The Dallas Stars announced Monday that the franchise is parting ways with Bally Sports and will be moving into a partnership with A Parent Media Co. Inc. to provide free streaming of all regional games beginning with the 2024-25 season.
This departure coincides with a new seven-year deal with A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC) and the announcement of the creation of VICTORY+ Sports Network, an app that will provide the free streaming that APMC created with the help of the Stars.
Dallas also reached an agreement with Diamond Sports Group, Bally Sports’ parent company, to end their business partnership pending court approval.
VICTORY+ will be available to download beginning in September on all smart television sets, tablets, and smartphones.
Viewers located in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas will receive free access to every Stars game throughout the season. Those who are not located in these states will be eligible to watch other Stars content provided by the team, according to the NHL.
Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts said in a statement that he is incredibly grateful for its history with Bally Sports, noting that the franchise “would like to acknowledge that we wouldn’t be here today without the partnership and commitment of Bally Sports and their staff over the past 25 years.”
“After years of researching the right solution and careful planning with our partners at APMC, we’re proud to announce this pioneering streaming platform that will literally change the game for sports distribution on VICTORY+,” he said, per the NHL.
“Our first priority has always been our fan base, and on VICTORY+ fans will be able to stream 100 percent of Stars content for free through this innovative and unique streaming platform for sports programming.”
Dallas will be the first professional sports team to work with APMC on the VICTORY+ app; however, the NHL expects other professional sports teams and leagues to soon join to help provide free access to fans in specific regions.
VICTORY+ will utilize advertisement revenue as its primary source of income, which will help the application remain entirely free to fans.
APMC President and CEO Neil Gruninger praised the Stars for working toward this historic announcement and said the team is “prioritizing their fans” by introducing this platform.
“Leveraging our digital expertise, we aim to create a cutting-edge platform that unites fans, teams, athletes, content providers, advertisers and brands in a unique streaming service that celebrates them all collectively,” Gruninger said, per the NHL.
Dallas’ implementation of free streaming for fans comes as many have grown upset about the expensive costs of viewing games. The NFL is now fighting an anti-trust lawsuit due to a “Sunday Ticket” package that restricted viewership of certain games.
Although the NFL is expected to appeal the decision, a U.S. District Court jury ordered the league to pay $4.7 billion, a fine that could be tripled to reach over $14 billion due to antitrust laws, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The lawsuit, originally filed in 2015, alleges that the NFL violated antitrust laws by requiring fans to purchase the package for certain games that were neither local market games nor being shown on national television.