A rather bumpy stretch for Victory+ has hit another speed bump.
According to a report from Sports Business Journal, Victory+ founder Neil Gruninger is out as CEO and has been replaced with board member Jon Spencer of TriWest Capital Partners. The report mentions that Gruninger will stay with the company and “focus on technoloogy and innovation” after the board wanted “Spencer’s financial acumen to steady its recent freefall.”
The next goal of Victory+ is to reportedly downsize in order to stay afloat and pursue teams and leagues that want to do exclusive deals.
“It is unfortunate that this switch in direct-to-consumer distributors was necessary, but the decision was made in the best interest of both the Rangers and our fans,” Rangers minority owner Neil Leibman said at the time. “RSN is committed to continued delivery of the highest-quality game broadcast possible, and we feel BZZR is well-positioned to manage a seamless transition.”
Meanwhile, it’s “status quo” for the Dallas Stars with Victory+. The team is a the flagship partner of Victory+ and signed a seven-year agreement with its parent company, A Parent Media Co. Inc. in July 2024. The move made the Stars the first major professional sports team to stream its games directly to fans for free through an ad-supported model.
The Stars did not provide further comment after the Rangers’ exit.