The NHL's newest franchise has a new direct-to-consumer streaming app.
Billionaire Qualtronics co-founder Ryan Smith and his Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) own the expansion Utah Hockey Club, which will begin play in the upcoming 2024-25 season after relocating and transitioning from its previous iteration as the Phoenix Coyotes. The squad is teaming up with DTC tech shop Kiswe to build UtahHC+, which will run fans $69.99 a season and stream more than 75 of the team's pre- and regular-season games live.
The platform is launching today with content including studio show Fresh Ice presented by Delta Air Lines.
SEG already teamed with Kiswe last season to launch its NBA franchise, the Utah Jazz, on DTC app Jazz+. Utah sports fans can also pay $174.99 to buy an app, SEG+, that rolls up both Jazz+ and UtahHC+.
SEG is trying to get fans in the gate now. Subscribers who order UtahHC+ by Sept. 30, for example, will receive two single-goal-view tickets to a regular-season game.
UtahHC+ is available to customers throughout the state of Utah, as well as Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming, and parts of Nevada. Scripps-owned KUPX-TV will also broadcast games that aren't nationally televised for free.
For its part, SEG+ will be available to customers in the region where Utah Hockey Club's broadcast territory overlaps with that of the Jazz, who broadcast their games on Sinclair-owned KJZZ-TV.
Updated: A previous iteration of this story incorrectly described Utah Hockey Club as an expansion team.
