National Hockey League fans will be able to watch their favorite teams without having to pay for a bundled package under a deal approved by a U.S. judge.

Boston Bruins fans living in New York, for example, had to buy a package with out-of-market games instead of just paying for the NESN network that broadcasts the games. The fans claimed the system violated antitrust law.

U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin approved the deal Tuesday in Manhattan. Ms. Scheindlin is also presiding over a parallel lawsuit against Major League Baseball for violating antitrust law, though that case is pending.

Fans in May sued the leagues, individual clubs and regional TV sports networks, along with Comcast Corp. and DirecTV LLC, claiming the practice of dividing live game broadcasts into exclusive territories, protected by local blackouts, is anti-competitive.

The group representing the hockey fans agreed to settle in June.