Stars sign new streaming deal, in-market fans can watch games for free

A unique deal will allow a team’s fans to view their favorite team for free, if they’re in the area.

On Monday, the Dallas Stars announced a new streaming agreement after years of having their games broadcasted on regional television. The organization has signed a seven-year agreement with A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC) to broadcast all regional Stars games for free beginning next season. The contests will be streamed on the newly formed VICTORY+, which is a first-of-its-kind, direct-to-consumer stream service created by APMC with the Stars.

VICTORY+ will be a streaming app available this September, giving fans in the Stars’ regional territory—Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas—the opportunity to watch Dallas for free. The games featured on the network will be strictly for non-nationally televised games.

The Stars had been under an agreement with Diamond Sports Group, the owners of the Bally Sports networks, but according to team president and CEO Brad Alberts, the Stars and DSG have mutually ended their deal, pending court approval.

“After years of researching the right solution and careful planning with our partners at APMC,” Alberts explained in a release. “We’re proud to announce this pioneering streaming platform that will literally change the game for sports distribution on VICTORY+. 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.”

The new network is a free ad-supported streaming service that will allow advertisers to continue to engage with fans with traditional advertisements.

The Stars are the first team in the NHL to this type of streaming deal. In basketball, the Phoenix Suns of the NBA and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury began non-broadcasting games locally for free in a partnership with Gray Television last season following the dissolution of Bally Sports Arizona.

The Utah Jazz took a similar approach. After AT&T SportsNet eliminated its regional sports division, the Jazz began broadcasting games on KJZZ in Salt Lake City, along with Jazz+, a created streaming service that gives the team control over how games are broadcasted locally. The Jazz are owned by Smith Entertainment Group, the governing body that is in control of the Utah Hockey Club. That team’s broadcast deal has yet to be announced, but it wouldn’t be a shock if Ryan Smith’s new hockey team takes a similar approach to how his basketball team is put on the air.