DALLAS — The Dallas Stars have a new television home. And the games will be aired free of charge to North Texas fans.
The Stars on Monday announced a new seven-year agreement with A Parent Media Co. Inc. that will see all of the club's regional games stream free of charge on the company's new VICTORY+ streaming service.
VICTORY+ will be available to download and watch for free on smart TVs, tablets and smart phones beginning in September. As long as fans are located in the Stars' regional territory -- Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas -- they'll be able to watch the team play for free.
The Stars' pivot to VICTORY+ comes on the heels of reports last week that the team officially parted ways with longtime partner network Bally Sports Southwest, the parent company of which, Diamond Sports Group, is going through bankruptcy proceedings.
Diamond's financial uncertainty has left plenty of questions surrounding what happens to Bally's broadcast contracts, including with the Texas Rangers. While the Rangers and Major League Baseball haven't yet announced alternatives to Bally, the Stars now have.
With VICTORY+, the Stars are believed to be the first major American professional sports team to announce a direct-to-consumer streaming platform.
VICTORY+ will be headed up by Jason Walsh, the Dallas Stars Vice President of Broadcasting and a former FOX Sports Executive Producer, according to Monday's announcement. The Stars -- known for their "victory green" color scheme -- are VICTORY+'s first team partner. The streaming service plans to work with "other like-minded professional sports teams and leagues" in the future.
"In a revolutionary step for sports fan engagement, the service will be offered as a free ad-supported streaming service, making it accessible without barriers and enhancing the fan experience with a low-latency feed and high ad-fill rate for a superior viewing experience," a Stars press release Monday said.
A Parent Media Co. was initially founded in 2012 and launched its Kidoodle.TV, a family-friendly streaming service, in 2014. The company later partnered with North Texas-based YouTube group Dude Perfect for a streaming service around their content.
