The Anaheim Ducks are exiting their telecast agreement with bankrupt regional sports broadcaster Diamond Sports and will bring their games to free broadcast and streaming TV this season, the team announced on Tuesday.
As part of the transition, the Anaheim Ducks have partnered with A Parent Media Company (APMC) to bring their regular-season, locally-televised games to the streaming platform Victory Plus, where they will be able to access for free.
Additionally, the Anaheim Ducks have struck a partnership with Fox Television Stations to broadcast games on free, over-the-air television, with regular-season competitions available to watch for free on KCOP-TV (Channel 13).
The deal with Victory Plus and KCOP-TV covers 65 locally-televised games during the Anaheim Ducks’ regular season, and covers the entire Los Angeles television market, the team said.
Nationally-televised games will continue to be available through other cable, satellite and streaming platforms, and out-of-market access to Anaheim Ducks games will be available through streaming service ESPN Plus.
“We are so pleased to announce that fans in our entire television market, via stream or traditional television (cable or over-the-air) will see locally broadcast games free of charge,” said Anaheim Ducks President Aaron Teats “It is a significant organizational priority to connect Ducks fans with our entire market and for every fan in our region to have the opportunity to watch Ducks games without cost across multiple, accessible platforms.
The partnership between the Ducks and Fox is not new: As 21st Century Fox, the broadcaster owned and operated the regional sports networks that were eventually sold to Sinclair and Allen Media Group to form Diamond Sports. They now operate under the Bally Sports brand, but the deal between the Ducks and the regional sports broadcaster extends back a quarter-century to when the channels operated under the Fox Sports brand.
“We want to thank Diamond Sports Group and Bally Sports, and the personnel who have been incredible partners over the last 25 years who brought Ducks hockey to our region and fans,” Teats said.
Victory Plus is expected to launch in September, and will be available to Anaheim Ducks fans in the same area that is served by Bally Sports West. That area includes Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, San Diego County, Imperial County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County and Hawaii. The streaming service will be supported through programmatic and direct advertising.
“Welcoming the Anaheim Ducks to Victory Plus signifies our ongoing commitment to providing accessible and high-quality sports content to our viewers,” said Neil Gruninger, the President & CEO of APMC. “The Anaheim Ducks have a forward-thinking approach to bringing new viewers into the fan base and will make an excellent addition to the Victory Plus lineup.”
For cable and satellite subscribers, KCOP will continue making the games available on traditional pay TV platforms, and will also distribute the games on their free, over-the-air signal, which can be received with an antenna.
“We are proud to be the home of the Anaheim Ducks by offering a free over-the-air option for their fans,” Steve Carlston, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of KCOP and KTTV (Channel 11, Fox), said in a statement. “Broadcasting the Ducks on (KCOP) is a natural additional to our station’s lineup of robust sports coverage, and we look forward to using this partnership as an opportunity to expand their visibility in our region.”
