Monumental Sports Network, owned by Ted Leonsis, said it launched a direct-to-consumer subscription service that will let fans who aren’t pay TV subscribers watch the games of Washington, D.C.’s basketball and hockey teams for $19.99 a month.
Viewers can also pay $199.99 a year to watch the Capitals, Wizards and Mystics play via the Monumental Sports Network app, which is available on iOS, Android, Apple TV and Roku. Subscribers can also use the app on Amazon Fire TV, Monumental said.
With pay TV and regional sports networks losing subscribers to cord-cutting, Monumental becomes the latest sports rights holder to make games available via streaming.
“We are delighted to make our network more accessible to fans without a Pay TV subscription by launching direct-to-consumer memberships,” Zach Leonsis, president of Media & New Enterprises at Monumental Sports & Entertainment, said. “Distributing our programming in new and additional ways is critical to our strategy of building the best local media platform in sports.”
Viewers who currently access Monumental Sports Network through a pay TV provider will continue to be able to watch the channel and can use the digital platform with no additional fees.
The app — created with ViewLift, another Leonsis backed company — fans with new and enhanced video functionality for live streaming of games, on-demand viewing of original programming and game replays and exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Users who already had the previous Monumental Sports Network app downloaded on their digital devices will receive a new version of the app via a standard app update.
Monumental said the first 10,000 subscribers to the network’s new Annual Membership will receive an exclusive, limited-edition bobblehead set of three featuring Alex Ovechkin, Kyle Kuzma, and Elena Delle Donne. Each bobblehead includes a built-in audio feature that plays signature game calls from Monumental play-by-play announcers.
“We are excited to have built the Monumental Sports Network apps to enable fans of the Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics to watch all the live action and VOD content on desktop, mobile, tablet, and both Apple TV and Fire TV — with more platforms to come,” ViewLift CEO Rick Allen said. “Sports fans in the D.C. region are some of the most technologically sophisticated anywhere, and these Monumental streaming services continue the company's leadership in super-serving that fanbase. We've been Monumental's streaming partner for eight years and are particularly proud of this latest version of the Monumental Sports Network.”
