Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy saga pushes Dallas Stars to enter new groundbreaking free streaming partnership: Reports

The Dallas Stars have signed a groundbreaking seven-year agreement with A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC). This deal will make steaming Dallas Stars games more accessible for fans. They will be able to stream all regional games free of charge starting with the 2024-25 season. This partnership was inked in the wake of the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy.

Fans will now be able to catch the free broadcast on VICTORY+. It's a new initiative to provide a free direct-to-consumer streaming service. This motive is to revolutionize sports distribution by offering 100% of Stars content without charge.

Dallas Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts shared his excitement about the innovative platform.

"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+. 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," said Alberts, (via NHL.com)

Despite ending their relationship with Diamond Sports Group, Alberts acknowledged their 25-year partnership with Bally Sports.

"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," Alberts added in his statement.

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More about VICTORY+ and APMC's deal with Dallas Stars that will now offer free regional broadcast

VICTORY+ will launch in September 2024 and will be available for download on smart TVs, tablets, and smartphones. Fans within the Dallas Stars' regional territory (Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas) will be able to enjoy the content on their preferred devices.

But how will they provide the free content?

They will do so by seamlessly catering to both viewers and advertisers. VICTORY+ will operate as a free ad-supported streaming service. This will eliminate barriers to access and enhance the viewing experience. The latency would be minimal and thus it will also have high ad-fill rates. They have plans to offer both direct and programmatic ads by leveraging APMC's ad-tech solution Safe Exchange.

Stars are VICTORY+'s first clients but they are aiming to become the preferred destination for local sports broadcasts. Their primary source of revenue will be the advertisements.