Could Texas Rangers Follow Dallas Stars Into Uncharted Game Broadcast Streaming Service?

The Texas Rangers games are airing on Bally Sports Southwest through the end of the season, but the club's broadcast future remains a mystery.

Apr 8, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the Bally Sports logo and a Dallas Stars fan with a sign for left wing Jamie Benn before the game between the Dallas and the Vegas Golden Knights at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Could the Texas Rangers follow the Dallas Stars away from traditional game broadcast?

The announcement that the Stars will become the first major professional sports team to provide their local broadcasts through a free, ad-supported streaming service beginning with the coming season sent a jolt through the sports world, including Rangers fans who have struggled to watch the team on the financially-strapped Diamond Sports Group, which owns Bally Sports Southwest.

The Stars and DSG agreed to sever their existing rights agreement last week which had aired the team's games on Bally Sports Southwest.

The Stars partnered with A Parent Media Co. Inc. in a seven-year agreement to stream all regional games free via a newly created direct-to-consumer application called VICTORY+, a service "created for fans by A Parent Media Co. with the Dallas Stars," according to the club's press release.

The service will be available to download on smart TVs, computers, tablets and smart phones in September and games will be available to fans within the Stars' regional territory of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. As long as the fan's IP address is within the Stars' territory, they'll be able to stream games whereever they are. Fans with IP addresses outside of this territory will only be able to watch non-game content provided by the Stars.

The future has arrived! Starting this fall, #TexasHockey fans can stream Stars games for FREE on @victoryplustv! 📺

MORE: https://t.co/MGYnwKzAyd pic.twitter.com/coT39gBtLT

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) July 8, 2024

"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+," Dallas Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts said in the release. "Our first priority has always been our fan base, and on VICTORY+, fans will be able to stream 100% of Stars content for free through this innovative and unique streaming platform for sports programming."

The Rangers have an agreement through the remainder of the current season with Bally Sports Southwest but the club has not announced a plan for 2025 and beyond. Could APMC be an option?

It's unlikely. First, the local television rights for close to 162 Rangers games dwarf the rights to the 82-game Stars schedule. The Rangers' television rights negotiated with DSG in the courts earlier this year will pay the club about $95 million, compared to about $30 million the Stars earned. According to Sportico, the $95 million agreement is about $16 million less than the original deal with DSG before the company filed for bankruptcy in early 2023.

That's a far smaller piece of the pie for the Stars to makeup with an ad-supported streaming service.

The Stars are venturing into uncharted territory, and other franchises will likely closely monitor their success or failure.

The Stars and APMC tout their streaming service as fan-friendly, "accessible without barriers and enhancing the fan experience with a low-latency feed and high ad-fill rate for a superior viewing experience."

You can follow Stefan Stevenson on X @StefanVersusTex.

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