Latest news with #ScrippsSports
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Free local broadcasts for Tampa Bay Lightning fans, an entirely new streaming experience, with Steven Stamkos and Andrei Vasilevskiy in action
Image Via Getty The Tampa Bay Lightning will enter a new paradigm of fan engagement during Season 2025-26. Shadowed by the conventional paywalls and cable barriers, local game broadcasts for the entire slate of local games, with the likes of Steven Stamkos and Andrei Vasilevskiy going to be made free for the regional fans. This transformation is thus going to take a step toward a bigger-scale democratization for proud supporters scattered all over Tampa Bay, in parallel with the shift we observe now in how professional teams deliver live content in modern times. Free TV and Digital Streaming until Steven Stamkos and Andrei Vasilevskiy can be more fully accessible — TBLightning (@TBLightning) Tampa Bay Lightning is moving its new multi-year partnership with Scripps Sports to broadcast WXPX-TV all preseason, regular season, and first-round playoff games that are not televised nationally, rebranded as "The Spot - Tampa Bay 66." The channel will be unveiled on July 1, 2025, and will show Lightning broadcasts along with news and entertainment programming. Such an arrangement makes it possible for every fan residing in the Tampa-St. Petersburg locale to witness local games of the team over the air, free of charge. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around in 2025 Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo For the digitally inclined, the Lightning will work with ViewLift, so the team's official mobile app will provide the streamers with a greatly intuitive streaming environment. This digital solution will be made available all over the team's local broadcast territory and will include any games produced locally and behind-the-scenes content. The hybrid free TV & app-based streaming model means fans can watch Steven Stamkos captain the offense or Andrei Vasilevskiy perform another stellar effort away from home, be it at work or just out there on the go. Veteran broadcast stalwarts Dave Randorf, Brian Engblom, and Gabby Shirley will continue to be the familiar voices and faces of Lightning telecasts. In addition, the production team will be creating original, co-produced content with an even more personal and exclusive take on the players' stories and personalities in creating a more rewarding viewing experience. It is a win for the fans and, at the same time, pushes the team toward innovation and accessibility. In fact, with Scripps Sports also having similar NHL deals with teams like the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights, this could well be a model that fundamentally transforms regional sports broadcasting. Also Read: Mitch Marner's free agency drama: Playoff pressure, fan taunts and Toronto's tough contract decision By allying with Scripps Sports and ViewLift, the Tampa Bay Lightning is making a definitive statement in bringing superstars such as Steven Stamkos and Andrei Vasilevskiy nearer to the fans than ever before. It is a fresh chapter in the making, filled with unmatched accessibility and a superior viewing experience. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lightning leave FanDuel, enter new media agreement with Scripps Sports
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced on Wednesday that the team has entered a multi-year media rights agreement with Scripps Sports. The new agreement will make The E.W. Scripps the official television home of the Lightning, giving them the rights to air all preseason, regular season and first round playoff games which are not allocated to national broadcasts. The partnership will make it easier for fans all across Tampa Bay to have access to Lightning games free of charge at the start of the 2025-26 season. 'We're excited to announce Scripps Sports as the new media partner of the Tampa Bay Lightning,' said Vinik Sports Group CEO Steve Griggs. 'A world-class fan experience starts with access — and fans have made it clear they want it to be easier to find and watch our games. This partnership delivers on that. 'We're looking forward to working with Brian Lawlor and the Scripps Sports team to expand our reach and bring the excitement of Lightning hockey to more homes across Tampa Bay. We're also incredibly grateful to Steve Tello and the FanDuel Sports team for their partnership and the many unforgettable moments we've shared.' Scripps, which owns ABC Action News also plans to launch a second full-power local station serving the Tampa-St. Petersburg area that will be the broadcast home of the Lightning. That station will be branded 'The Spot - Tampa Bay 66' and will launch locally on July 1, featuring news and entertainment programming. If you're outside the Tampa Bay area and want to tune in, programming info will be made available prior to the start of the 2025-26 season. If you want to stay updated, you can log in here: 'The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the best teams in the NHL and Bolts fans deserve easy access to all their games via cable, satellite, free over-the-air and streaming,' said Brian Lawlor, President of Scripps Sports. 'The complement of broadcast television and streaming guarantees that fans can follow the games from their living room or wherever they are in their busy lives. We look forward to sharing many winning moments with one of the league's most loyal fan bases.' 'We are honored to power the streaming experience for the Lightning and expand our support for the NHL and now seven of its teams,' said ViewLift CEO Rick Allen. 'We will make it easy for Bolts fans to stream games through their existing Lightning mobile apps and new apps on far more devices, helping the Lightning bring on-ice action and behind-the-scenes information and experiences to fans of all ages, at home or on the move.' The Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers and Utah Mammoth have recently entered similar media agreements.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NHL's Lightning Bolt to Scripps Sports, ViewLift for Local Games
The Tampa Bay Lightning is the latest sports team to offer games to fans through free over-the-air television. The three-time Stanley Cup champions have signed a multiyear local broadcast agreement with Scripps Sports. Except for nationally televised games, all regular season games and the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be shown on WXPX-TV (Channel 66), Scripps' Ion Television affiliate station. Advertisement More from On July 1, WXPX will be rebranded as 'The Spot – Tampa 66,' and it will continue to broadcast news and entertainment programs alongside Lightning telecasts. Steve Griggs, the team's CEO and vice chairman, said the challenges faced by RSNs had little to do with their decision. Instead, he said, Tampa Bay wants to prioritize local reach. 'We continue to do our research on our fans about what's important to them,' Griggs said in a phone interview. 'Access was the key to watching our games, and we wanted to create something that had no barriers, that is free and easy for all of our fans to watch across Tampa Bay.' Advertisement Griggs also connected with his two of his counterparts—Florida Panthers CEO Matt Caldwell and Las Vegas Golden Knights CEO Kerry Bubolz—to learn how those teams made the switch to Scripps Sports and local streaming TV. 'We've had conversations over the last year about their ability to expand their audience and what they did with their DTC platform,' he said. 'If you're looking at those three teams, you're talking about the teams that have won the Stanley Cup in the most recent years. We're always trying to do bigger and better things and being able to lean on those two guys was part of our process.' Scripps and the Lightning will also work with ViewLift to launch a direct-to-consumer streaming service that will make Tampa Bay the first NHL franchise to integrate live game streaming into its existing team app. Other teams have created separate platforms for live streaming. With 2.14 million TV households, the Tampa/St. Petersburg media market is the 12th-largest in the U.S., as counted by Nielsen (via Sports Media Watch). The Lightning's footprint extends beyond its immediate metro area across Central and North Florida, with their games also shown in the Orlando (1.84 million TV households) and Jacksonville (799,000 TV households) markets. Advertisement The new local rights deal brings an end to the Lightning's 35-year relationship with FanDuel Sports Network Sun and its various incarnations. Lightning games had been broadcasted on the network since the franchise debuted in 1992, and it remained with FanDuel throughout the bankruptcy saga of Diamond Sports Group, now Main Street Sports Group. Tampa Bay joins the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers, Golden Knights and Utah Mammoth as NHL teams carried by Scripps' local affiliate stations. The Lightning will also pad ViewLift's roster, which recently added New England Sports Network (NESN). Shifting their broadcasts to Scripps and ViewLift is the latest move as it relates to the business of the Bolts. In October, Jeff Vinik sold the majority share of the franchise to a group of investors led by Blue Owl Capital founders Doug Ostrover and Marc Lipschultz at a valuation of $1.8 billion, which ranks 11th in Sportico's NHL franchise valuations. Ostrover and Lipschultz were set to pay for the 54% stake within a year of the October announcement. Additionally, the Lightning signed a multiyear agreement with stadium management firm Oak View Group last month to take on food and hospitality at Amalie Arena, the team's longtime home. Amalie becomes the first arena primarily for an NHL team to be managed by OVG's hospitality division. Advertisement Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tampa Bay Lightning, Scripps Sports partner on multi-year agreement to air National Hockey League team's games
TAMPA BAY, Fla. and CINCINNATI , May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tampa Bay Lightning have entered into a multi-year media rights agreement with Scripps Sports, which will make it easier than ever for fans throughout the Tampa Bay area to watch Lightning hockey games for free beginning with the start of the 2025-26 NHL season this fall. This new agreement allows The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) to produce and distribute all preseason, regular season and first-round playoff Lightning games that are not allocated exclusively to national broadcasts. Scripps, which owns WFTS-ABC Action News serving the Tampa television market, plans to launch a second full-power local station serving the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, WXPX-TV, which will be the broadcast home of the Lightning. That station will be branded "The Spot – Tampa Bay 66" and will launch locally on July 1, featuring news and entertainment programming in addition to all locally produced Lightning games. Scripps is in discussions with cable and satellite distributors to ensure Lightning games on The Spot will be available on cable, satellite as well as over-the-air television. In addition to the local TV broadcasts, the Lightning and Scripps Sports will be introducing a new, direct-to-consumer experience where Bolts fans can livestream games within the Lightning app throughout the Bolts' broadcast territory, powered by ViewLift. More details on the streaming experience will be made available prior to the start of the 2025-26 season. "The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the best teams in the NHL, and Bolts fans deserve easy access to all their games via cable, satellite, free over-the-air and streaming," said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports. "The complement of broadcast television and streaming guarantees that fans can follow the games from their living room or wherever they are in their busy lives. We look forward to sharing many winning moments with one of the league's most loyal fan bases." "We're excited to announce Scripps Sports as the new media partner of the Tampa Bay Lightning," said Vinik Sports Group CEO Steve Griggs. "A world-class fan experience starts with access — and fans have made it clear they want it to be easier to find and watch our games. This partnership delivers on that. We're looking forward to working with Brian Lawlor and the Scripps Sports team to expand our reach and bring the excitement of Lightning hockey to more homes across Tampa Bay. We're also incredibly grateful to Steve Tello and the FanDuel Sports team for their partnership and the many unforgettable moments we've shared." "We are honored to power the streaming experience for the Lightning and expand our support for the NHL and now seven of its teams," said ViewLift CEO Rick Allen. "We will make it easy for Bolts fans to stream games through their existing Lightning mobile apps and new apps on far more devices, helping the Lightning bring on-ice action and behind-the-scenes information and experiences to fans of all ages, at home or on the move." In the NHL, Scripps Sports also has similar media rights agreements with the Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers and Utah Mammoth. Media contacts: Scripps Sports: Jim Weiss, 770.722.2142, Brian Breseman, 813.301.6871, bbreseman@ Mahesh Kumar, About Scripps SportsScripps Sports serves professional and college sports leagues, conferences and teams with local market depth and national broadcast reach. Scripps Sports currently has partnerships with the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2024 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, the 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, the Utah Mammoth, the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA and the NCAA's Big Sky Conference. Scripps Sports is a division of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), a Fortune 1000 American media company. About the Lightning and Vinik Sports GroupVinik Sports Group (VSG) is an entity established by Jeff Vinik to manage the three-time Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning (2004, 2020, 2021) of the National Hockey League and hold the leasehold rights to AMALIE Arena, the 19,092-seat downtown Tampa home in which the team plays its games. The venue opened in 1996 and became AMALIE Arena in September 2014 when the family-owned, Tampa Bay-based AMALIE Oil Company partnered with Vinik and the Lightning. Since 2010, Vinik has led a complete brand and business transformation of the Lightning and the arena, featuring a mostly private renovation of the publicly owned facility. Doug Ostrover and Marc Lipschultz joined the expanded ownership group of Vinik Sports Group in 2024, alongside Arctos, which initially joined in 2021. In addition to owning the Lightning and managing AMALIE Arena, Vinik Sports Group, through TBSE, manages the Yuengling Center on the campus at the University of South Florida. About ViewLiftViewLift is a technology company providing digital solutions for content owners, with particular expertise in live and on-demand video distribution. With proprietary cloud-based technology, ViewLift powers digital platforms for sports, media, and entertainment brands worldwide. Its services include content management, multi-platform distribution, real-time analytics, viewer engagement tools, and flexible monetization models (AVOD, SVOD, TVOD, and hybrid models). ViewLift enables content owners to maximize audience engagement and revenue through a seamless, scalable streaming experience. ViewLift's sports clients include the National Hockey League, 14 US top professional sports teams; LIV Golf; five Regional Sports Networks; the Professional Fighters League; and the World Racing Group. The company's media clients include NBC; TEGNA; and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment's MOTV. For more information about ViewLift, visit View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Miami Herald
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Stanley Cup playoffs live updates: Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning, Game 1
The Battle of Florida is back. The Florida Panthers vs the Tampa Bay Lightning. It's the fourth time in the past five years the in-state rivals are facing off in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Game 1 of the best-of-7 series begins at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Tampa's Amalie Arena. It will be broadcast nationally on ESPN and locally on Scripps Sports. Follow along throughout the game for live updates, news, analysis and commentary. Will Matthew Tkachuk play? The Panthers have remained coy about star winger Matthew Tkachuk's status for Game 1 as he recovers from an apparent groin injury that has sidelined him since mid-February. That extended all the way up to the team's morning skate on Tuesday, with coach Paul Maurice saying a decision won't be made until closer to puck drop even though Tkachuk was a full participant in both of the team's practices on Saturday and Monday as well as morning skate. It's worth noting, though, that the team did formally activated him off injured reserve Tuesday afternoon, clearing the way for him to officially return to action for Game 1. An update will come after warmups, but for now, here's the story from morning skate. Series schedule ▪ Game 1: Tonight ▪ Game 2: Thursday, 6:30 p.m., TBS, truTV, Max, Scripps Sports, Tampa's Amalie Arena ▪ Game 3: Saturday, April 26, 1 p.m., TBS, truTV, Max, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena ▪ Game 4: Monday, April 28, 7 p.m., ESPN, ESPN+, Scripps Sports, Panthers+, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena ▪ Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, April 30, time and TV TBD, Tampa's Amalie Arena ▪ Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, May 2, time and TV TBD, Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena ▪ Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, May 4, time and TV TBD, Tampa's Amalie Arena Pregame reading Need to catch up ahead of Game 1? Here are the highlights of the Miami Herald's coverage over the past week. ▪ Panthers embraced chance to rest but also 'a little antsy' to finally start playoffs ▪ After watching for two years, Mackie Samoskevich is ready to be part of a Panthers playoff run ▪ Five stats to know heading into the Panthers' playoff series against the Lightning ▪ 'He's a rat,' but Brad Marchand embraces that as his Panthers tenure enters playoffs ▪ Winning the Stanley Cup a moment Aleksander Barkov will 'never forget.' He wants to do it again ▪ Three reasons for — and three against — the Panthers' chances to repeat as Stanley Cup champions ▪ Three players who figure to be key to a long Florida Panthers playoff run
