If you’re an Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Seattle Kraken, or new Utah Hockey Club fan, you may be confused about where to find some early games due to the changes those seven teams made to their local media partners during the offseason.
Over the past year, several regional sports networks have changed hands, been abandoned, or struggled to emerge from bankruptcy. While there’s still a lot of turmoil as the new NHL season begins, one constant is that DIRECTV remains committed to local NHL teams and the fans who support them.
“We continue to believe in the unique power of local sports teams to unite the communities they call home, and we will continue collaborating with the top leagues, local franchises, and media partners to cultivate future generations of fans,” says DIRECTV Chief Content Officer Rob Thun. “We have always prided ourselves on being a sports leader and intend to remain at the forefront.”
To that end, DIRECTV recently renewed the 19 Diamond Sports Group regional sports networks that provide NHL fans with Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, and Tampa Bay Lightning games.
While Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and Vegas Golden Knights fans will all have a seamless transition into the 2024-25 NHL campaign, that’s not necessarily the case for at least some fans for a handful of other teams that have moved games in the offseason.
How to Watch NHL
Although this situation remains fluid, and changes sometimes occur daily, here’s the most current team-by-team rundown of where things stand as the puck drops on the 2024-25 NHL campaign.
Bally Sports San Diego shut down, and the Ducks left Bally Sports So Cal in favor of Los Angeles broadcast station KCOP-MNT, owned by Fox Television Stations. DIRECTV will continue offering Ducks games to satellite, streaming, and U-verse customers in Los Angeles and Orange County. Yet, some fans living in cities like San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Palm Springs won’t have the same access. The NHL still designates those as the Ducks’ home territory, so NHL Center Ice is not an option to reconnect. The Ducks have created their own Victory+ subscription streaming service as a potential lifeline. Any DIRECTV via Internet customer already has a Gemini set-top box, so they can download the Victory+ app and watch Ducks games as part of their usual DIRECTV experience. Any satellite customers who have yet to upgrade to a Gemini set-top box can learn more here.
The Blackhawks have moved to the new Chicago Sports Network from their former home at NBC Sports Chicago, which has shut down. DIRECTV is currently the only major provider that has launched the Chicago Sports Network, making the transition seamless and simple for all Hawks fans. Any satellite, streaming, or U-verse customers who received NBC Sports Chicago before are now getting Chicago Sports Network—and in the same channel position. And that’s not just for the fans in Chicago, but anywhere else that received Hawks games before.
DIRECTV has been the only major provider to offer Altitude Sports and its Avs coverage, which will continue for all the satellite, streaming, or U-verse customers who got games before. The Avs recently moved 20 games to Denver broadcast stations KUSA-NBC and KTVD-MNT, owned by TEGNA, Inc. DIRECTV will continue to offer them to Denver satellite customers and expects to finalize a new agreement to also offer them to streaming customers soon. Now that the former Arizona Coyotes have moved to Salt Lake City, the NHL has carved out northeast Nevada and the state of Utah from the Avs’ home territory, meaning any Avs fans living there must switch allegiance to the new Utah HC franchise or add NHL Center Ice to watch the Avs play this season.
The Stars left Bally Sports Southwest in favor of their own free streaming service, Victory+. This affects not only DIRECTV customers but every other provider, too. Any DIRECTV via Internet customer already has a Gemini set-top box, so they can download the Victory+ app and watch Stars games as part of their usual DIRECTV experience. Satellite customers who have yet to upgrade to a Gemini set-top box can learn more here.
The Stanley Cup champion Panthers left Bally Sports Florida in favor of Scripps Broadcasting’s WSFL-CW in Miami and independent station WHDT in West Palm Beach. DIRECTV satellite, streaming, and U-verse customers in those two metro regions will continue to receive Panthers games this season. However, that could still leave some others in Orlando-Daytona, Fort Myers-Naples, and small segments of Tampa-St. Petersburg without the same access as before. The Panthers have created their own Panthers+ subscription streaming service as a potential lifeline for those fans. Any DIRECTV via Internet customer already has a Gemini set-top box, so they can download the Panthers+ app and watch Panthers games as part of their usual DIRECTV experience. Any satellite customers who have yet to upgrade to a Gemini set-top box can learn more here. The NHL still designates Orlando-Daytona, Fort Myers-Naples, and portions of Tampa-St. Petersburg Panthers’ home territory, so NHL Center Ice is unfortunately not an option.
The three-year-old Kraken left ROOT Sports Northwest in favor of TEGNA Inc.’s Seattle broadcast stations KING-NBC and independent KONG, Spokane’s KREM-CBS, and Portland’s KGW-NBC. Those games remain available to all DIRECTV satellite customers in those cities and the rest of the Kraken’s home territory across Washington and Oregon. DIRECTV expects to finalize a new agreement to offer them to streaming customers there soon.
The newly rechristened Utah HC will televise its inaugural season on Scripps Broadcasting’s Salt Lake City independent station KUPX. DIRECTV satellite and streaming customers in Salt Lake City and the rest of Utah will receive the Utah HC games this season, and Arizona Coyotes fans in Phoenix (independent KASW) and Tucson (independent KWBA), who’d been loyal to the team will get them too. That could still leave some more distant fans in eastern New Mexico, northeastern Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota the NHL considers Utah HC’s home territory without a TV outlet for games. Utah HC has launched its own Utah HC+ subscription streaming service for those fans. Any DIRECTV via Internet customer already has a Gemini set-top box, so they can download the Utah HC+ app and watch Utah HC games as part of their usual DIRECTV experience. Any satellite customers who have yet to upgrade to a Gemini set-top box can learn more here.
Check back here, or on our NHL Watch Guide for the latest in NHL.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are RSNs changing?
A handful of regional sports networks have recently shut down or changed owners, and nearly 20 others are struggling financially. That’s led a few NHL (3), NBA (3), and MLB (2) teams to recently move their local TV rights to new networks or local broadcast stations available to different regions than before. We’re working with these teams, leagues, and new rightsholders to make games available to fans who may want them as this transition occurs.
How do I find any new channel potentially carrying my team’s games?
At least for now, this only affects a few teams: the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, Pittsburgh Penguins and Arizona Coyotes; NBA’s Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, and Houston Rockets; and MLB’s San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, which moved to new league-operated channels that DIRECTV immediately made available earlier this year. There are several ways to keep track of a favorite team, and find any new channels offering games: (1) Using the search function in the on-screen guide. (2) Customers with Gemini receivers can set their team as a “favorite” and the guide will list potential ways to watch upcoming games. (3) Go to Sports.directv.com and enter your zip code for current options.
Why do some customers still have access, but not others?
Each league mandates “home” territories for its local franchises to help preserve each one’s local fan base. The teams then enter into rights agreements with various networks, local broadcast stations, or streaming partners to offer their games to fans who live inside that specific geographic region. A stand-alone channel, like an RSN or league-operated service, will typically cover a territory determined by the league, Within the territory fans with eligible service and programming can watch the local franchise. When teams opt for local broadcast coverage, the patchwork of signals may not reach some fans who typically live on the outskirts of that league-mandated territory. Most teams have created new streaming services to try to accommodate any displaced fans.
Could this same thing happen with other RSNs?
The several Bally Sports networks owned by Diamond Sports Group are attempting to reorganize and exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but if they were to fail to make local rights fee payments to any of the 11 NHL and 15 NBA franchises they currently provide, those teams could eventually move to other alternatives, including new league-owned channels like MLB has already launched on DIRECTV. Despite its financial difficulties, DSG recently renewed local rights agreements with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning. As a longtime sports leader, DIRECTV intends to remain very active in local sports. We’re actively working with individual teams, their leagues, and new rightsholders to deliver local sports to fans that may want them.
