The Rangers plan to announce a streaming deal for the 2025 season, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The team will join Victory+, a provider that also carries NHL stars. While the service offers star games for free, consumers will need to pay an annual subscription fee to attend Rangers games, Grant wrote. Pricing has not yet been reported.
The organization has had no in-market broadcast plans since the end of last season. Its contract with Diamond Sports Group (now known as Main Street Sports), which operates the Bally Sports regional network, expires at the end of this year. The Rangers have no interest in negotiating a new deal as the company faces long-term viability issues even after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This is in stark contrast to most teams that have previously signed with Main Street Sports. All others are either renegotiating deals with regional sports networks (possibly charging lower broadcast fees) or handing distribution rights over to Major League Baseball.
Grant said this could be the first of several steps to expand distribution of Rangers games in local markets. The Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram have previously written that the team hopes to essentially build its own RSN by negotiating individual deals directly with various streaming and/or cable providers.
The model could create some uncertainty for Rangers’ local broadcast revenue. The team’s contract with Diamond Sports Group through 2023 reportedly pays them approximately $111MM. Bally Sports Southwest. It’s unclear to what extent they expect to cancel their partnership with Victory+, or any other deals they might strike in the next two months.
