ESPN signs 7 year deal with the NHL

[nickp91]

Max Kellerman isn’t gonna be anywhere near their hockey coverage

 

[John Price]

Max Kellerman isn’t gonna be anywhere near their hockey coverage

nor stephen a

stephen a hates hockey lol

 

[SJSharksfan39]

I hate ESPN and they suck when it comes to Hockey. Hopefully they do it right and don't give us a Lebron James of Hockey but I'm not holding my breath. Also, I find it funny that this same network that got this deal cancelled the NHL Podcast before the season started. Hopefully they do it right and it will be nice to get the NHL on ESPN theme again.

Now end the NHL.TV Blackouts and I will be happy.

Also, How old is Gary Thorne. It won't be like the Glory Days.

 

[eddygee]

Need to see dollar figures to know how happy to be haha. I was kinda hoping they would've actually sold the streaming rights separately like they had been flirting about doing to bring in more. ESPN obviously probably said we'll pay more with the streaming vs without and it helps form a stronger partnership with more ties that way.

 

[John Price]

I hate ESPN and they suck when it comes to Hockey. Hopefully they do it right and don't give us a Lebron James of Hockey but I'm not holding my breath. Also, I find it funny that this same network that got this deal cancelled the NHL Podcast before the season started.
Hopefully they do it right and it will be nice to get the NHL on ESPN theme again.

Now end the NHL.TV Blackouts and I will be happy.

Also, How old is Gary Thorne. It won't be like the Glory Days.

Very old although he is not employed

Steve Levy would probably do ESPN games again. If the MNF doesn't work out he could be the main NHL voice. Every game he called went multiple OT's in the playoffs

 

[PhillyWings]

So does mean NHL games going to ESPN 2 as well? Or just the main ESPN channel?

 

[SJSharksfan39]

Very old although he is not employed

Steve Levy would probably do ESPN games again. If the MNF doesn't work out he could be the main NHL voice. Every game he called went multiple OT's in the playoffs

Levy being the A-Voice of Hockey on ESPN would be a good thing. Other than Melrose he's the Hockey guy there. I also hope we get Linda Cone and Greg Wyshynski as the pre and postgame hosts.

 

[jiggsawpuzzle35]

I hate ESPN and they suck when it comes to Hockey. Hopefully they do it right and don't give us a Lebron James of Hockey but I'm not holding my breath. Also, I find it funny that this same network that got this deal cancelled the NHL Podcast before the season started. Hopefully they do it right and it will be nice to get the NHL on ESPN theme again.

Now end the NHL.TV Blackouts and I will be happy.

Also, How old is Gary Thorne. It won't be like the Glory Days.

He was let go by the Baltimore Orioles . I believe he’s in his early 70s.

 

[Tawnos]

I hate ESPN and they suck when it comes to Hockey. Hopefully they do it right and don't give us a Lebron James of Hockey but I'm not holding my breath. Also, I find it funny that this same network that got this deal cancelled the NHL Podcast before the season started. Hopefully they do it right and it will be nice to get the NHL on ESPN theme again.

Now end the NHL.TV Blackouts and I will be happy.

Also, How old is Gary Thorne. It won't be like the Glory Days.

Not having NHLtv blackouts of the games on Disney owned property could happen, though I’d be surprised. That’s only a possible thought because Disney already runs NHLtv.

 

[eddygee]

Have to work out playoffs with the NBA Finals playoff off games on ABC. That was already an issue on NBC with later Stanley Cup rounds and early Stanley Cup Final games going head to head with NBA. Wonder if ESPN would be willing to rotate the Finals games on ABC and put the NBA on ESPN some nights so that way we can get some Primetime Final games on ABC.

 

[PhillyWings]

This is great news. I’m hoping there’s no forcing it onto ESPN+ though. Gotta think the league was smart enough to not get roped into that

The financials of the agreement are not yet known. ESPN+, the network’s streaming service, is expected to have a significant presence going forward.

NHL, ESPN reach TV deal with NBC in predicament

 

[jkrdevil]

The financials of the agreement are not yet known. ESPN+, the network’s streaming service, is expected to have a significant presence going forward.

NHL, ESPN reach TV deal with NBC in predicament

My guess ESPN+ is retaining the NHL.tv rights.

 

[jkrdevil]

Have to work out playoffs with the NBA Finals playoff off games on ABC. That was already an issue on NBC with later Stanley Cup rounds and early Stanley Cup Final games going head to head with NBA. Wonder if ESPN would be willing to rotate the Finals games on ABC and put the NBA on ESPN some nights so that way we can get some Primetime Final games on ABC.

the nights that TNT airs the NBA playoffs will be the nights ESPN airs the NHL. The nights that ESPN has the NBA will be the nights the NHL airs on the TBD partner (presumably Fox/FS1 or NBC/USA).

The two Finals already operate in separate nights. The only overlap was game 7 of a NBA conference final with Game 1 of a Stanley Cup Final. That can probably be worked out (though there is a 50/50 chance that NBA game is TNT game).

 

[Marshmallow Man]

I can't imagine it would be anyone but NBC. Despite Pierre, NBC has done a pretty good job covering games.

God forbid they go back to Fox.

FOX was the best television partner the NHL ever had. ESPN/ABC, the worst.

At the end of the last ESPN/ABC deal, the NHL was kicked off ABC and got a lowball offer to be on ESPN2 that the league declined.

Last time, they treated the NHL like dirt. I really hope for the league’s sake that this time is different.

 

[GordonGraham]

Cnt wait to see if its for real money or peanuts like the last NBC deal

 

[jkrdevil]

FOX was the best television partner the NHL ever had. ESPN/ABC, the worst.

At the end of the last ESPN/ABC deal, the NHL was kicked off ABC and got a lowball offer to be on ESPN2 that the league declined.

Last time, they treated the NHL like dirt. I really hope for the league’s sake that this time is different.

In fairness to ESPN, I don’t believe none of those people involved during that time from an executive level are there anymore. ESPN had a virtually monopoly on cable tv sports at that time and they tried to use it to lower value. It not only led the NHL to leave but led the Big Ten to create their own channel.

 

[GindyDraws]

ABC gets a raw deal when it comes to sports. If it were up to ESPN, the NBA Finals would be exclusively on ESPN.

 

[MK9]

Bring Bill Pidto and NHL2Night back and bring back Gary Thorne to call all the SC games.

 

[jkrdevil]

the nights that TNT airs the NBA playoffs will be the nights ESPN airs the NHL. The nights that ESPN has the NBA will be the nights the NHL airs on the TBD partner (presumably Fox/FS1 or NBC/USA).

The two Finals already operate in separate nights. The only overlap was game 7 of a NBA conference final with Game 1 of a Stanley Cup Final. That can probably be worked out (though there is a 50/50 chance that NBA game is TNT game).

For guidance of a possible breakdown:

 

[ziggyjoe212]

Its nice that ESPN will help grow hockey. But if there isn't a way to stream games then this will be a major wasted opportunity.

No one has cable anymore. Let us pay to stream games without forcing us to pay for 100 channels no one watches.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

The NHL should put the entire Cup Finals on broadcast television.

It's about time they fall in line with the other major sports leagues and have their final round exclusively OTA.

There's a reason ESPN isn't part of the Super Bowl rotation despite paying more to air the NFL than CBS, Fox or NBC.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

Furthermore, CBS Sports needs to be the other partner.

They would produce their NHL games for the network changing their name from Paramount Network to Paramount Movie Network (which would potentially air higher-tier sports events that CBS gets cable rights to, ala TBS and TNT splitting their time between sports and entertainment; PMN would be the reverse mirror partner for the NFL on CBS if that league decided to pursue that), and for the CW, which needs sports events to build a bigger profile, similar to how sports helped Fox grow in the 1990s. The CW could also add college football games from C-USA and the MW on Saturday afternoons in the fall, and Saturday nights could feature occasional Army, Navy, or UConn home games against Power 5 opponents.

 

[ted2019]

Its nice that ESPN will help grow hockey. But if there isn't a way to stream games then this will be a major wasted opportunity.

No one has cable anymore. Let us pay to stream games without forcing us to pay for 100 channels no one watches.

We have cable.

 

[awfulwaffle]

This is great news. I’m hoping there’s no forcing it onto ESPN+ though. Gotta think the league was smart enough to not get roped into that

Ufc seems to do just fine on espn+. To date, espn+ has already been showing nhl games.

 

[PhillyWings]

Cnt wait to see if its for real money or peanuts like the last NBC deal

While terms of the agreement—which has yet to be finalized—remain murky, it is believed that ESPN will pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 billion to $2.25 billion for the package.

ESPN, NHL on Verge of New Multiyear Media Rights Deal – Sportico.com