Exciting news for ice hockey fans in South Florida! Scripps Sports and the Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers have signed a multiyear agreement to broadcast Panthers hockey games for free to residents of West Palm Beach, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, and Fort Myers.
Starting this fall, West Palm Beach residents can catch all locally produced games on WHDT-TV, Channel 9, while Miami/Fort Lauderdale viewers can tune in to WSFL-TV, Channel 39. For Fort Myers, the broadcast channel will be announced before next season.
Scripps Sports now has the ability to televise all locally produced Panthers games, including preseason, regular season, and round one games of the postseason. They will be the new home on television for Florida Panthers hockey. Panthers President and CEO Matthew Caldwell expressed excitement about the partnership, especially after the team’s recent Stanley Cup Final appearances and 30 years of playing in South Florida.
In addition to broadcasting games, Scripps Sports and the Panthers will launch a team-branded direct-to-consumer application and co-produce a weekly Panthers program. This collaboration aims to provide fans with more access to the team both on and off the ice.
Scripps Sports president Brian Lawlor emphasized the importance of making all locally broadcast games available to Panthers fans on various platforms, including free over-the-air TV. More information about on-air talent and programming on Scripps will be released in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned for further updates on this exciting announcement!