NHL Adds New Media Partner

NBC has been the National TV partner of the National Hockey League since 2005. That membership is coming to an end at the end of this season. It was already announced earlier this year that the NHL is working with ESPN starting next season. The deal for Turner sports is spanning the next seven seasons. With the deal, the NHL now joins the NBA, MLB and NCAA Men's Basketball as the Turner Media sports partners.

As part of the agreement, Turner family of networks, TNT and TBS will broadcast the NHL Winter Classic, the annual New Year's Day outdoor game, in all seven seasons of the deal. It will also televise all games in the Stanley Cup Final in 2023, 2025 and 2027, one conference final series each season, and half of the first two rounds of the playoffs, plus 72 regular-season games per season. The years that the Finals will not be on TNT or TBS will be 2022, 2024, 2026 and 2028 when the finals will be broadcast on ABC.

This is a good move for both the network and the league. For the network it adds another quality element of programming to its already stacked lineup. It gets to try its hand at offering a sport it hasn't in the past. It gives its viewership a different look at the coolest game on earth. From the league point of view, it adds yet another platform of exposure to the great game of hockey. This is also an expanded platform, along with the ESPN deal, to expose the new generation of stars in the game to a wider viewership, both the established stars and the up and comers in the league. It will be a great benefit to all parties involved. And you won't have to add any more networks to your cable package to find games

This is a good deal for both the league and the network that will allow both to expand their products and how its presented to the viewing audience.