Trying to answer a few lingering questions about the announcement Wednesday that the Texas Rangers had agreed to a multi-year deal for a direct-to-consumer streaming option for fans in 2025 with Victory+, the same platform that the Dallas Stars use.
We will continue to update this by talking to ourselves more as the TV broadcast situation becomes more settled.
Can you explain the significance of the Rangers’ announcement Wednesday in easy-to-understand terms?
Probably not, but we’ll try anyway. The Rangers and the parent company of Victory+ announced a multi-year agreement to stream Rangers games within the club’s broadcast territory. It gives the Rangers a separate streaming platform to reach fans that isn’t dependent on being part of a specific cable/satellite company. It is a significant change for in-market fans from 2024 when the only method to stream games was for fans who already had a subscription to a cable system that carried what was then-branded as Bally Sports Southwest.
Victory+? Isn’t that the platform the Stars are on for free? So the Rangers broadcasts will be free?
Whoa. Slow down, buckaroo. Short answer: No. To access Rangers’ games on Victory+ will require a subscription. The current advertised rate is $100 for the year.
This sucks. I’m not paying $100 to watch games. Do I have any other options? Or not a streamer?
Very possibly. The streaming deal is only the first step in the Rangers’ attempt to broaden their reach. The club is still trying to negotiate deals with linear (traditional) cable carriers. But that requires individual negotiations with multiple providers. So, if the Rangers do end up with a linear deal on your individual cable system, then you should be able to watch as long as you subscribe to the proper channel bundle.
There is also the possibility the Rangers will return to some semblance of the over-the-air package that could provide a weekly game. The Rangers had a deal with Channel 21 in Dallas-Fort Worth to air games on Friday night a decade ago, but that has since expired. That deal also included deals with channels in several other markets within the Rangers’ geographic TV territory.
Bottom line: Wednesday’s announcement is a first step. There should be more to come in the next several weeks.
The Stars are free. The Rangers should be, too.
Is anything in life really free, pal?
The truth is the Rangers’ streaming subscription is the norm; it’s the Stars who are an anomaly in this situation. Few teams offer stand-alone streaming packages without a subscription cost.
Stars President Brad Alberts said Wednesday that, at least in the near term, there will be no changes to viewing for Stars’ fans. The TV broadcast situation is changing so rapidly that nobody can really predict the long-term future. All we seem to know is this: Streaming is the future; cable is becoming more of the past.
So, then why are the Stars free and the Rangers’ aren’t?
Well, this is all apples and oranges. Start with this: MLB regards streaming rights as very valuable property. It’s safe to say the league urges teams not to give away valuable property. Secondly, the Rangers TV contract paid them between $92-95 million last year. That was a huge chunk of their revenue. The Stars’ local contract was for far less, making it more realistic for them to take their chance at this method than the Rangers. According to Spotrac, the Stars’ payroll for salary cap purposes is currently $85 million. The Rangers are looking at a $234 million CBT payroll in 2025. You just can’t compare the two situations.
This is making my head hurt.
Ours too.
So, when will I know if I need to pay for the Victory+ app?
Well, if you are not a cable subscriber, then you already have your answer: Eventually you will. Victory+, however, said it won’t be making access packages available until early February. So, for cable subscribers, there is no need to make any kind of decision yet.
Is there a monthly subscription package?
On Wednesday, Victory+ only announced an annual subscription rate.
Will every game be on Victory+?
There are several national exclusive packages held by ESPN for Sunday Night Baseball, FOX for Saturday games and Apple TV+ on Friday night that would take precedence over local broadcast ability. For example, when the broadcast schedule was announced last year, 11 Rangers games were scheduled to be on those networks exclusively. The broadcast schedule has not been completed for 2025.
What happens to the broadcast team? I love Dave Raymond.
There will be no major changes to the play-by-play team. Dave Raymond will continue to be the lead play-by-play voice. The Rangers last year used a rotation of color analysts and that is expected to continue. The biggest change is that field reporter Emily Jones, who has reduced her schedule in recent years, has announced that she will do an even more limited number of games in 2025.
But what if I hate Dave Raymond?
He’s still going to be doing the play-by-play. And he’s a very nice man. Besides, everybody loves Raymond.
What does this mean for the Rangers on-field product?
The payroll is expected to be down this year from the all-time high of $263 million, according to Baseball Prospectus, in 2024. The Rangers also paid $10 million in CBT penalties for bypassing the luxury tax threshold for a second consecutive year.
There is some advantage to getting below the CBT threshold, which is $241 million this year. First, the Rangers would avoid paying a 50% tax on their overage. Second, their CBT clock would reset for 2026, meaning that if they go over the threshold next season, they would once again be considered a first-time violator. The tax is only 20% for first-time violators. It makes sense to get under the threshold in order to reset at some point.
Still, the current payroll is seventh-highest in baseball, according to Baseball Prospectus, and optimism over the TV situation led to the Rangers being more aggressive than was initially anticipated this offseason.
Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant
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