LAS VEGAS – July 28, 2021 – The ProRodeo Cowboys Association® and Las Vegas Events announced today that the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® will start at 5:45 p.m. PST/8:45 p.m. EST.
The Wrangler NFR, which returns to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas Dec. 2-11, will feature the top 120 contestants in the world for a 10-day competition to determine the winners of the coveted PRCA Gold Buckle and a share of the $10.257 million purse. In its previous 35 years in Las Vegas, total attendance has reached nearly six million fans.
“Moving up the start time an hour is a game-changer for our national television audience,” stated Patrick Gottsch, Founder & President of The Cowboy Channel. “In 2020, we were able to more than double the 2019 ratings. That audience will carry over to the 2021 broadcasts, and moving up the start time just this one hour will help RFD-TV and The Cowboy Channel keep those viewers engaged, thus creating more rodeo fans.”
“To accommodate the greatest number of fans interested in watching the NFR, the PRCA and The Cowboy Channel requested an earlier start time which we felt was reasonable,” said LVE President Pat Christenson.
In 2019, the event had a total attendance of 168,289 over the 10 days of competition at the Thomas & Mack Center and has sold out more than 330 consecutive performances in Las Vegas.
The Cowboy Channel is the official network partner of PRORODEO and the exclusive broadcast and streaming partner of the Wrangler NFR. Live coverage of the Wrangler NFR can be found on The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV through its cable and satellite partners and online at cowboychannelplus.com and additional streaming service platforms.
For more information on the Wrangler NFR, please visit NFRexperience.com or through social media at /LasVegasNFR and use #WranglerNFR. For the latest PRORODEO news and Wrangler NFR coverage, please visit prorodeo.com or through social media @PRCA_ProRodeo.
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About Las Vegas Events
Founded in 1983, Las Vegas Events is a private, not-for-profit organization funded by hotel room tax. Through its Signature Event initiative, LVE has created a model to integrate all elements of special events and formally improve communication between event producers and Las Vegas’ hotel properties and sponsors. Since 1991, Las Vegas Events has produced, presented or supported more than 750 events. www.lasvegasevents.com.
About the Wrangler NFR
The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® (NFR), which pays out $10.257 million and is considered the world’s premier rodeo, features 10 straight days of the best in PRCA PRORODEO competition, with a total of 120 contestants competing every night in seven events. Each December, the top 15 contestants, based on the PRCA | RAM World Standings, in bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing, and bull riding qualify to compete at the Wrangler NFR. www.prorodeo.com.
About the PRCA
The PRCA, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., is recognized as the unsurpassed leader in sanctioning the sport of professional rodeo. The PRCA’s mission is to unify membership in providing an innovative fan experience, to grow the sport of professional rodeo and provide new expanded opportunities for our membership and sponsors. Since 1986, the PRCA has paid out more than $1 billion in prize money to its contestants. The PRCA offers the best cowboys and the best rodeos; delivering the best fan experience while positively impacting our communities and embracing the spirit of the West. A membership-based organization, the PRCA sanctioned 732 events in 2019, and there are more than 40 million rodeo fans in the U.S. The PRCA televises the sport’s premier events, with the world-renowned Wrangler National Finals Rodeo on The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV and streaming on the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus App. PRCA-sanctioned rodeos donate more than $40 million to local and national charities every year. For comprehensive coverage of the cowboy sport, read ProRodeo Sports News, the official publication of the PRCA. The digital PSN and daily updates of news and results can be found on the PRCA’s official website, www.prorodeo.com
About The Cowboy Channel
The Cowboy Channel is the official network of ProRodeo and the first 24-hour television network totally dedicated to western sports and the western lifestyle. Headquartered in the Fort Worth Stockyards, The Cowboy Channel features content focused on ProRodeo, bull riding, roping, reining, barrel racing, and other western sports genres, along with western fashion and music. The lineup also features a wide variety of “live” coverage from major western events showcasing the world’s toughest and most talented cowboys and cowgirls. The network enjoys distribution into 42 million homes on cable/satellite systems on Altice, Charter Spectrum, DISH, DIRECTV®, AT&T U-Verse, Cox, Comcast, Mediacom, Verizon FIOS TV, and many other rural cable systems. In addition, The Cowboy Channel can be streamed online via The Cowboy Channel Plus at cowboychannelplus.com, DIRECTV NOW, Roku, iOS, Android, Firestick, Apple TV, and Sling TV’s Heartland Extra package. www.thecowboychannel.com.