New Florida Panthers TV Broadcast Brings in Big Numbers

The Florida Panthers made big changes to how fans watch their games — both on TV and on streaming devices — and they have tuned in with big numbers.

On Tuesday, the Panthers and Scripps Sports said that through the first 14 games of the new season, viewership is up 170 percent over last season when the team’s games were on Bally Sports.

Over the summer, the Panthers announced they were leaving their longtime home on cable television for over-the-air channels in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Naples/Fort Myers markets.

Those channels are also carried by various cable, satellite, and streaming providers.

Every game not on ESPN, ABC, or TNT — or streamed on ESPN+/Hulu — is broadcast locally by Scripps.

Tonight’s game in Winnipeg, for instance, will be broadcast on the local network; Thursday’s game in Chicago will only be available through ESPN+/Hulu.

• How to Watch the Florida Panthers This Season

The Panthers were 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.

Streaming is up 43 percent over last season.

“We are extremely proud that more fans than ever before are tuning in nightly to watch our 2024 Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers games through our partnership with Scripps Sports,” Panthers President & CEO Matt Caldwell said in a statement.

“We wanted to increase accessibility to Panthers games across South Florida and we are thrilled to see these early viewership metrics indicating positive growth.”

According to the team, the top three telecasts on WSFL-39 in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale market have been Panthers games.

The Panthers are also seeing big increases in viewership in West Palm Beach on Channel 9.

“Our goal is to help the Panthers reach more of their fans, and this is a great start,”  Scripps Sports President Brian Lawlor said. “This is such a strong partnership. We’re all optimistic about continued growth.” 

ON DECK: GAME 19

FLORIDA PANTHERS AT WINNIPEG JETS 

• When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
• Where: Canada Life Center; Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (Naples/FTM)
• Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Last season: Winnipeg won 2-0
• This season (Panthers Lead 1-0) — At Florida: Panthers 5, Jets 0 (Saturday). At Winnipeg: Tuesday.
• All-time regular season series: Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets lead 54-32-8, 5 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers: Thursday at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu ONLY)