The United States network Bally Sports, which carried the Dallas Stars, went bankrupt last year and left the Stars with this opportunity. They'll be the first NHL team to offer their games for free via a streaming service, but this idea has been picking up steam in other major sport leagues.
Stars President Brad Alberts spoke as part of the announcement today, saying he's excited to pioneer a free-watch experience in the NHL. The idea is to offer local fans a free and reliable method to watch games, hoping that it develops more fans and team profit directly from advertising revenues. Hopefully, this idea catches on for more teams - it's a fantastic idea to grow the game.
Out of market Stars games will still be carried by ESPN+ in the United States, but will not be available for local fans. It's a trailblazing move for the Stars and the NHL, and we'll see if any more teams decide to hop on the bandwagon in the future.
Source: Dallas News
Dallas Stars launch streaming app
POLL | ||
Would you like the option to watch for free on a NHL app, or watch regular tv broadcasts? | ||
For free on the app | 203 | 75.2 % |
Pay to watch on TV | 46 | 17 % |
See Results | 21 | 7.8 % |
List of polls |