Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, Dallas Mavericks move to streaming apps
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You can watch young phenom Wyatt Johnston for free on Victory+. Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images
Many of Dallas-Fort Worth's biggest professional sports teams are streaming games as a way to gain more fans and ditch traditional cable broadcast deals.
Why it matters: Sports lovers no longer have to pay for exorbitant cable packages to watch their favorite teams.
The latest: The Texas Rangers will broadcast this season's games on Victory+, a local streaming platform that already airs Dallas Stars games.
- Fans can pay $100 for the Rangers season — less than $1 a game. Stars games stream for free.
State of play: Victory+ is the first free, direct-to-consumer streaming service in the NHL, and its No. 1 goal is to improve the fan experience.
- The Stars launched the app before the 2024-25 season, partnering with A Parent Media Co. (APMC).
The intrigue: The philosophy is to make home viewing almost as fun as actually being in the arena. There's no dead air. There are behind-the-scenes views of players, giveaways and prizes.
- "We really want to build fandom back," Neil Gruninger, president and CEO of APMC, tells Axios.
The big picture: Many NBA and NHL teams have set up streaming services or are using free airwaves to broadcast games this season.
- The Stars, the Mavericks and the Rangers have all moved away from the regional sports network Bally Sports after parent company Diamond Sports Group went through bankruptcy.
Zoom in: The Mavs broadcast local games on WFAA (Channel 8) for antenna users and on MavsTV, a streaming app. The team charges $80 a season for the app subscription.
What they're saying: Victory+ will always stream Stars games for free because the team wants to grow its fanbase in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, Gruninger says. The region's population is on par with hockey-obsessed Canada.
- "Our goal here is to grow the game of hockey."
Yes, but: Nationally-televised hockey, baseball or basketball games on TNT or ESPN won't air on the local apps.
- And, fans must live in the local broadcast region to access the services.
The bottom line: Local sports fans no longer have to keep cable solely to access their favorite teams.