ESPN signs 7 year deal with the NHL

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Spydey629

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Yes and it wasn't even the The All-Star game that has been on cable and will be this year. ABC in the late 90s early 2000s carried 1-2 regular season games and MLS Cup until it stopped in the mid 2000s. After that MLS had no regular OTA presence for over a decade. In 2016 that changed when FOX ran two games concurrent with NFL late Sunday window. FOX has been airing about 4-5 games a yr since then and MLS Cup in odd years ABC doesn't have it. This year is the first year in its 25 yr history MLS will have double digit (12) OTA regular season broadcast (7) FOX (5) ABC.

Actually, I was referring to the NHL, circa late 80s, early 90s. Part of the reason it lags behind the other Big 4 leagues is because it pretty much disappeared from regular TV for a good half-decade, before the cable proliferation of the 90s.
 

eddygee

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Actually, I was referring to the NHL, circa late 80s, early 90s. Part of the reason it lags behind the other Big 4 leagues is because it pretty much disappeared from regular TV for a good half-decade, before the cable proliferation of the 90s.
Similar situations but to the extreme in one case.
 

Spydey629

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Being that it’s August, I am guessing the blanks in start times and national TV schedules are due to be filled in any day now?
 

rojac

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Ha. Funny I asked that to the day.

The math puts it around 8 weeks before opening night. So, I am guessing sometime next week.

But is the important number the time before the season that the broadcast schedule is released or the time after the release of the full schedule?

The 19-20 broadcast schedule was released 6 weeks after the release of the full schedule and 8 weeks before the season opener. Actually, it was released on day 42 of the 99 day period between the schedule release and opening night (roughly the 42% mark)..

This year, there are 82 days between the schedule release and opening night. If the broadcast schedule is again released at the 42% mark, that would be 34 days after the schedule release (July 22) or Aug 25. So, you could look at it that way.

Or if you consider, it's going to take a given amount of time after the schedule release (42 days), then you would get a broadcast release date of Sept. 2.

So, my guess would be sometime in late August.
 

jkrdevil

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I would imagine late August as well. Also unlike past years you have a negotiation between different networks over which games they get. Before it was NBC saying we will take these games and the rest going to RSNs.

I would imagine most of the Turner schedule is done as it looks like a dedicated night that is mostly empty schedule nights. ESPN with ESPN+ could be all over the place.

Also I would imagine each network (particularly Turner) would want to announce their full broadcast plans in terms of programming at that time as well.
 
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FMichael

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I would imagine late August as well. Also unlike past years you have a negotiation between different networks over which games they get. Before it was NBC saying we will take these games and the rest going to RSNs.

I would imagine most of the Turner schedule is done as it looks like a dedicated night that is mostly empty schedule nights. ESPN with ESPN+ could be all over the place.

Also I would imagine each network (particularly Turner) would want to announce their full broadcast plans in terms of programming at that time as well.
I'm still patiently awaiting for the specifics regarding how the ESPN+/Disney is gonna work out (whether the monthly fee covers what was NHLTV, or will there be an additional seasonal fee of $120-$135).

I'd like to cut the cord from DirecTV, but as of right now I'd rather stick with what I know.
 
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IU Hawks fan

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I'm still patiently awaiting for the specifics regarding how the ESPN+/Disney is gonna work out (whether the monthly fee covers what was NHLTV, or will there be an additional seasonal fee of $120-$135).

I'd like to cut the cord from DirecTV, but as of right now I'd rather stick with what I know.

An unnamed exec will be very surprised if it's not included.

NHL executives fret over season ticket sales as players' payroll deficit hits $1 billion, signalling flat-cap future

The next TV deals

The NHL’s national TV deal in the U.S. was hammered out earlier this year, the league landing with ESPN for the A package and Turner Sports for the B package. Those deals carry a combined value of $3.85 billion over seven seasons.

That deal has generated some excitement for NHL teams and executives who hope that ESPN and Turner will help raise the game’s profile in the U.S.

The streaming element of the ESPN deal continues to be what executives talk most about.

“The ESPN+ side, getting out of (an) out-of-market streaming package that was only sold for hockey fans to one for all sports fans is huge,” one executive said. “I think that’s the part that everyone else isn’t talking enough about. That, to me, will make the ESPN deal a success.”
 
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eddygee

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Yeah it's been pretty cut and dry but folks keep asking if they have to pay 100+ dollars for Center Ice. ESPN+ is replacing it. It was the same with soccer when ESPN got the out of Market MLS package Direct Kick which use to be $80 bucks. That price and package went away. It really is that good a deal and part of the reason ESPN paid so much because the NHL has sooo much regular season inventory.

Good find hopefully that finally answers this recurring question.

I found this interesting on the concern around NHL RSN Deals
NHL executives fret over season ticket sales as players' payroll deficit hits $1 billion, signalling flat-cap future
On a local level, a handful of NHL teams are also in the midst of negotiations with regional sports networks (RSNs) with contracts set to expire. Many teams are coming off long-term deals, some more than 10 years in length, and having them expire during a global financial downturn is concerning for team executives.
It’s an evolving time for the industry. RSNs have been losing money due to cord-cutting and without those local team rights to broadcast live games, RSNs hold little value, according to an industry source.
But teams typically don’t have much leverage in negotiations, unless they are located in a market with multiple RSNs, which is a rarity. RSNs also have had their own complications the past two years, with many not being carried by streaming services, such as YouTubeTV or Hulu, which has frustrated teams.
A straight-to-consumer option by the teams is an idea that often gets kicked around in these conversations but isn’t realistic financially. NHL teams can make approximately $20 million annually on RSN deals, depending on the market. Going straight to the consumer to try to recuperate that much would likely come at a price point that wouldn’t be consumer friendly.
Add in the complications from the pandemic, and it’s one of the most unique times in NHL history to negotiate a local TV deal. Teams that still have term on their deal are breathing a sigh of relief that they aren’t the guinea pigs in this. Meanwhile, Detroit and Columbus are among the organizations whose contracts are up this summer and those negotiations will be closely watched by other teams.
The Detroit deal will draw the most attention around the league, according to executives. It could set the early standard for NHL teams. The Red Wings share a market with three other major teams, while also sharing a network, Bally Sports Detroit, with MLB’s Tigers and the NBA’s Pistons.
“That’s the deal I want to see play out because that’ll tell us a lot of where this is going,” one team executive said. “Detroit is going to be sort of the guinea pig for teams that have deals up in the coming years. If you have three to four years left on your TV deal, you are in the right place.”
 
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eddygee

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One question though I was under the impression that the NHL TV deal in total with ESPN and Turner was $625m yr total this is saying $3.85B over 7 seasons which is $550m yr. So is the $550m yr AAV. I know some have said that TV deals often are often lower the first few years than the publicized amount and rise higher towards the end of the deal.
 
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FMichael

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Yeah it's been pretty cut and dry but folks keep asking if they have to pay 100+ dollars for Center Ice. ESPN+ is replacing it. It was the same with soccer when ESPN got the out of Market MLS package Direct Kick which use to be $80 bucks. That price and package went away. It really is that good a deal and part of the reason ESPN paid so much because the NHL has sooo much regular season inventory.

Good find hopefully that finally answers this recurring question.

I found this interesting on the concern around NHL RSN Deals
NHL executives fret over season ticket sales as players' payroll deficit hits $1 billion, signalling flat-cap future
On a local level, a handful of NHL teams are also in the midst of negotiations with regional sports networks (RSNs) with contracts set to expire. Many teams are coming off long-term deals, some more than 10 years in length, and having them expire during a global financial downturn is concerning for team executives.
It’s an evolving time for the industry. RSNs have been losing money due to cord-cutting and without those local team rights to broadcast live games, RSNs hold little value, according to an industry source.
But teams typically don’t have much leverage in negotiations, unless they are located in a market with multiple RSNs, which is a rarity. RSNs also have had their own complications the past two years, with many not being carried by streaming services, such as YouTubeTV or Hulu, which has frustrated teams.
A straight-to-consumer option by the teams is an idea that often gets kicked around in these conversations but isn’t realistic financially. NHL teams can make approximately $20 million annually on RSN deals, depending on the market. Going straight to the consumer to try to recuperate that much would likely come at a price point that wouldn’t be consumer friendly.
Add in the complications from the pandemic, and it’s one of the most unique times in NHL history to negotiate a local TV deal. Teams that still have term on their deal are breathing a sigh of relief that they aren’t the guinea pigs in this. Meanwhile, Detroit and Columbus are among the organizations whose contracts are up this summer and those negotiations will be closely watched by other teams.
The Detroit deal will draw the most attention around the league, according to executives. It could set the early standard for NHL teams. The Red Wings share a market with three other major teams, while also sharing a network, Bally Sports Detroit, with MLB’s Tigers and the NBA’s Pistons.
“That’s the deal I want to see play out because that’ll tell us a lot of where this is going,” one team executive said. “Detroit is going to be sort of the guinea pig for teams that have deals up in the coming years. If you have three to four years left on your TV deal, you are in the right place.”
The reason why I keep asking about it is because I haven't read anything from ESPN that confirms/denies that what was NHLTV is in fact covered entirely by the monthly fee alone.

Here's what I found from the horses mouth - "Additionally, the NHL's out-of-market streaming package, with more than 1,000 games (formerly on NHL.TV), will now be available for fans to stream only as part of an ESPN+ subscription."

I agree that it would be great to see out of market games (aka NHL Center Ice/NHLTV) with the low price of the ESPN+ monthly subscription...That's the route I'd likely switch over to - however the wording above from ESPN seems vague as to what the exact details are on pricing and what may or may not be included.
 
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OG6ix

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Apr 11, 2006
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ESPN Banner now has MMA infront of NHL after Soccer... it must be seasonal but it's weird that it was not ahead of the NHL even when "Olympic sports" was in MMA's current position.

Screenshot-from-2021-08-09-13-36-30.png
 

jkrdevil

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Arizona announced their start times. Guessing other teams will follow suit soon and we will get a broadcast schedule shortly.
 

Ernie

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I'm just shocked to see it on there at all, after 15 years of it being buried in the "other" category.

It actually was only a couple of seasons ago that they buried it under the hamburger menu.

They move their menu items around depending on the season, not a lot going on with the NHL right now so that's probably why they have soccer and MMA ahead.

These decisions are also driven by analytics, ie, what are people looking for when they visit espn.com. Not a lot of NHL content yet, that may change as they start to ramp up their production team. From the looks of things they still have a skeleton crew of NHL writers, they are pulling at least half of their content from wire services.

I wonder if they'll keep Wyshynski in place as their NHL editor or they'll create a new structure for their news team.
 
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