DALLAS — DLLS reported that the Dallas Stars will move their local game broadcasts from Victory+ to Amazon’s Prime Video this season. Sam Nestler reported it Monday morning. The team declined to comment. Victory+ is free, ad-supported, and two years old. The Stars helped launch it and hold an equity stake in the business.
Nestler’s sources also mentioned a second platform, but nothing has been confirmed.
The NHL will produce the telecasts itself, Alex Silverman of Sports Business Journal reported later Monday, through a centralized operation the league started up in July. Four clubs had signed on to it before Dallas. Silverman reported that those four could turn to Prime Video as well, though none has announced a deal, and it remains unresolved whether the Stars will maintain a linear television partner in the home market. The NHL declined comment.
Dallas has 71 local telecasts to place. ESPN and TNT hold 13 more as national exclusives.
Nestler noted that a shutdown would leave the platform two years into a seven-year agreement.
Nestler wrote that “signs point toward the end of Victory+ as a whole,” and not only the end of its deal in Dallas.
Brad Alberts Raised The Economics In June
Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts sat for an interview with Robert Tiffin of Stars Thoughts on June 16. The distribution had worked. Alberts said viewership was successful; fans discovered and embraced the service, and it reflected the club’s previous cable experience. However, he expressed ongoing concerns about the financial aspects.
In June, Alberts expressed uncertainty about whether the service could be maintained at the level the club needed. The Texas Rangers were already charging for their Victory+ games by then. Alberts would not rule out the Stars going the same route, and he said no change was planned then.
Victory+ Lost Three Rights Partners In July
The Stars announced their deal on July 8, 2024, two months before Victory+ launched on September 11. All regional Stars games streamed for free across Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas, funded by advertising. Dallas was the platform’s first client. Unlike the Rangers or the Anaheim Ducks, the Stars put every one of their games on it.
On July 15, the Rangers departed for BZZR, while the Ducks notified Victory+ they planned to end their agreement. The NWSL severed its connections on July 30, and its Sunday night matches were moved to the Roku Sports Channel.
Sports Business Journal reported that same day that Victory+ had removed Neil Gruninger as chief executive. Gruninger founded the company. His replacement is Jon Spencer, a board member from TriWest Capital Partners. Texas high school football broadcasts got dropped this month too. Missed payments to rights holders trailed most of the exits.
Prime Video is included free with an Amazon Prime membership and is available separately for $8.99 per month. Victory+ is free. Dallas viewers remain uncertain about their requirements, including details about preseason games, the broadcast crew, or whether any content is available over-the-air. Nestler reported that none of these specifics have been disclosed yet.
