A view of the Blues logo on the jersey of St. Louis Blues
Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
While many NBA and NHL teams have embraced over-the-air television as an alternative to the collapsing regional sports network model, the St. Louis Blues are going in the opposite direction.
Blues EVP and Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer Steve Chapman told the St. Louis Business Journal that revenue from over-the-air broadcasts is just ad sales, which do not “add up to enough revenue that the other models do.”
The Blues are instead looking at a model more similar to MLB teams that have joined MLB Local Media. In that model, games are distributed through cable and satellite providers on channels that go dark outside of live games, along with a direct-to-consumer streaming service, with a handful of games simulcast over-the-air.
That allows the Blues to maximize their revenue, Chapman asserts. Despite the continuation of cord-cutting, cable remains a key moneymaker for sports teams, and franchises can replicate more of the revenue the old regional sports network generated with direct-to-distributor deals like the Blues are planning.
News of the Blues’ plans comes while NBA, NHL, and MLB teams continue to search for answers to make up lost revenue following the collapse of many regional sports networks, including AT&T SportsNet in 2023 and FanDuel Sports Network this year. In the heyday of cable, agreements with regional sports networks were a given for these teams, with consistent local media rights revenue essentially guaranteed. With cord-cutting continuing to rise, that is no longer the case.
Most MLB teams have continued with cable-focused models, while NHL and NBA teams have been more open to moving games entirely over-the-air. Both of these models have obvious flaws. Cable is lucrative but increasingly inaccessible, especially to younger fans, as cord-cutting continues. Over-the-air is much more accessible, but results in much less revenue than cable.
With these flaws, teams have searched for alternatives, without much success. The Dallas Stars founded the free streaming service Victory+ in 2024 and convinced the Anaheim Ducks to join them. Every game airs for free locally on Victory+. However, Victory+ is also dealing with financial issues of its own and has missed rights payments to several partners. As a result, the Ducks have reportedly ended their agreement with the service.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have also identified an interesting alternative. Beginning this season, the team will move its games exclusively to the streaming service DAZN, with other NBA teams said to be joining the streamer as well. Fifteen games will air for free on the streaming service, with the remainder of the games airing on a Timberwolves-specific streaming option.
The NBA and MLB are also reportedly looking to launch centralized local streaming hubs in the future. That would see teams bundling their local rights and selling them to a streamer. That could be incredibly lucrative, especially if the leagues could convince every team to join. The NHL, so far, does not plan to launch something similar.
For the moment, there is no obvious or clear option for these teams. Cable remains by far the most lucrative but increasingly hurts visibility. Over-the-air or free streaming improve accessibility, but at the cost of revenue. DAZN and the future streaming RSNs are still unknowns.
Until something changes, this is the reality for these teams. There are no easy answers for how to best maximize local media rights in 2026.