Dallas Stars screw Gary Bettman with massive free initiative

The Dallas Stars announced today they have entered into a seven-year agreement with A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC) to stream all regional Dallas Stars games free of charge beginning with the 2024-25 season. The games will be broadcast on newly formed VICTORY+, a free direct-to-consumer streaming service created for fans by APMC with the Dallas 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+," said Dallas Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts. "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. Despite the mutual agreement between the Dallas Stars and Diamond Sports Group to end our current relationship pending court approval, we would 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."

VICTORY+ will be available for download on smart TVs, tablets, and smartphones in September 2024 ensuring fans within the Dallas Stars regional territory (Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas) can enjoy content wherever they are on their preferred device. 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.

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. Utilizing APMC's ad-tech solution Safe Exchange� will allow both direct and programmatic ads on the service ensuring advertisers can have full access to the engaged audience base.

«With more than a decade of safe streaming and monetization experience, we are excited to expand beyond Kidoodle.TV� and Dude Perfect into sports,» stated APMC President and CEO Neil Gruninger. «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.»

To ensure the highest level of production quality and fan experience, APMC has hired former FOX Sports Executive Producer and Dallas Stars Vice President of Broadcasting Jason Walsh to lead VICTORY+ to deliver the broadcast quality that Stars fans have come to expect. 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.

The Dallas Stars will be the service's first client, as it prepares to welcome additional professional sports teams in the near future. The free service will be a 100 percent over-the-top (OTT) streaming alternative for local sports broadcasts, with advertising as its main revenue driver. APMC's extensive experience in providing end-to-end streaming and monetization solutions power several prominent services, including the Dude Perfect streaming service, and Kidoodle.TV�.

VICTORY+ 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. Updates, future offerings, and new teams coming to VICTORY+ can be found at www.victoryplus.com.