DIRECTV to Deliver Upcoming Rangers Sports Network Across Five-State Team Territory via Satellite-free Streaming, Satellite, and U-verse Services.
Major League Baseball’s 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers and DIRECTV today announced a multiyear distribution agreement to provide Texas Rangers’ pre-game, post-game, and live game telecasts for the perennial American League West contender across a five-state footprint, including all of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and eastern New Mexico, in time for Opening Day on March 27.
This wide-ranging streaming, satellite, and IPTV licensing agreement is one of the first for the Rangers Sports Network and ensures fans of the cornerstone MLB franchise have access to its upcoming games. Texas Rangers’ games will join the DIRECTV satellite-free streaming and satellite lineups on channel 677 and U-verse channels 1752 (HD)/752 (SD).
“We continue to believe in the unique power of local teams like the Texas Rangers to unite the communities they call home, and this relationship will continue to distinguish DIRECTV as an industry leader for baseball fans,” said Rob Thun, Chief Content Officer of DIRECTV. “We want to create opportunities for local fans and businesses to support their hometown teams while also offering consumers more choice, flexibility, and the ability to obtain the programming they feel best meets their own interests at a good value.”
Throughout its 30-year history, DIRECTV has often been the first to embrace and develop new fan-first sports innovations, including league-operated channels like NFL and MLB Network; conference-specific services like Big Ten Network and SEC Network; local sports offerings like the Chicago Sports Network; and stand-alone team channels like MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, and San Diego Padres regional services; pay-per-view entry to Ultimate Fighting Championships and other marquee events; and out-of-market access to NFL or other top league’s otherwise regionalized coverage dating back to DIRECTV’s formative days in 1994.
Earlier this year, DIRECTV took a major step forward on behalf of all sports fans, creating MySports, a new industry-first sports-centric package of 40 sports and broadcast channels for its residential streaming customers, including an unparalleled combination of national sports channels, league, and conference-operated channels, women’s sports, specialty sports, local broadcast stations, and upcoming sports streaming services like ESPN+ and ESPN Flagship. MySports continues to expand beyond its initial availability in 24 major metro regions, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston, that lie within the Ranger’s home territory. Local sports fans will also have an option to add their favorite team telecasts—like the Texas Rangers—at an additional cost.
Additionally, all DIRECTV customers with access to Rangers Sports Network can cheer on the team using their credentials for the Victory+ streaming app, which is also home to the region’s NHL Dallas Stars.
DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS continues to be the leader in sports for a vast network of more than 300,000 sports bars, restaurants, and other places where baseball fans gather. It offers the most MLB games, exclusive access to ESPN+ for Business, and Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football for any customer subscribing to a package with ESPN.
DIRECTV for BUSINESS will continue delivering Rangers games into Globe Life Field and the adjacent Texas Live! entertainment complex favored by fans for pre-and post-game festivities. This includes Globe Life Field’s more than 100 suites, concourses, outdoor spaces, Karbach Brewing Sky Porch, Lexus Club, Balcones Speakeasy, American Lounge, Germania Insurance Lounge, and Shift4 Club. Texas Live! features ten distinct venues, unmatched audiovisual capabilities, and more than 200,000 square feet of entertainment space, and can handle groups as large as 10,000 guests.
As part of their upcoming television and streaming plans, the Rangers intend to make 15 games available via over-the-air local broadcast stations, nearly all for home Friday contests. DIRECTV has ongoing rights to offer those games to its satellite-free streaming, satellite, and U-verse homes in the Rangers’ home territory, too. This is the first time the club has included broadcast games in its TV offerings since 2014.
