FRISCO, Texas — After years of struggling for fans to watch the team's games on regional sports networks, the Dallas Stars are now offering broadcasts of local games directly to consumers for free.
The NHL team announced Monday that it has inked a seven-year deal with A Parent Media Co. Inc. to stream all of the Stars' regional games for free on its new VICTORY+ streaming service starting next season. The move comes after the Stars and financially troubled Diamond Sports Group agreed last week to terminate their existing rights agreement for games on Barrie Sports Southwest.
“After years of researching the right solution and careful planning with our partners at APMC, we are proud to announce this pioneering streaming platform that will literally change sports distribution on VICTORY+,” Dallas Stars president and CEO Brad Alberts said in a statement. “Our number one priority has always been our fan base, and with VICTORY+, fans will be able to stream Stars content 100% free through this innovative and unique streaming platform for sports programming.”
Diamond Sports, which distributes the network under the Bally name, is working to emerge from bankruptcy, further complicating the issues facing many Major League Baseball, NBA and NHL teams regarding broadcasting upcoming games. Bally Sports still holds the rights to games between the reigning World Series champions Texas Rangers and the NBA Western Conference champions Dallas Mavericks.
Barrie held the rights to 70 of the Stars' 82 regular-season games last season and the first round of the playoffs, but Barrie Sports Southwest was not available on many popular streaming platforms, and fans sometimes ran into issues trying to watch games on the app.
VICTORY+ will be available for download on smart TVs, tablets and smartphones starting in September and will allow fans in the Stars' territories of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas to watch games. Fans outside the region will also be able to watch a menu of ancillary content provided by the team. The service will be offered as a free, ad-supported streaming service.
APMC President and CEO Neil Gruninger said the company has more than 10 years of experience in secure streaming and monetization.
“This is an exciting opportunity to work with the Dallas Stars, a fan-first organization,” Gruninger said. “Leveraging our digital expertise, we aim to build a cutting-edge platform that connects fans, teams, athletes, content providers, advertisers and brands for a unique streaming experience that celebrates everyone.”
Last week, the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers also left Bally Sports and will transfer their local broadcasts to Scripps Sports.
