, expanded distribution, and rebranding efforts.

1. Strategic Programming Acquisitions

Sinclair invested heavily in high-demand off-network reruns and original content. For Charge!, acquiring the rights to Criminal Minds — one of the most-watched syndicated crime dramas — proved pivotal. TVTechnology notes that the network’s programming mix now includes crime procedurals, reality competition series (e.g., America’s Funniest Home Videos), and original unsolved-mystery documentaries.

Roar’s 40% growth was fueled by original outdoor-adventure programming and a content partnership with The Inertia, a well-known outdoor lifestyle media brand. Sinclair also expanded Roar’s distribution into more than 90% of U.S. television households.

2. Expanded Distribution: Antenna + Streaming

The most critical driver of audience growth was Sinclair’s push to get its multicast networks onto virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPDs). The Desk reported that in 2025, networks like Comet and Charge secured carriage on YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, and several smaller streaming services. This dramatically expanded addressable audiences, especially among younger cord-cutters who still want live TV experiences without traditional cable.

Simultaneously, Sinclair improved the over-the-air signal quality and channel placement for its subchannels in dozens of local markets. Rebranding Charge! from its previous identity (a more generic “This TV” replacement) to a clearer crime-and-mystery positioning also helped viewers find the channel on the dial and on electronic program guides.

3. Rebranding and Viewer Awareness

In 2023, Sinclair rebranded several of its legacy multicast channels — notably merging the former “TBD” network into Charge! and renaming “Stadium” into Roar. FinancialContent cites Sinclair’s SVP of multicast networks stating that clearer branding helped viewers quickly identify channel content. The simpler, genre-focused names — Charge! (crime), Comet (sci‑fi), Roar (outdoors), The Nest (home) — reduced confusion and improved audience retention.

The Role of Free Over-the-Air Broadcast and Streaming Carriage

Sinclair’s growth story is emblematic of the broader resurgence of free, ad-supported television (FAST). With cord-cutting accelerating, over-the-air antennas have gained renewed popularity as a free alternative for local news, sports, and entertainment. Multicast networks like those from Sinclair offer curated genre channels similar to cable networks but without a paywall.

By combining antenna reach with streaming carriage, Sinclair effectively captures both traditional over-the-air viewers and cord-cutters who use streaming services but still want live linear channels. The hybrid distribution model — what some analysts call “broadcast FAST” — gives Sinclair a unique advantage over pure-play digital FAST platforms like Pluto TV or Tubi, as antenna viewers tend to be older and more loyal, while streaming viewers skew younger and digitally savvy.

The November 2025 ratings data, which The Desk called “sharp ratings growth,” showed that both distribution channels contributed equally. Sinclair publicly credited the combination of improved channel positions on cable and satellite systems (thanks to retransmission consent negotiations) and new streaming deals for the record numbers.

Implications for Advertisers and the TV Industry

For national advertisers seeking to reach cord-cutters and antenna users, Sinclair’s multicast networks offer a rare combination of scale, demographic targeting, and low cost relative to traditional cable. Roar’s 40% growth in top‑10 DMAs, for example, provides high-value inventory for brands in the hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation sectors. Comet’s 17% growth appeals to male-skewing sci‑fi fans, while Charge!’s 21% growth attracts female viewers aged 25‑54 — a core demographic for many consumer goods advertisers.

Sinclair has also begun selling aggregated audience guarantees across its multicast portfolio, allowing advertisers to buy against combined household impressions that now rival some mid-size cable networks. The double-digit audience figures prove that free broadcast channels can deliver meaningful reach even as total TV viewership fragments.

The industry pattern is clear: broadcasters who invest in multicast networks are seeing audience gains while traditional broadcast ratings decline. Sinclair’s success validates that digital subchannels — once dismissed as “junk channels” — can be profitable, high-quality media properties.

Future Outlook for Sinclair’s Multicast Portfolio

As of September 2026, Sinclair continues to invest in original content and distribution for its multicast networks. While the 2024-25 season data remains the most recent official release, the trajectory points to sustained growth. Industry observers expect the networks to benefit from further cord-cutting and the expansion of ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV), which improves the efficiency of digital subchannel transmission and enables advanced advertising features like addressable TV.

In June 2025, Sinclair’s press release explicitly stated that “the momentum from this season will carry into the next,” and the company has since announced additional programming acquisitions, including a multi-year deal for Law & Order library titles for Charge! and new original outdoor series for Roar. The networks are also being integrated into Sinclair’s advanced advertising platform, allowing programmatic buying.

For the broader industry, Sinclair’s multicast growth signals that the free broadcast ecosystem — bolstered by streaming — is becoming a competitive alternative to cable and pure-play digital FAST. Networks that offer focused genre programming, clear branding, and multi-platform distribution are best positioned to capture the growing audience of ad-supported viewers.

Summary

Sinclair’s Charge!, Comet, Roar, and The Nest achieved double-digit audience growth in the 2024-25 season — with Roar leading at 40% in top‑10 markets. Strategic programming (Criminal Minds, outdoor originals), expanded streaming carriage on YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV, and clearer branding drove the increases. The networks now deliver reach comparable to mid-sized cable channels, offering advertisers a high-value, free alternative in an increasingly fragmented TV landscape.