Monumental Sports Network Launches Direct-to-Consumer Subscription Memberships Featuring Live Washington Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics Games

Local fans without a Pay TV subscription can now subscribe directly to Monumental Sports Network to access the network's in-market live 24/7 linear feed, as well as live games and other membership perks.  

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Monumental Sports Network unveiled direct-to-consumer (DTC) subscription memberships for local fans without a Pay TV subscription seeking to access Monumental Sports Network's live and on-demand programming. These new DTC memberships include in-market access to live games for the NHL's Washington Capitals, the NBA's Washington Wizards, and the WNBA's Washington Mystics, amongst other live games, original programs, and tangible membership perks. Current viewers who access the network's channel through a Pay TV provider will continue to be able to watch Monumental Sports Network the same way as before, as well as via Monumental Sports Network's newly launched digital platform with no additional fees.

Fans can purchase monthly or annual memberships priced at $19.99 per month or $199.99 per year at www.monumentalsportsnetwork.com or by downloading the Monumental Sports Network app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, or Roku. Subscribers can also utilize the app on Amazon Fire TV. 

"We are delighted to make our network more accessible to fans without a Pay TV subscription by launching direct-to-consumer memberships," said Zach Leonsis, President of Media & New Enterprises at Monumental Sports & Entertainment. "Distributing our programming in new and additional ways is critical to our strategy of building the best local media platform in sports." 

The DTC launch comes just ahead of the start of the NHL and NBA regular seasons, with games beginning later this month. Fans who purchase a DTC subscription will also be able to watch several Capitals and Wizards pre-season games on the network, starting with the Wizards game vs. Cairns Taipans (a National Basketball League team from Australia) on Tuesday, Oct 10^th at 7pm ET.

About the New Digital and Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Experiences 
The new digital platform provides fans with new and enhanced video functionality for live streaming of games, on-demand viewing of original programming and game replays, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and more. Monumental Sports Network's new digital presence is optimized across desktop, tablet, and mobile experiences. 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. 

Additional features of the new digital experience include:  

• Access to multiple camera angles during live home games, with additional functionality including the ability to rewind and watch in slow motion.
• Personalization features that tailor a user's experience toward their favorite teams and players.
• Access to hundreds of hours of original behind-the-scenes programming, new shows including Hometown with Rachel Nichols, and much more.
• Ability to watch Monumental Sports Network's live, 24/7 linear feed on-the-go on multiple devices.
• Opt-in ability to receive score alerts, team and player updates, as well as a new Monumental Sports Network newsletter.
• Daily editorial and video clips covering the Capitals, Wizards, Mystics, and Go-Go which can be saved to a user's list for later viewing.
• Sportradar integrations providing users with advanced, real-time sports data and betting analytics.
• Ticketmaster integration for ticket management and account linking.
• Consistent look and feel across all platforms, allowing for an intuitive experience across all devices.

Fans who subscribe directly to the network's new Annual Membership receive the following benefits: 

• Watch 200+ live Capitals, Wizards, Mystics, and Go-Go Games
• 24/7 access to Monumental Sports Network's live channel
• Ability to stream on multiple devices at once
• 20% discount off team merchandise and apparel
• Discounted tickets for select Game of the Month
• Pre-sale ticket access to regular season and playoff games

In addition, 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.

Pay TV subscribers receive all the same benefits as Annual Membership subscribers for free by signing in with their TV Everywhere (TVE) credentials on the online platform. Existing TVE users can expect a communication explaining and granting their new membership benefits this week.  

Fans who subscribe directly to the network's new Monthly Plan receive the following benefits: 

• Live Capitals, Wizards, Mystics, and/or Go-Go Games
• 24/7 access to Monumental Sports Network's live channel

Monumental Sports Network partnered on these enhancements with ViewLift, a leading end-to-end digital platform developer providing OTT distribution solutions for content owners across multiple device platforms, including web, mobile, connected TV devices, smart TVs, and gaming consoles to design and develop the brand-new digital experience. 

"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," said Rick Allen, CEO at ViewLift. "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."

About Monumental Sports Network
Monumental Sports Network is wholly owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE). The network holds exclusive local television media rights for the NHL's Washington Capitals, NBA's Washington Wizards and WNBA's Washington Mystics games. Monumental Sports Network is also the TV and digital home to the NBA G League's Capital City Go-Go and the NBA 2K League's Wizards District Gaming as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes content and original sports and entertainment programming. The network also boasts the most comprehensive regional high-school and regional collegiate Division II-and-under sports programming in the greater Washington D.C. metro area.  For more, visit: https://www.monumentalsportsnetwork.com/.

About ViewLift
ViewLift is a full-service digital content distribution platform empowering sports leagues and clubs; entertainment companies; local TV broadcasters and others to monetize their content through native branded apps on major OTT devices, including web, mobile, TV-connected devices, Smart TVs and gaming consoles. ViewLift offers clients a range of monetization models on a proprietary platform with advanced real-time analytics. Visit www.viewlift.com.

SOURCE Monumental Sports & Entertainment