Sports streamer Victory+ officially shuts down
Sports streamer Victory+ officially shuts down
The sports streaming platform has officially shut down, ending an experiment borne out of the demise of regional sports networks.
The time has come to write the epitaph for Victory+. The upstart sports streaming service once brimmed with promise, but the harsh financial realities of trying to distribute live sports caught up with it. Victory+ has officially shut down, forcing fans whose teams once played on the platform to seek a new subscription.
Key Details:
- Final defeat: Victory+ has been shut down for good.
- Writing on the wall: The NWSL, Texas Rangers, and other properties recently departed the streamer.
- Back on the hunt: Teams partnered with Victory+ must now seek a new broadcast platform.
Per Yahoo Sports, Victory+’s parent company, Parent Media Co., has sent a letter to local school districts in Texas to inform them that it will no longer be able to carry games from the Texas High School Coaches Association, as the platform has ceased all operations and laid off all staff.
“I want to extend my appreciation to you for working with us throughout the summer, and my apologies for the sudden notice,” the statement reads. “We were all looking forward to a great season and were blindsided by this news. We wanted to work with you for a reason: you run tremendous athletic programs worthy of high-quality coverage. I’m just disappointed that we will no longer be able to do that.”
Attention was first drawn to the struggles of Victory+ in late July, when the streamer lost its NWSL package and removed its CEO. Since then, it’s been all downhill for Victory+; the streamer had seen the Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, and Texas Rangers depart for other streaming platforms as well, and now the end of the line has been reached.
When Victory+ first launched in 2024, it positioned itself as a good alternative to regional sports networks (RSNs) — another method of sports distribution that is seemingly on its last legs. Most games were streamed for free on Victory+, but the service’s plans to fund its operations almost exclusively via ad revenue clearly didn’t pan out.
Victory+ made one last attempt to bring new teams to its platform in January, when Main Street Sports Group — one of the last players left in the RSN game — shut down, but it could not woo those clubs in the end. Now, other sports streamers like DAZN stand to benefit from Victory+’s demise.
VICTORY+
VICTORY+ was a video streaming service that featured live coverage of various sports teams and leagues, including the NSWL, MLB, NHL, and high school sports. The service also included Red Bull sports, Dude Perfect content, and fishing programs.