The Penguins-owned SportsNet Pittsburgh will allow users to watch live games without cable next season.
SportsNet Pittsburgh, the regional network purchased last September by the Pittsburgh Penguins, announced on Monday the launch of a new streaming app for Pittsburgh Pirates and Penguins games.
SportsNet Pittsburgh is proud to introduce fans to SNP 360, an all-new streaming app that gives fans 24/7 access to SportsNet Pittsburgh’s content lineup, including live Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Pirates games.
Download the SNP 360 app or visit https://t.co/3kSwFNkkBj. pic.twitter.com/gsynjscCdP
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) April 29, 2024
The app will allow residents located in Pennsylvania and West Virginia as well as parts of Ohio, New York and Maryland to stream games without cable, according to the website.
Users that already receive SportsNet Pittsburgh access through cable can log into their provider on the app, the website noted.
The Penguins join several other NHL teams as the latest to launch a regionally-focused sports streaming service outside of traditional cable.
New England Sports Network (NESN) was the first broadcaster to develop a regional service when they launched a platform where users could stream Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins games in 2022, according to CNBC. Fenway Sports group and Delaware North, owners of the Boston Bruins, also own NESN.
NESN then took over operations of SportsNet Pittsburgh in October and began developing the streaming service, per CNBC’s Lillian Rizzo.
According to Rizzo, NESN and SportsNet Pittsburgh CEO Sean McGrail said the cost of streaming service ($17.99/month) was set at an “aggressive price point.”
It is cheaper than other examples of regional sports services currently available.
The NESN streaming service for Boston sports and MSG+, the network for the New York Rangers and New York Devils, each bill at $29.99 per month.
The YES network, which has the New York Yankees, Knicks and Liberty, costs $24.99 per month. Bally Sports+, which allows streaming in regions covered by the network, is $19.99 per month.
This season, MSG+ became the first regional streaming service to sell individual games for purchase at $9.99 a pop. If the new SportsNet Pittsburgh app succeeds next season, we’ll see if the platform ends up expanding in that à-la-carte direction as well.