MSG+ Launches In-Market Streaming; New Tech Stack Powers New Flexibility

It’s a fresh new season for NBA and NHL fans and for those in the New York City area there is a fresh new way to catch their favorite tri-state area teams: MSG+, a new app from MSG Networks that features a new tech stack, the ability to subscribe per game vs. month or year, and much more. It is also a single app experience designed for both DTC consumers and cable subscribers who can access content via authentication.

“We decided to combine [the DTC subscribers and cable subscriber] audiences into one app and focus on one premium experience,” says David Schafer, MSG Networks, SVP, Product, Technology & Operations. “We were determined to develop a one premium experience for our fans, regardless if they were a cable subscriber or a fan that wants to engage with us directly. This approach has enabled our teams to focus on our single mission without juggling various products, and also mitigates risk with one product and one technical stack.

Subscribers will be able to access New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devil games that are broadcast on MSG across the New York City tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut). The Buffalo Sabres are also available on MSG+ in Western New York. Authenticated cable subscribers can access the action for free while those without cable can buy individual games for $9.99 as well as a monthly subscription for $29.99 or a full year subscription for $309.99. The app also features full season schedules, making it possible for users to set reminders if they want to either subscribe to a game or tune in.

Having one app (MSG+ is currently available for use on iOS v15 and above for iPhone/iPad, Android v9 and above for Android phones or tablets, via the Web, or on Samsung, AndroidTV and Apple TV) and one technical stack offers up efficiencies that ultimately make the experience better for the internal team and the fan. Schafer says the previous MSG GO tech stack dated back to 2013 and while it was stable, an entirely new stack opens up many new possibilities for services and more.

“We engaged with premium partners to build out a new tech stack such as Intive, Quickplay, Harmonic and Evergent, mParticle and Mixpanel and continue to leverage our existing partnership with Freewheel ,” says Schafer.

Schafer says while engaging with many third-party vendors as opposed to internal teams can present challenges, he believes in nurturing a culture as one team is crucial to success with full transparency and open communication lines.

“There are different approaches to outsourcing, including a full turnkey approach, but MSG went down that path of driving the detailed roadmap with clear prioritization and managing resources across our partners. I believe this approach has led to our early success and evident in the product and one cohesive team.”

At the center of that experience are the live games, so the home screen emphasizes upcoming games with the promo rail graphics dominating the screen and the navigation.

“That app will be curated every day pointing to our live events, channels and extensive library, but as we approach game time the experience will transition to that day’s live game coverage and the content that surrounds that event such as studio shows, player profiles, live stats & odds and highlights” says Schafer. “But if a fan prefers a more laid back approach, a user is never more than one-to-two clicks to our live channels of MSG, MSGSN, MSG2, or MSG2SN.”

The tech stack also can support future enhancements like HDR, 4K, and interactive elements but the focus for now is a live game experience.

“We had a short runway to build MSG+, and we wanted to successfully deliver a high quality, stable experience so we focused on what was most important and that is the live game and our channels. We have a long list of future roadmap items, such as more personalization and audience retention experiences, but we will make decisions as we start to see engagement data.”

Fans will also be able to find highlights and condensed games.

“We are thrilled to have partnered with WSC Sports to deliver automated highlights, with quick turnarounds on packages like condensed quarters and games” says Schafer. “Our users can restart a game or have the ability to instantly view quarter or period recaps, along with full game recaps after the game.”

A soft launch earlier this summer gave the internal team and vendor partners a chance to make any tweaks in advance of the start of the NHL season which began last week and the NBA season which tips off on October 24.

“Given that we deliver five team across five geographical zones, the tech stack is flexible, agile, and scalable. We modeled the same approach that Discovery had with the DTC services delivering across multiple international territories,” adds Schafer. “Having zones is an interesting aspect to the architecture we’ve built as it’s not just about new product features but also the ability to scale up and down as we see fit.”

Helping in those efforts is a dedicated streaming product & tech team along with a content publishing team that leverages content created for the linear network and sports teams.

“The company has been extremely supportive in developing and delivering this new experience,” says Schafer.