Victory+ CEO removed after losing Rangers, NWSL, and Ducks rights in two weeks
Victory+ board removed CEO Neil Gruninger and replaced him with Jon Spencer of TriWest Capital Partners after the streaming platform lost three major sports rights deals (Texas Rangers, NWSL, Anaheim Ducks) in two weeks. The company's remaining partners include the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Lynx, Atlanta Dream, League One Volleyball, and Texas prep football.
Victory+ board members removed CEO Neil Gruninger and replaced him with Jon Spencer, a board member from TriWest Capital Partners, according to Awful Announcing's reporting from August 2. The leadership change followed the streaming service's loss of three major sports rights deals in two weeks.
The Texas Rangers moved their direct-to-consumer streaming from Victory+ to BZZR. The National Women's Soccer League moved games from Victory+ to NWSL+. The Anaheim Ducks departed Victory+ without announcing a new streaming home. Per Awful Announcing's sourcing, the board decision was reported by Sports Business Journal.
All three departing partners did not align with Victory+'s original core business model centered on exclusive streaming rights, per the reporting. The Ducks aired the vast majority of their games on local broadcast networks. The Rangers Sports Network distributed through cable providers. The NWSL had numerous other media partners beyond Victory+.
Victory+ positions itself as the only sports-focused streaming service offering truly free access to professional sports content, according to Awful Announcing. The company does not pay rights fees to all of its partners; instead, agreements with WNBA teams like the Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream are structured around advertising revenue sharing, not guaranteed payments.
The Dallas Stars, which hold an equity stake in Victory+, remain a partner. After announcing their Victory+ agreement in March 2025, the Stars aired just four games over-the-air in the first season, then expanded to 17 over-the-air games in the following season, showing the company itself moved away from exclusivity. Victory+ also maintains agreements with League One Volleyball and Texas prep football.
According to Sports Business Journal reporting cited by Awful Announcing, Victory+'s remaining deals do not appear to be in immediate jeopardy. However, the company must convert free access to sports content into a sustainable revenue model, a challenge it has not yet solved.
Victory+ CEO Neil Gruninger was removed by the board after losing the Rangers, NWSL, and Ducks rights deals in two weeks.
Victory+ loses one-third of its major rights in two weeks and gets a new CEO. The remaining partners, including the equity-holding Dallas Stars, are reported as secure for now, but the company's advertising-revenue model faces ongoing questions about viability in a crowded streaming market.
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Also reported by Sports Media Watch, Sportcal, The Streamable. Independent coverage of the same development, found by search; not this story's sources.
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