Florida Panthers fans in South Florida no longer need to worry about which cable TV networks are showing their favorite pro hockey team's games - and which ones are not.
The Stanley Cup champions have signed a multi-year agreement with Scripps Sports to locally broadcast Panthers hockey free for residents of West Palm Beach, Miami/Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers.
Panthers games have been broadcast by Bally Sports Florida. However, Bally’s parent company - Diamond Sports - has been involved in bankruptcy court proceedings that led to Comcast taking the Bally networks off the air in May, affecting the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The rest of the playoffs were broadcast by ABC or ESPN.
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Here is the new television lineup for Panthers games:
- In West Palm Beach , all locally produced games will air on WHDT-TV, Channel 9.
- In Miami/Fort Lauderdale, all locally produced games will air on WSFL-TV, Channel 39.
- In Fort Myers, Scripps Sports will announce the broadcast channel before next season.
Meanwhile, the National Hockey League announced its 2024-25 schedule on Tuesday. The Panthers open at home against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. They then head on a four-game road trip to Ottawa, Buffalo, Boston and Columbus from Oct. 10-Oct. 15.
Under the new broadcast agreement, Scripps will be able to televise all locally broadcast Panthers preseason, regular-season and first-round games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with distribution on cable, satellite and over-the-air television. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal has been approved by the NHL.
“After back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances and celebrating 30 years of Panthers Hockey in South Florida, we could not be more excited about the future of our hockey team. Scripps’ distribution network and accessibility makes them the ideal partner to stream and carry Panthers content on and off the ice,” said Panthers President and CEO Matthew Caldwell. “Panthers content will be available for free over the air and we are thrilled about the new homes this will reach as we continue to grow our great sport.”
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The Panthers' broadcast team is expected to be retained.
"I'm excited about the new partnership with Scripps and know they will be a great new partner," said play-by-play announcer Steve Goldstein in a statement. "The Panthers have stated they hope to keep the entire broadcast team intact and that sounds great to me as I enter my 28th year with the organization."
Scripps Sports and the Panthers also will launch a team-branded direct-to-consumer application with details to be announced prior to the 2024-2025 season. This direct-to-consumer app will have live streaming of all Scripps Sports-produced games throughout the team’s territory in South Florida.
Scripps Sports will be responsible for the production of the pregame, in-game and postgame shows. Scripps Sports and the Panthers will partner to co-produce a weekly Panthers program that showcases the team, its players and the organization beyond the ice.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers games will air free on West Palm Beach TV next season
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