Panthers Score New Streaming Deal Ahead of Move to Free TV
The Stanley Cup champion Panthers were formerly found on a Bally Sports channel, but are making the shift to over-the-air networks this fall.
The Florida Panthers clearly made some great moves on the ice last year, considering the team won the Stanley Cup at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. But the team is now making a very audience-friendly move off the ice, as it has announced that starting this season it will no longer play locally-broadcast games on its old regional sports network (RSN) home of Bally Sports Florida. Instead, the Panthers will head to local broadcast channels, and this week the team has unveiled a new partnership with ViewLift that will allow in-market fans to stream games if they wish during the 2024-25 season.
Key Details:
- The main focus for ViewLift and the Panthers is to launch their new streaming partnership before the 2024-25 season starts in October.
- No price or finalized launch date for the new streamer has been revealed thus far.
- The Panthers will play on Scripps affiliates in Miami/Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Fort Myers.
The Panthers will partner with ViewLift to launch their new in-market streamer sometime before the 2024-25 NHL season starts on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Time is of the essence, since the two sides have less than two months to get the service to market, as Panthers chief strategy officer Mark Zarthar explained to Sportico in an interview.
“We’re in a bit of a sprint to get to Opening Night,” Zarthar said. “We came to our agreement with Scripps fairly recently, and so that gives us a pretty short window to put something together. ViewLift proved, with past projects, that they have the ability to move at a rapid pace. That made us feel very comfortable getting prepared for Opening Night. They’re flexible, they’re innovative.”
The service will be available on mobile devices, smart TV platforms, and web. There were no details revealed on a potential launch date, nor did either the Panthers or ViewLift reveal pricing data for the streamer. ViewLift has helped teams like the Vegas Golden Knights launch their own in-market streamers, so it has plenty of experience creating a compelling NHL streaming product.
The focus this year will be on creating a place for fans to watch live games that aren’t appearing on national sports channels like ESPN or TNT, but the Panthers’ weekly TV show will also live on the new service, alongside classic game replays and bespoke content.
“South Florida means more than great beaches and top nightlife – it now is also home to the world’s best hockey team,” CEO of ViewLift Rick Allen said. “We’re honored to be the Panthers streaming partner, and together with our friends at Scripps Sports, reach more fans in the team’s region than ever before. Viewing at home or on the go will now be as fast and flowing as the Cats are.”
The Panthers will play their 2024-25 non-national schedule on WSFL-TV (Ch. 39) in Miami/Fort Lauderdale and WHDT-TV (Ch. 9) in West Palm Beach. A Fort Myers affiliate will also be available but has yet to be selected. Previously, the team played in-market games on Bally Sports Florida.
Which Other Pro Teams Have Left Bally Sports This Year?
In recent months, Bally Sports’ parent company Diamond Sports Group has lost or given up the rights to several pro sports teams in the course of its bankruptcy proceedings, as those teams’ contracts with the company would end up costing it more money than it would make off them this season. That includes the Panthers as well as the Dallas Stars, who announced in July that they would become the first team in the NHL to offer a free in-market streaming service for the team.
The NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans have also ditched their former Bally Sports home in favor of over-the-air (OTA) broadcast channels ahead of the 2024-25 season. As many as four other NBA teams may depart Bally Sports channels before the season begins, and the company is still trying to resolve long-term deals with the NBA and NHL so that it can schedule a confirmation hearing for its bankruptcy reorganization plan in court. That hearing was originally scheduled for July 29 but was delayed so that Diamond could finalize a new carriage deal with Comcast.
As of now, that hearing has not been rescheduled, and with the NBA and NHL seasons fast approaching, there isn’t much time left for Diamond to get itself together. That won’t be a problem for Florida Panthers fans this season, however, as the team will show games on free OTA channels and on a new streaming service for in-market viewers in the upcoming season.
Bally Sports+
Bally Sports+ is a direct-to-consumer streaming service that offers live games for those who want access to your local Bally Sports RSN without subscribing to a cable or satellite package.