ESPN signs 7 year deal with the NHL

[jkrdevil]

Interesting to see a few Canadian team games on the ESPN / ESPN+ schedule. Aimed at expats perhaps?

The Vancouver - Seattle game may be just trying to tap into a budding regional rivalry.

1.) They are limited by the number of times they can take a US team for an exclusive game. Because they are near max on the exclusivity they have to work in more games with Canadian teams.

2.) ESPN+ is a subscription streaming service, so rating don’t matter. The aim is to get US fans to subscribe to get the 8 or so games that are exclusive to ESPN+. Who those teams play those games doesn’t matter. There is only 1 Leafs game on actual ESPN and that is the only ESPN/ABC game that has a Canadian team. Turner has more Canadian games, but that is more of a function of having to fill a bigger schedule, team limitations and having to do a last minute schedule adjustment because of the AEW situation.

3.) the Vancouver-Seattle game is the Kraken’s first home game.

 

[LeftWingLocked]

So is ESPN Plus like Center Ice now where you get to watch out of market games? This is all confusing.

 

[LadyStanley]

So is ESPN Plus like Center Ice now where you get to watch out of market games? This is all confusing.

ESPN+ apparently is the equivalent of NHL.TV and Center Ice.

 

[eddygee]

ESPN+ is our new overlord. I do wonder if some Turner games get simulcast on HBO Max eventually?

 

[jkrdevil]

ESPN+ is our new overlord. I do wonder if some Turner games get simulcast on HBO Max eventually?

They have the rights to do so. Plus I think they have the rights to a non-exclusive slate for a streaming service. Though with the WarnerMedia spin off and Discovery merger that might end up being Discovery+ than HBOMax.

My guess is we won’t see movement on that from until the spin-off/merger is finalized. But there are also rumors that Turner might bid heavy for with the Premier League rights later this year, so sports is a strategy on the streaming front for them.

 

[OG6ix]

With the schedule out they also placed the NHL behind MLB and above soccer/NCAAF (I don't know why this fascinates me).

 

[Glen811]

With the schedule out they also placed the NHL behind MLB and above soccer/NCAAF (I don't know why this fascinates me).

There was a time the NHL wasn't on the front page, I remember having to click the three dots just to check scores.

 

[OG6ix]

There was a time the NHL wasn't on the front page, I remember having to click the three dots just to check scores.

Yeah

 

[Fenway]

ESPN and Turner announce schedule for 2021-2022