“We’re willing to pioneer it and rip the Band-Aid off and go.”

Brad Alberts
President and CEO
Dallas Stars
.…on broadcasting live Dallas Stars games for free on the newly formed VICTORY+ streaming service, via the Dallas Morning News.

The Dallas Stars announced something Monday that no other major pro sports team ever has before: They’ve inked a seven-year agreement with A Parent Media Co. (APMC) to stream all regional Dallas Stars NHL games “free of charge.” Beginning with the 2024-25 season, games will be broadcast on the newly formed VICTORY+—a free, ad-supported, direct-to-consumer streaming service created by APMC with the Stars.

“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+,” Alberts said in a statement. “Fans will be able to stream 100% of Stars content for free through this innovative and unique streaming platform for sports programming.”

The Stars CEO then addressed the topic of his team’s former broadcasting service, Bally Sports, which has caught flak from fans for being unavailable on many top streaming services, along with pricing complaints.

“Despite the mutual agreement between the Dallas Stars and Diamond Sports Group to end our current relationship pending court approval, we’d 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 and thank them for their partnership,” he said.

The team said VICTORY+ will be available for download in September on smart TVs, tablets, and smart phones for fans within the Stars’ regional territory of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Fans outside the Stars regional territory “will still be able to enjoy VICTORY+ to watch a robust menu of ancillary content provided by the team,” the team said.

APMC President and CEO Neil Gruninger added that after more than a decade of safe streaming and monetization experience, his company is “excited to expand beyond Kidoodle.TV and Dude Perfect into sports.”

“This presents a remarkable opportunity to collaborate with the Dallas Stars, an organization that is prioritizing their fans. 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 added in a statement.

APMC said it has hired former FOX Sports Executive Producer and Dallas Stars Vice President of Broadcasting Jason Walsh to lead the VICTORY+ service.

“Walsh’s experience in production puts VICTORY+ in a unique position to take on additional teams and to scale VICTORY+ into the preferred destination for fans of the future,” APMC said, noting that the new service will be working with “other like-minded professional sports teams and leagues looking to set a new standard in how teams connect with their audiences.”

As the first “client” of VICTORY+, the Stars will be hitching their star to a 100% over-the-top streaming alternative for local sports broadcasts, “with advertising as the main revenue driver,” APMC added.

You can learn more about the Stars news in the DMN article here.

For more of who said what about all things North Texas, check out Every Last Word.