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Florida Panthers Broadcast Plans Quickly Coming Together

Published

3 months ago

August 14, 2024

Fans of the Florida Panthers will be able to watch all non-nationally broadcast games either over the air or on a new streaming service with longtime broadcasters Steve Goldstein and Randy Moller expected to be back on the call.

The Florida Panthers will start their new season in less than two months.

Their new television broadcast plans are quickly coming together.

Last month, the team announced its plans to join Scripps Sports and put games on local over-the-air channels.

The team’s broadcast crew of Steve Goldstein (play-by-play), Randy Moller (analyst), Katie Engelson (sideline), and Jessica Blaylock (host) are all expected to return.

Tuesday, the Panthers took a step forward by announcing they signed a multiyear deal with ViewLift to launch a new direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming service.

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According to the Panthers, this service will allow fans to stream all locally-available games live on “major devices, including web, mobile and connected TV platforms.”

This will allow fans who are not near a television to stream the games wherever they are.

The team has not announced a name for the service nor a price — but it is expected to be considerably cheaper than the $20 monthly fee Bally Sports was charging to stream games on devices.

And, there will be more than games on the streaming service.

ViewLift also produces digital content for the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals.

Looking at the Knights’ service, which is called KnightTime+, one can get a pretty good idea of what the Panthers will offer.

Per the KnightTime+ site, not only will games be shown live, but they can also be accessed once they have been concluded.

Programming includes pregame, intermission, and postgame shows; a weekly 30-minute magazine-style show; features and interviews with Golden Knights players, coaches and executives; game highlights; and special shows “such as Knight Time at Noon, plus specials on major events like NHL Trade Deadline Day.”

Cost for KnightTime+ is $69.99 for the year.

“Our goal is to increase accessibility and ensure that all Panthers fans have access anytime and anywhere to view our games,’’ said Mark Zarthar, Chief Strategy Officer of the Florida Panthers. “With Scripps Sports’ and ViewLift’s expertise, we’re confident our new distribution will do just that.”

For those who just want to watch the games at home, the new deal with Scripps all but insures everyone with a television set in South Florida will be able to do so at no additional cost than what they are currently paying.

Not only will the games be broadcast on over-the-air stations in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale (WSFL-39), West Palm Beach (WHDT-9), and Naples/Fort Myers (TBD) which can be accessed with a simple antenna, but just about every cable, satellite, and streaming provider in the region already carry these channels.

The Panthers are the fourth NHL team to break away from the regional sports network model in the past few years, joining Vegas and Arizona/Utah with Scripps and its over-the-air model.

The Dallas Stars will stream their games this coming season.

Pricing and the name of the new Florida streaming service should be announced in the coming weeks.

So, too, will the official announcements that the team’s broadcast team will return.

How many games will be broadcast by Scripps will be known once the NHL releases its national television schedule.

Every game not on ESPN, ABC, or TNT will be broadcast locally by Scripps.

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