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The regional broadcasting options for many MLB clubs this offseason have gone back and forth between Main Street Sports, the former Diamond Sports Group that’s made a remarkable comeback, and MLB’s in-house model for production and distribution.
The Rangers, in a notable twist, have opted for an entirely different, third route: the digital-first Victory+. The club and Victory+ owner A Parent Media Co. Inc. struck a multiyear deal that will bring local Rangers games to the direct-to-consumer streaming service.
Texas had previously been with Main Street Sports, before the conclusion of its bankruptcy reorganization and subsequent name change, but said last fall it definitely would not return to the regional sports network operator.
The new agreement involves the Rangers going to a service that began last summer with the neighboring Stars of the NHL, another team formerly tied to DSG. Victory+ also has rights deals with the Ducks and Red Bull. It’s certainly a more uncertain course than either returning to Main Street Sports or the league-run option, but it also perhaps gives the Rangers more direct control over their local media future.
“Victory+ has proven itself over the past few months as a reliable streaming home for several professional sports teams, and we feel Rangers fans will enjoy the familiarity, convenience, and simplicity of the service,” said Rangers president of business operations and COO Neil Leibman.
Full broadcast details for the Rangers are still being developed, and they could also involve separate deals for supplemental linear coverage in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. To that end, the team called the Victory+ pact “the first element of the Rangers’ effort to provide fans with multiple viewing options for game broadcasts in 2025.” Victory+, however, is now selling full-season passes to stream Rangers games, including some spring training contests, for $100.
The Rangers deal also extends a radical reshaping of the local sports media situation in Dallas. In addition to the Stars’ shift, the NBA’s Mavericks also are no longer with Main Street Sports, and they are streaming their games through MavsTV while broadcasting them over the air on Tegna stations throughout the region.
