NEW YORK—They may have fallen short in the Western Conference finals, but the Oklahoma City Thunder topped the list of most-watched NBA teams in 2025-26, drawing 1.8 million viewers per game in the regular season, according to Nielsen viewing data.

The No. 2 team was the Los Angeles Lakers—the team that boasted the most-watched player, per Nielsen, in LeBron James—followed by the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks.

Another participant in this week’s NBA Finals, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, trailed James as the league’s second-most-watched player.

Nielsen’s Spring 2026 “Tops of Sports’ report also noted double-digit growth in viewership across pro basketball (up 27%), NHL hockey (25%), auto racing (44%) and golf (12%*), fueled by new streaming and broadcast options, the massive popularity of global stars and changing ways that fans follow their favorite teams.

More specifically, the NBA’s average audience for regular-season games was up 27%, with the early rounds of the playoffs seeing a 10% bump. The league benefited from new media-rights deals that helped it reach younger viewers on streamers Prime Video, Peacock and ESPN Unlimited while still drawing larger audiences on broadcasters ABC and NBC and cable network ESPN.

The NHL is also experiencing a major boost, with average regular-season viewership up 25% to 540,000 viewers per game, and the first round of the playoffs up 77%, to 1.2 million viewers. The growth was bolstered by significant cultural moments involving hockey, such as the gold medal wins by the U.S. men’s and women’s ice hockey teams at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, Prime Video’s hit series “Off-Campus” and drama series “Heated Rivalry” on HBO Max, which notched nearly 2 billion streaming minutes in the first quarter, Nielsen said.

Followers of the NHL’s official TikTok account were up 83% this season, Nielsen reported. Further demonstrating America’s growing interest, the national TV debut of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) drew about 133,000 viewers to Ion, with 45% of the audience women 18-plus. In addition, demonstrating the buying power of hockey fans, NHL viewers rank No. 3 in median income among all sports watchers.

Last year’s Indianapolis 500 averaged more than 7 million viewers, the most in 17 years. The 2026 IndyCar season is already off to a strong start, with the first five races averaging 1.2 million viewers, 44% higher than the same period in 2025. Viewer interest is also rising, with 19% of respondents reporting being somewhat or very interested in IndyCar this March, up from 15% in March of 2023.

So far this year, the PGA Tour is averaging 1.5 million viewers. Efforts to evolve the franchise’s social media presence may be paying off, as Nielsen Scarborough data shows a steady increase in interest since 2023. *An influx of young Asian talent like Collin Morikawa, Akshay Bhatia, and Si Woo Kim looks to be helping to expand the tour’s audience, with Asian viewership to PGA Tour events up 12% so far this year.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Roku and the National Hockey League have announced a new deal to create and launch the NHL Zone, a new destination within the Roku Sports experience for hockey fans.

Launching ahead of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final (with Game 1 set for June 2 at 8 p.m. on ABC), NHL Zone will serve as a centralized hub on Roku for NHL national and regional games available in the user’s area, plus highlights and more.

“With NHL Zone, we’re making it easier than ever for hockey fans to get straight to what matters most, plus so much more, all in one place,” Roku Media Head of Sports Joe Franzetta said. “At Roku, we always put viewers first, giving them a clear, simple destination for all their favorite channels and platforms, game highlights and recaps, and all the other great programming offered by Roku.”

The agreement builds on an existing alliance between the league and the streaming platform, which has already led to the launch of the NHL FAST Channel on Roku.

“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Roku, first with the NHL FAST channel and now NHL Zone, as we continue to create new and innovative ways to serve our passionate fans,” NHL Chief Media Officer David Proper said. “NHL Zone provides NHL fans with a go-to destination for Roku users to discover all the exciting NHL action offered on Roku and from our rightsholders.”

Presented by Geico, NHL Zone offers quick access to:

• National and regional NHL games available in the user’s area, which can be watched if the users has a subscription to the networks, pay TV platform or streaming services that have rights to the games.
• NHL FAST Channel.
• Scores, highlights recaps, and must-see moments
• Additional long-form hockey programming.

NASHVILLE and CINCINNATI—The Nashville Predators and Scripps Sports have signed a multi-year media rights agreement that will bring free, over-the-air broadcasts of the Predators’ National Hockey League games to fans across Middle Tennessee and beyond beginning with the 2026–27 NHL season.

The deal is part of a larger push by Scripps to expand its sports programming. The Predators join four other teams in Scripps Sports’ portfolio of NHL full-season media rights agreements: the Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers and Utah Mammoth.

This new agreement allows The E.W. Scripps Company to produce and distribute all local preseason, regular season and first-round playoff Predators games that are not allocated exclusively to national broadcasts. Scripps Sports will also broadcast live 30-minute pre-game and post-game shows for every locally broadcast Predators game.

“We are incredibly excited to partner with Scripps Sports in delivering broadcasts of Preds games for free to our fans,” said Sean Henry, chief executive officer of the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena. “Our partnership has been a natural fit as we are aligned on key community initiatives, and we greatly appreciate the way Scripps has embraced the Preds and our fans.”

Scripps, which owns WTVF NewsChannel 5 in Nashville, plans to use its second full-power local station in the Middle Tennessee area, WNPX-TV for the games and content.

WNPX will be the broadcast home of the Predators. It will be branded “The Spot – Nashville 28” beginning this summer, featuring news and entertainment programming in addition to all locally produced Predators games when the NHL season starts in October.

In addition to the over-the-air access being provided to Predators fans in Middle Tennessee on The Spot – Nashville 28, Scripps will look to partner with other broadcasters through the Preds’ five-state viewing territory of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia for distribution of the full-season of Predators games in each local market.

The Predators and Scripps Sports also reported that they will be introducing a new, direct-to-consumer experience where fans can livestream games throughout the local broadcast territory.

The Predators and Scripps said they will provide more details in the future about their streaming plans and additional broadcast partners.

“The Predators and NewsChannel 5 have worked together for years to bring connection in our community, whether it’s through literacy drives, disaster relief or fun, family-friendly animated hockey games. Our partnership has always been about doing what’s best for our home and our neighbors,” said Lyn Plantinga, Scripps senior vice president of local media and WTVF general manager. “Now, we’re taking that connection even further, giving fans more access to the games they love while doubling down on our shared commitment to serve Middle Tennessee, both on and off the ice.”

ESPN has announced that it will air its third animated version of a live NHL game on Sunday, April 5th with animated NHL players and characters from Pixar’s “Inside Out” show depicting a live game between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers players.

It is the third ESPN/Disney animated NHL presentation created with Sony’s Beyond Sports visualization technology, NHL Edge positional data (NHL Puck and Player Tracking), and Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations optical tracking data.

ESPN+, Disney+, Disney Channel, and Disney XD will present the real-time, animated telecast, while the traditional telecast will be available on ESPN. In 2023, the “NHL Big City Greens Classic” featured the Capitals vs. Rangers and was the first-of-its-kind real-time volumetric animation presentation in sports.

"Inside Out Classic" will feature virtually created real-time animation of the action between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers modeled after characters on Pixar’s award-winning franchise Inside Out.

The animated telecast will leverage tracking technology to present the action on the ice in real-time while featuring "Inside Out" characters skating alongside animated versions of the NHL players. Highlights for this year’s animated telecast include:

• The presentation will blend two types of tracking technologies – NHL Edge positional data (NHL Puck and Player Tracking) and Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations’ optical tracking – to create more dynamic player and character movement to help fans better visualize detailed limb and stick movement and mannerisms.
• Inside the mind of "Inside Out" character Riley, Hockey Island will host the animated presentation where Riley’s Emotions will skate alongside animated versions of the NHL players.
• Using Sony’s Beyond Sports’ Virtual Commentator technology, the ESPN commentators calling the action on the animated telecast – Drew Carter, Kevin Weekes and Arda Öcal – will wear virtual reality headsets for motion capture, immersing them in the animated environment of Hockey Island in Riley’s Mind.
• "Inside Out" voice talent will also be featured in the animated presentation, including Phyllis Smith (Sadness), Lewis Black (Anger), Tony Hale (Fear), and Maya Hawke (Anxiety).
• The real-time animated telecast will be produced in association with ESPN Edge Innovation Center and NHL partner, Sony’s Beyond Sports. Driven by Sony’s Beyond Sports’ proprietary virtual recreation technology, the broadcast transforms tracking data from fellow NHL partner Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations into animated action on the ice.

In 2025, ESPN and Sony’s Beyond Sports expanded its agreement to continue to produce alternate telecasts utilizing Disney’s extensive portfolio of Intellectual Property to expand its audience. Along with Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations and the use of state-of-the-art technology, ESPN has already produced multiple animated alternate telecasts under the new agreement.

"Inside Out Classic" will be available internationally on Disney+ in Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa (live, no replay), and Europe. Video on demand will also be available in most markets, including the United States and its territories, on Disney+ shortly after the real-time telecast.

SEATTLE—Tegna Inc. and the Seattle Kraken announced a multi-year media rights deal, continuing a regional sports agreement that makes Kraken games available for free via over-the-air broadcasts on local Tegna stations KING5 and KONG.

This extension comes two years after the launch of the Kraken Hockey Network, which has made games widely accessible on Tegna and partner stations and on Prime Video.

Since the debut of Kraken Hockey Network, the team’s partnership with Tegna has driven significant audience growth, with total viewership tripling across the Kraken’s five-state territory in the first season. In addition to Seattle, the Kraken’s agreement with Tegna ensures games are available for free over-the-air across the four largest markets in the Kraken territory, reaching more than four million households.

“Since we launched the Kraken Hockey Network on Tegna and Prime Video, viewership has increased exponentially,” said Jeff Webster, chief commercial officer at the Seattle Kraken. “This extended partnership with Tegna ensures fans throughout our territory will continue to enjoy an exceptional broadcast at no cost, furthering our commitment to making Kraken hockey accessible to all.”

All non-nationally televised games will be broadcast on KONG and Prime Video, with up to 20 games simulcast on Tegna’s NBC affiliate, KING 5, giving fans in the Seattle market multiple free and easy ways to watch.

Fans outside of Seattle also will be able to watch games on Tegna stations KREM-KSKN in Spokane and KGW in Portland.

Tegna said it is also working with additional broadcast companies to expand free over-the-air broadcast access to all available television markets in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. KING 5, Tegna, and the Kraken will lead advertising and sponsorship sales for all local games.

“We are thrilled to extend our outstanding partnership with the Seattle Kraken,” said Brad Ramsey, senior vice president and head of sport rights at Tegna. “We have done exactly what we set out to do, giving more fans, in more homes, access to more games than ever before. We are more committed than ever to serving local fans with the content they care most about, and our advertising partners with solutions that help them move the needle.”

John Forslund, JT Brown, Eddie Olczyk, Alison Lukan, Piper Shaw and Bret Festerling will continue broadcasting the games throughout the season. In addition to games, the weekly show, Kraken Home Ice, will remain a key part of the content lineup, bringing fans closer to the players and behind the scenes of what makes the Kraken tick.

Information on the Kraken’s broadcast availability in all markets can be found on: https://www.nhl.com/kraken/fans/broadcast-schedule.

Even for an experienced duo like the father-and-son combination of Joe and Jeff Geerling, they were amazed at all that goes into keeping St. Louis Blues games ready for fans watching both at home and in the arena.

Joe is a broadcast engineer with more than five decades of experience in the St. Louis radio market and is currently the director of engineering at Covenant Network.

Jeff is an accomplished software architect and developer who started to tag along with his dad on radio exploits at an early age.

Joe and Jeff have produced many YouTube sensations, typically related to radio and engineering. We’ve detailed them in the past.

They used an opportunity in October to explore the Enterprise Center, the home of St. Louis’ NHL team, to detail what goes into the Blues’ video broadcast productions.

At the bottom of this story you can watch the entire video. First, some background.

At first, the Geerlings thought the visit was going to be an equipment “geek out” inside an SMPTE ST 2110 IP-based mobile unit, the nerve center for TV broadcasts at Blues games, in the flavor of Geerling Engineering videos in the past. The truck is operated by Mobile TV Group and according to Jeff, it drives to multiple broadcast facilities throughout a given week.

And while there’s plenty of AoIP, Dante, cameras and other modern equipment featured in their latest video, in a refreshing twist for 2026, it’s more about another aspect.

“It really shows the dedication of the team in broadcasting,” Joe Geerling told us.

The "third team," as Jeff put it.

Inside the Truck
The video goes inside each of the three such teams at Blues games: One production crew for the fans in the building, one for FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, which broadcasts Blues’ games, and one for whomever that night’s away team happens to be.

The home team truck’s broadcast engineer, Chris Bailey from the Mobile TV Group, took the Geerlings inside the truck that is used at Blues’ games.

“This team is amazing with how they put together the use of all the technology in real-time,” Joe reported from inside the truck.

Timing, is of course, critical. Jeff noticed that GPS is not used for time sync inside the Mobile TV Group truck.

That’s because of poor satellite reception. So instead, the truck’s Evertz Master Clocks are frequently synced manually to an atomic time source — such as the iOS Atomic Clock app — to ensure the truck’s internal pulse matches the rest of the world.

There’s other “old tech” at work in the video too. Jeff anticipated fiber cables to be everywhere. Instead, analog copper is the choice.

“If you have one or two copper wires go dead, you can still have a show,” he explained.

Jeff remarked that inside the truck, the atmosphere was almost solemn. Everyone is quiet, but constantly aware of everything going on around them. He captured some of that back-and-forth in the video.

Hockey is Different
They also showed off what goes inside the Enterprise Center, where there is a separate production crew delivering visuals to the fans inside the arena.

“Hockey is the best and most challenging,” longtime cameraman Mike Munaco told Jeff. “It is the most fun to shoot because you have to stay ahead of what the announcers are talking about.”

Chris Kerber, the play-by-play announcer for Blues’ home TV broadcasts on FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, talked about the visual and auditory back-and-forth with the production truck.

“The chain doesn’t work unless every link is strong,” Kerber said about the FanDuel production truck. “If the real good synergies aren’t there, then the fans don’t get a good experience.”

There is a great deal of gear highlighted in the video, but really, it’s about the human touch.

“It’s a huge group of great talent, and none of it is wasted,” Jeff said.

Watch the video:

This article was originally published by our sister publication Radio World. You can find their coverage of a variety of tech and broadcast business issues here.

SOUTHPORT, Conn.—Main Street Sports Group’s FanDuel Sports Network has announced ambitious plans to offer free streams of some live local NBA and NHL games on major streaming platforms beginning mid-November. All of the as-yet-unspecified games will also air for free in over-the-air broadcasts by local stations.

Earlier this month, during the Local Strategies sessions co-hosted by NAB Show New York and TVNewsCheck, Main Street Sports Group’s chief revenue officer, Eric Ratchman, said Main Street had reached deals with some station groups and teams to offer the free streams. The company has not, however, released details of the games or the specific station groups.

FanDuel Sports said it would bring select live game productions of its NBA and NHL team partners—also available in-market on an over-the-air (OTA) basis—directly to Pluto TV, Prime Video and Samsung TV Plus, with more platforms and services to be announced. Games will be presented outside the networks’ paywall, which the owner of cable regional sports networks hopes will help drive subscriptions and increase fan interest in the teams.

FanDuel Sports also stressed that the launch of some free-streaming games in November marks the first phase of its broader, multiphase free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) strategy. That strategy is designed to extend reach to younger, digital-first sports fans while fueling direct-to-consumer and linear TV growth and creating a new path for marketers to reach sports viewers through advertising and sponsorship opportunities, the network said.

"Launching this digital game offering is a big step in expanding our national reach and continuing to prioritize the different ways fans can watch their hometown teams," Ratchman said. "By bringing games to free streaming platforms that reach hundreds of millions of viewers, we're making local sports more accessible than ever and proving what our ubiquitous access model can deliver."

FanDuel Sports plans to launch a dedicated 24/7 FAST channel in 2026, which will serve as a national front door to help amplify its growing roster of programming, including “Golic & Golic,” “Countdown Live” and more, it said.

FanDuel Sports Network is a group of RSNs created after Bally Sports, which had been owned by Sinclair, filed for bankruptcy protection and was rebranded. FanDuel Sports Network, which emerged from bankruptcy in early 2025, is owned by Main Street Sports Group, formerly Diamond Sports Group.

ESPN said it will produce animated telecasts for NFL, NHL, NBA and WNBA games across The Walt Disney Co. and ESPN platforms during the 2025-26 season under an agreement it signed with Sony’s Beyond Sports and Hawk-Eye Innovations.

The telecasts will use Disney’s intellectual property portfolio in game presentations that transform live play into real-time animations, an innovation ESPN first introduced in 2023. More alternate telecasts are planned for the 2026-27 sports calendar, the broadcaster said.

“At ESPN, innovation has always been a driver in serving sports fans, including reaching new audiences,” said Kevin Lopes, vice president of sports business development and innovation at ESPN. “The Beyond Sports team has helped fuel our animated alternate casts, along with our league partners, creating an entirely new way for fans to consume our content. We look forward to continuing to produce these unique experiences for fans both this year and in the years ahead.”

ESPN, Disney, Sony’s Beyond Sports, and multiple league partners have collaborated on several previous animated alternate presentations, beginning with the NHL Big City Greens Classic in 2023 and a second the following year. Since then, the NFL has partnered on multiple Funday Football presentations, powered by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats and featuring characters from “Toy Story” and “The Simpsons.” The NBA has also joined in with “Dunk the Halls,” featuring Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters.

“The addition of four new telecasts this season will bring our total with ESPN to nine, a reflection of how this partnership continues to grow year on year,” Sander Schouten, managing director and co-founder of Beyond Sports, said. “Enabled by our technology, together we’re driving the evolution of fan engagement, creating new ways for fans to experience the game and redefining live sports storytelling.”

Expanding audiences is the primary motivation driving the animated alternate casts. They are intended to promote co-viewing and attract casual fans. ESPN research reveals that more children watch these telecasts with an adult, the broadcaster said.

More information is available online.

NEW YORK—Australia’s Nine Network and the NHL today announced a media partnership that will bring the world’s premier professional ice hockey league to Australian audiences free-to-air.

Starting Saturday, Oct. 18, multicast network 9GO! will broadcast a live NHL game every Saturday morning throughout the 2025-26 regular season. The partnership will deliver 21 games over Nine’s seven stations.

The first game begins at 10 a.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) on 9GO! and streaming service 9Now with a Tampa Bay Lightning-Detroit Red Wings matchup. The broadcast schedule is available here.

In a unique collaboration, Nine and the NHL have developed a customized broadcast feed specifically for the Australian market. Produced by NHL Productions in its New York studio, the feed will provide viewers with a tailored experience, featuring dedicated commentators providing play-by-play commentary and analysis tailored for the Australian audience, as well as customized intermission coverage with in-depth analysis, player profiles and explainers on the rules of the game to engage both new and existing fans.

The 2025-26 NHL season is particularly significant as the league will pause from Feb. 6-24 as to allow its top players to compete in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Nine's commentary team will highlight this storyline, connecting fans with the players who will represent their countries on the world stage and building anticipation for Nine’s exclusive coverage of the Winter Games.

Brent Williams, Nine’s director of sport, said the partnership “isn’t just a broadcast—it’s a tailored viewing experience.”

“We are incredibly excited to partner with the NHL to bring the fastest game on ice to Australian homes, free-to-air,“ he said. “By creating a dedicated feed with local commentary and specialized content, we are committed to growing the sport in Australia and giving fans the best possible coverage. The link to the Winter Olympics provides a fantastic narrative that will build excitement for what is a huge event on the Nine calendar.”

In 2023, the Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes faced off in the NHL Global Series-Melbourne, a pair of sold-out preseason contests that were first-ever NHL games played in the Southern Hemisphere. The week-long celebration also included three days of the NHL Global Fan Tour, the league’s traveling fan festival, and coaching, officiating and youth hockey clinics.

“We are thrilled Nine shares our commitment to delivering live games to more fans across Australia,” said Daniel Kim, NHL executive vice president, media and international strategy. “The overwhelming success of the NHL Global Series Melbourne, coupled with the growing enthusiasm for our grassroots, learn-to-play hockey initiatives and increasing social media engagement across our dedicated channels, underscores the impact of our investment in Australia.”

Viewers will likely be most interested in St. Louis Blues games as forward Nathan Walker is the league’s first Australian player. He is currently in his eighth NHL season.

According to the most recent report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), approximately 48% of TV households in Australia view over-the-air TV, down from 61% in 2020.

DENVER & TYSONS, Va.— Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) has extended a deal with Tegna that will allow Denver’s 9NEWS (KUSA-TV) and My20 (KTVD-TV) to air 20 Denver Nuggets games and 20 Colorado Avalanche games for free over-the-air during the upcoming NBA and NHL seasons.

It is the second straight year that the Tegna stations have aired the NBA and NHL games from the two franchises.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring this fan-first partnership with Tegna back for another year,” said Kevin Demoff, president of team and media operations, KSE. “Last season’s overwhelming community response to this partnership reinforced our commitment to ensuring that the fans who support the Nuggets and Avs can cheer on their favorite teams even when they can’t be with us at Ball Arena.”

The broadcast agreement with Tegna Denver stations 9NEWS and My20 will enable nearly 3.5 million people in the Denver metro area to access games for free over-the-air. Last season, millions of viewers tuned in to the stations to watch the Nuggets advance to the NBA’s Western Conference Semifinals and the Avalanche earn their place in the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, Tegna reported.

This season, a total of 40 games from the two hometown teams will air on KTVD, with five Nuggets games and five Avalanche games broadcast simultaneously on 9NEWS, Denver’s NBC affiliate.

Denver-based Kroenke Sports & Entertainment owns such properties as the Denver Nuggets (NBA), Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Colorado Mammoth (NLL), Colorado Rapids (MLS), and Altitude Sports & Entertainment, a 24-hour regional television network.

Altitude Sports will produce the games for the stations.

“After last year’s tremendous success as the official over-the-air broadcast home of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, we’re excited to continue this partnership for another season,” said Mark Cornetta, senior vice president, media operations, Tegna. “The response last year exceeded our expectations, and we’re proud to once again provide Denver fans with the ability to watch their beloved Nuggets and Avs play.”

In advance of the Nuggets and Avalanche seasons, Altitude Sports continues to be available throughout its nine-state territory on Xfinity TV, DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, Fubo and various other local providers.

DALLAS & ATLANTA—Gray Media has announced an agreement with the sports streaming service Victory+ to simulcast 17 Dallas Stars NHL games in 15 television markets across Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

This new package ensures that hockey fans outside of Texas major metropolitan areas have additional opportunities to watch the Stars during the 2025-26 season.

The broadcasts will serve the following Gray television markets:

• Texas:Amarillo, Lubbock, Wichita Falls, Sherman-Ada, Tyler-Longview, Waco-Bryan-College Station, Odessa, Laredo
• Arkansas:Jonesboro
• Louisiana:Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans, Shreveport

These 17 games will include a mix of regular-season and pre-season matchups. The game schedule will be announced at a later date.

“Our commitment to reducing barriers and reaching more fans in communities is at the core of our work and this deal with Gray Media allows us to further that commitment,” said Neil Gruninger, president & CEO of APMC, parent company of Victory+. “These additional games give fans more ways to follow the Stars and be part of the excitement this season.”

“We are excited to partner with Victory+ to bring these games free, over-the-air to fans across Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana,” said Collin Gaston, senior managing vice president for Gray Media. “These stations have been bringing fans live NBA, WNBA, and MLB action, and we know viewers will love also having the NHL’s Stars.”

This new agreement will ensure fans can watch games on Victory+ and beyond while reinforcing its mission to make Dallas Stars games accessible to as many fans as possible, offering convenient viewing options across Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, the streaming service reported.

LONDON and NEW YORK—The National Hockey League and DAZN have struck a multiyear media-rights deal makes DAZN the exclusive home of streaming service NHL.TV in nearly 200 countries, beginning with the 2025-26 season.

Under the new partnership, NHL.TV will be available on DAZN as a standalone subscription or as an add-on to existing DAZN packages, across in nearly 200 countries around the world where DAZN operates, excluding the U.S., Canada, and the Nordics.

The U.S. version of the NHL streaming offering is available via ESPN+.

“The NHL is a global league, and with 30 percent of our Players born outside of North America, engaging our international fans is a significant priority,” NHL Chief Operating Officer Steve McArdle said. “Media distribution is at the core of our global strategy, and we are thrilled to partner with DAZN to continue to expand our global reach and engage with our fast-growing international fan base. Our shared commitment to innovation, gold standard technology and providing an exceptional content delivery service will allow us to deliver NHL content to hockey fans around the world on the platforms they prefer.”

Existing NHL.TV subscribers will receive further details on the migration in the coming months.

As part of the deal, NHL.TV will be promoted and integrated across the DAZN platform’s base of more than 120 million registered users. Fans will be able to access NHL.TV on any device on which DAZN is available, including smart TVs, mobile devices, tablets and gaming consoles, the streamer said.

“DAZN’s landmark agreement with the NHL is a significant step forward in our mission to deliver the most exciting sports action to fans across the globe,” Shay Segev, DAZN Group CEO, said. “We’re excited to bring a premium North American sports property to a broad international audience through an innovative, accessible, and immersive viewing experience. By combining the NHL’s thrilling content with DAZN’s global platform and best-in-class technology, we’re unlocking new ways for fans to connect with the game they love—anytime, anywhere, and on any device.”

NEW YORK and SAN DIEGO—The National Hockey League and Sony today announced a new multiyear global technology partnership, naming Sony an Official NHL Technology Partner.

The league and Sony will work together to evolve the NHL experience for fans, as well as coaches, officials, players and broadcaster, by increasing production of NHL animated data visualizations by Sony’s Beyond Sports unit; broadening use of Sony’s Hawk-Eye measuring and tracking technologies; and investing in various Sony products and technologies to bring NHL fans closer to the game, the announcement said.

“Partnering with Sony, a best-in-class industry leader, will help further the goals of our technology efforts to engage passionate NHL fans around the globe,” NHL Executive Vice President for Business Development and Innovation David Lehanski said.

“Advancing the development and implementation of technology on and off the ice is a key priority for the league, and this partnership will highlight the impact of Sony’s groundbreaking work in several of our key initiatives, such as NHL EDGE Puck & Player Tracking and animated programming, to bring fans closer to our great game and showcase the NHL as a worldwide technology leader,” he continued.

The NHL has used Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology since 2015 with Synchronized Multi-Angle Replay Technology (SMART) services installed in all 32 NHL arenas to help provide the speed and accuracy the NHL requires for its replay reviews and coaches’ challenges.

Later enhancements have supported team medical and player health and safety reviews. Data collected via optical tracking cameras is also integral to the creation of live NHL animated data visualizations, post-production content and replay technology. That data will be featured in future experiences in development involving mobile apps and XR. Sony’s Hawk-Eye will continue to expand technology innovation and support the creation and delivery of more immersive NHL content, the announcement said.

“Our partnership with the NHL is more than a collaboration — it’s a shared commitment to innovation, creativity, and cutting-edge technology,” Beyond Sports Managing Director Sander Schouten said. “We’ve pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in sport tech, delivering exciting, data-driven innovations that are not only redefining how sport is consumed but together, with the wider Sony’s sports businesses, are establishing new benchmarks for the entire industry.”

The NHL and Sony’s Beyond Sports first collaborated in 2018 on multiple projects to explore opportunities built on NHL EDGE positional data. Sony’s Beyond Sports’ animated data visualization expertise has played a key role for the NHL in transforming its data into a fan engagement driver, delivering new IP-driven content, from the “NHL Big City Greens Classic,” an animated broadcast presentation, and “Tommy Hawk’s Birthday Party,” a regional real-time sports animated broadcast presentation, to more serialized animated programming, such as the “NHL HOCKEYVERSE Matchup of the Week.”

The work of Beyond Sportsalso led to immersive digital activations such as “NHL Blast on Roblox,” which drew more than 1 million unique users in its first month in April 2023. These initiatives have expanded the league’s reach among younger audiences and set new standards for sports data integration, it said.

“From imaging and broadcast to some of the world’s most advanced data visualization and tracking innovations, Sony remains committed to helping create the future of sports through technology,” Theresa Alesso, president of Imaging Products & Solutions Americas, Sony Electronics, said. “This partnership builds upon a successful history of collaborations between the NHL and Sony, and we are excited to reinforce our commitment to the game, fans, and players.”

Sony cameras and production equipment are a fixture in the NHL through broadcast and sports photography. NHL clubs and broadcast partners regularly use this technology, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

TAMPA BAY, Fla. & CINCINNATI, Ohio—The Tampa Bay Lightning have inked a multi-year media rights agreement with Scripps Sports that gives it rights to produce and distribute all preseason, regular season and first-round playoff Lightning games that are not allocated exclusively to national broadcasts.

Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal is part of Scripps ongoing efforts to expand its sports programming. In the NHL, Scripps Sports also has similar media rights agreements with the Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers and Utah Mammoth.

Scripps, which owns WFTS-ABC Action News serving the Tampa television market, plans to launch a second full-power local station serving the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, WXPX-TV, which will be the broadcast home for the Lightning games.

That station will be branded “The Spot – Tampa Bay 66” and will launch locally on July 1, featuring news and entertainment programming in addition to all locally produced Lightning games.

Scripps is in discussions with cable and satellite distributors to ensure Lightning games on The Spot will be available on cable, satellite as well as over-the-air television.

In addition to the local TV broadcasts, the Lightning and Scripps Sports will be introducing a new, direct-to-consumer experience where Bolts fans can livestream games within the Lightning app throughout the Bolts’ broadcast territory. The streaming offering will use solutions provided by ViewLift.

More details on the streaming offering will be made available prior to the start of the 2025-26 season.

“The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the best teams in the NHL, and Bolts fans deserve easy access to all their games via cable, satellite, free over-the-air and streaming,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports. “The complement of broadcast television and streaming guarantees that fans can follow the games from their living room or wherever they are in their busy lives. We look forward to sharing many winning moments with one of the league’s most loyal fan bases.”

“We’re excited to announce Scripps Sports as the new media partner of the Tampa Bay Lightning,” said Vinik Sports Group CEO Steve Griggs. “A world-class fan experience starts with access — and fans have made it clear they want it to be easier to find and watch our games. This partnership delivers on that. We’re looking forward to working with Brian Lawlor and the Scripps Sports team to expand our reach and bring the excitement of Lightning hockey to more homes across Tampa Bay. We’re also incredibly grateful to Steve Tello and the FanDuel Sports team for their partnership and the many unforgettable moments we've shared.”

“We are honored to power the streaming experience for the Lightning and expand our support for the NHL and now seven of its teams,” said Rich Allen, CEO of ViewLift, which will be providing technologies for the streaming offering. “We will make it easy for Bolts fans to stream games through their existing Lightning mobile apps and new apps on far more devices, helping the Lightning bring on-ice action and behind-the-scenes information and experiences to fans of all ages, at home or on the move.”

BOSTON and NEW YORK—The sports network NESN has announced that it has selected ViewLift provide solutions and technologies to upgrade the viewing and streaming experiences available for NESN 360, the direct-to-consumer streaming home for the Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins and other New England sports programming.

The upgraded DTC and TVE streaming offerings, which will use ViewLift’s “out of the box” features and functionality, are scheduled to relaunch this summer. NESN 360 allows fans to stream all locally-available games live on major devices, including mobile, web and connected TV platforms.

“The fan experience continues to be at the forefront of everything we do. By entering into this partnership, we will continue to focus on delivering dynamic, first in class products for fans of the Red Sox, Bruins and all of our programming,” said NESN president and CEO David Wisnia. “We’re excited about partnering with ViewLift to power feature-rich, reliable streaming for the next iteration of NESN 360.”

In making the announcement, the companies noted that NESN has a long history of tech innovation, which the current agreement continues. NESN was the first to provide fans with High-Definition broadcasts and then the first to offer 4K game broadcasts. In 2022, NESN was the first to launch a direct-to-consumer streaming platform in NESN 360.

“We are particularly proud to work with NESN, a consistent innovator in live sports,” said Rick Allen, CEO of ViewLift. “Our platform now streams 14 US pro teams and five RSNs, more than our competitors combined, and we will bring this experience to bear for the passionate fans of the Red Sox, Bruins, and the other pro and collegiate teams that New Englanders have come to enjoy from NESN.”

With the new deal, ViewLift’s roster of clients now includes streaming platforms for the NHL, and 14 professional teams across that League and the NBA, WNBA and MLB, as well as the Professional Fighters League, LIV Golf, and other sports leagues and teams around the world. The company reported that its robust cloud-based platform ensures seamless, buffer-free streaming and supports flexible monetization models, real-time analytics, fan personalization, and rapid deployment.

As pro sports teams’ engagements with TV station groups explode into a historic search for a successor to the pay-TV distribution model, they’re generating a wealth of promising options with one overarching question still unanswered: Will they last?

Can any of these efforts generate the robust returns pro sports leagues enjoyed during the golden decades of the regional sports network (RSN) era that came to a crashing halt when Diamond, the biggest player in the field, filed for bankruptcy in early 2023? And, if not, do streaming giants really offer the gold-plated payoff some OTT advocates are touting?

Two years into this grand experiment, the acceleration in deals between station owners, pro teams and their leagues, including engagements prompted by the surging popularity of women’s sports, attests to growing optimism that OTA broadcasters are the key to the way forward. But as promising as the early results might be, it remains to be seen whether what’s happening translates into what Gray Media president and co-CEO Pat LaPlatney calls “needle-moving revenues” for the station groups, let alone for teams and leagues.

It’s All About Reach
The good news is, so far, so good on all sides. Noting Gray’s expanding portfolio of alliances with NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL and other pro sports leagues, LaPlatney asserts the combination of “tons of live sports” and local news offered through Gray’s regional station clusters harkens back to an earlier era in regional broadcast operations. “It’s a really good model,” he says.

And, he adds, it looks like a winning model for the teams as well. “Broader distribution leads to better marketing, better ad sales, selling more tickets and more merch,” he says. “It’s a virtuous cycle.”

Discussions with other station group executives elicit a similar perspective on what has turned the sports tide in their direction amid the nosedive in subscribers to Diamond’s 18 former Baily RSNs now operating under the FanDuel brand and the many other RSNs still dotting the landscape.

That collapse led to FanDuel exercising its rights to broadcast the games by cutting carriage deals with station groups while retaining control over production, which leaves open the question of how carriage and production will be worked out with the leagues once those deals expire.

“The regional sports network was a great business for decades,” says Scripps Sports president Brian Lawlor from last month’s TV Tech Leadership Summit. “It reached 80% of all the households in a market. Today that number is less than 40 in most markets.”

But Brad Ramsey, senior vice president of media operations for Tegna, who heads up the company’s sports distribution efforts, says it’s not easy for station groups as they make their case for providing better reach to the sports leagues. “While audiences are significantly larger on broadcast and we have fantastic data points and case studies estimating and showing we’re achieving big audience growth,” he says, “it’s going to take time for advertising and sponsorship to catch up and match the way things have been done in recent years.”

No Quick Fixes from Streaming
Still, broadcasters can forge ahead knowing there are no quick fixes for the leagues. Looking at MLB’s conundrum following its mutual agreement with ESPN to terminate the final two years of their seven-year contract, legal analyst Rob Rosenberg, founder and principal at Telluride Legal Strategies, cites the risks the league faces trying to fill or exceed the $550-million annual revenue gap with another big distribution deal.

“If you think about it realistically, if MLB is looking for a big payday for putting together a national rights deal in 2028, is Fox CBS, NBC or ABC going to be in a better financial situation than they are today?” Rosenberg asks. And given the volatility and audience fragmentation plaguing the streaming business, there are no easy answers on the streaming side either.

“MLB will have to balance getting maximum dollars in a big contract with the need to get the reach they need to regenerate audiences and fans in their local markets,” he says. “It’s not a long-term win if you leave reach out of the equation.”

The New Consensus on a Way Forward
The consensus now taking hold across the sports ecosystem is that the new business framework will have to be built on a well-conceived mix of local TV, national network broadcasting and streaming with the likelihood the returns on pay TV distribution will continue to slide. “It may take a while for them to phase down and out, but I think RSNs are a dying breed,” Rosenberg says.

HFS Research analyst Jason Dann, in a new report describing how “sports media is scrambling to meet consumer demands,” makes clear where he thinks they should place their bets: “The solution? A hybrid approach. Leaders must balance embracing digital innovation and ensuring accessibility for all audiences.”

Jeremy Goldman, senior director at Emarketer agrees. In another recent post describing research on the sports distribution situation, he says, “The shift to digital viewing represents a pivotal moment in sports media consumption, but the transition poses significant challenges. The fragmentation of rights across multiple platforms creates friction for consumers while driving up costs. Success in this new environment will require balancing traditional broadcast reach with digital innovation.”

Nobody is playing the pro sports broadcast and streaming arena more broadly than Scripps Sports, which has also taken a leading role in bringing women’s pro sports to broadcast (see sidebar). The unit works with the E.W. Scripps portfolio of 61 stations in 41 markets and the national ION broadcast network to provide distribution platforms for sports partners, including the WNBA, the National Women’s Soccer League, the NHL’s Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Hockey Club, and the NCAA’s Big Sky Conference.

On the streaming side, along with coordinating with outside streaming services, the company has partnered with sports streamer ViewLift to launch a free streaming outlet providing Panther fans online access to 70 Scripps broadcast games and a pay streaming service in Nevada covering roughly the same number of Golden Knights broadcasts.

“We really like the formula,” Lawlor says, noting the ratings for Scripps’ broadcast of Golden Knights games in the first year of the affiliation were double the previous year and ratings at the halfway mark in the first year with the Panthers are up 130%.

As for any perceived threat from pro teams’ affiliations with the major streaming services, Lawlor believes the broadcast and streaming domains are complementary and are likely to remain that way. “I don’t think it has to be either or,” he says. “It’s all about the visibility.”

Stations and Streamers Collaborate
And, notes Gray’s LaPlatney, for broadcasters it’s all about cooperating with the streamers. “In a lot of our deals, teams do the streaming deal in tandem with what they’re doing with us,” he says.

A particularly close relationship in this vein can be found in Gray’s groundbreaking April 2023 deal with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Mercury, which helped kick off pro sports’ teams moves away from RSNs. Along with locking in the Gray affiliations, which ignited statewide OTA broadcasts of all their home games, the teams’ ownership simultaneously signed on with the Kiswe streaming service to supply an AZ Family Sports Network cellphone app that gives residents free statewide online access to the games.

In September following the Phoenix deal, Gray signed another groundbreaking agreement with the New Orleans Pelicans, which replaced RSN coverage reaching about 250,000 households with free OTA and affiliated MVPD coverage over a new Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network, reaching 4.1 million households on stations throughout Louisiana, much of Mississippi and Mobile, Ala. With stations serving 113 television markets nationwide, Gray is also racking up big successes with the likes of the Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers and other MLB teams.

A similar story of ongoing expansion in a variety of dealmaking scenarios is unfolding at Tegna, which operates 64 television stations in 51 U.S. markets. Among a wide range of multi-sport affiliations described by Ramsey, Tegna is the primary rights holder with the Dallas Mavericks and the Seattle Kraken NHL franchise and has been working with the San Antonio Spurs since late 2023.

The company just agreed to carry most WNBA Dallas Wings games, and recently signed with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, owner of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and the NHL’s Avalanche, to carry 20 of each team’s games. There are also some OTA “carve outs” involving a handful of Indiana Pacer, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Milwaukee Bucks games, and Tegna is in discussions with five MLB teams weighing OTA partnerships.

One of the more interesting wrinkles in this multifaceted dealmaking quilt is Tegna’s arrangement with Amazon Prime in Seattle. “With Kraken, our linear feed is on Amazon Prime and our sales team is negotiating with advertisers based on how they want to use both the OTA and digital outlets to market their products,” Ramsey says, noting there’s nothing better than a win/win for everyone where teams can create a one-stop shop for marketers to reach all audiences on all screens.

“There are a number of ways linear and streaming can co-exist,” he adds. “In all cases teams are looking at the landscape thinking about how they can make their linear and digital rights complement each other and, at the end of the day, create the best financial outcomes.”

The resurgence in TV stations’ roles in sports broadcasting may just be getting underway, but it’s not too soon to think the hybrid approach to distribution could win out in the long run.

PITTSBURGH—NEP Group is continuing to invest in its fleet of mobile units dedicated to remote productions with the addition of a new facility now supporting the NHL on TNT for the 2024-2025 NHL regular season and postseason.

The new mobile unit, named Supershooter 64 within NEP’s industry-leading global fleet, is the newest NEP facility designed specifically to support remote productions – often referred to as REMI productions – adding to a lineup of six similar units making remote workflows seamless for broadcasters and rightsholders across the U.S. Supershooter 64 offers additional flexibility with space to handle onsite production, featuring a dedicated production space accommodating eight people, an audio control room, and a video shading area.

Supershooter 64 is designed to be adaptable, offering a slim, flexible profile while still packing production technology. The unit features 12 Sony 2500 cameras, along with a full suite of audio and communications equipment, ensuring high-quality coverage of live events with a reduced onsite footprint.

Initially, the facility is supporting the NHL on TNT and will later serve TNT’s Major League Baseball coverage, MLS Season Pass and productions for NBC.

“As live production continues to evolve, we continue to invest in facilities offering the very best remote production technologies, and Supershooter 64 is another piece of this long-term commitment,” said Mike Werteen, president, NEP Americas and global chief commercial officer.

“Over the last year we’ve seen tremendous growth and success delivering facilities that connect the action onsite to NEP production hubs and customer facilities, enabling production teams to work from wherever they need to produce amazing content for their audiences,” he continued. “We're incredibly proud to say our connected and remote solutions are supporting significant projects for the PGA TOUR, MLS Season Pass, multiple productions for NBC Sports, ESPN, NASCAR, and the NWSL.”

Visit nepgroup.com to learn more about NEP’s media services and connected production solutions.

NEW YORK—NBCU’s streaming service Peacock continues to ramp up its sports offering with the launch of in-market streaming of four NBC Sports Regional Networks as add-on subscriptions.

The streams, which are priced between $14.95 to $24.95 per month, provide Peacock subscribers with direct access to live MLB, NBA and/NHL games as well as other programming carried by NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports Boston, NBC Sports California or NBC Sports Philadelphia.

The new option enables Peacock Premium or Premium Plus subscribers located in the respective network’s television territory to purchase a monthly add-on subscription in addition to their Peacock subscription to receive the 24/7 stream of their regional sports network’s programming.

The MLB, NBA and NHL teams’ games available to subscribers include MLB’s Athletics, San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies; NBA’s Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers; and NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and San Jose Sharks. Other pro and college sports, such as NWSL and NBA G League games, and other programming is included.

The four regional sports networks are:

• NBC Sports Bay Area: live San Francisco Giants (MLB) and Golden State Warriors (NBA) games, surrounded by comprehensive pregame and postgame coverage, and extensive San Francisco 49ers (NFL) programming, highlighted by live gameday shows. NBC Sports Bay Area also provides sports news, analysis and commentary programming and live coverage of other teams, including San Jose State University football and basketball, Bay FC (NWSL) and Santa Cruz Warriors (NBA G League).
• NBC Sports Boston: live Boston Celtics (NBA) games, surrounded by comprehensive pregame and postgame coverage, and extensive New England Patriots (NFL) programming, highlighted by live gameday and daily in-season shows. NBC Sports Boston also provides sports news, analysis and commentary programming, such as ‘Early Edition’ and ‘Boston Sports Tonight,’ and live coverage of other teams, including the Connecticut Sun (WNBA) and Maine Celtics (NBA G League).
• NBC Sports California: live Athletics (MLB) Sacramento Kings (NBA) and San Jose Sharks (NHL) games, surrounded by comprehensive pregame and postgame coverage. NBC Sports California also provides sports news, analysis and commentary programming and live coverage of other teams, including San Jose State University football and basketball, Bay FC (NWSL) and San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
• NBC Sports Philadelphia: live Philadelphia Phillies (MLB), Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) games, surrounded by comprehensive pregame and postgame coverage, and extensive Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) programming, highlighted by live gameday and daily in-season shows. NBC Sports Philadelphia also provides sports news, analysis and commentary programming, such as ‘SportsNet Central,’ and live coverage of other teams, including college basketball and football.

Prices for the add-on subscriptions are as follows: NBC Sports Bay Area is $17.95/mo.; NBC Sports Boston is $14.95/mo.; NBC Sports California is $17.95/mo.; and NBC Sports Philadelphia is $24.95/mo. Users with a direct-billed Peacock Premium ($7.99/mo.) or Premium Plus ($13.99/mo.) Plan can purchase add-on subscriptions.

The NBC Sports Regional Networks’ live MLB, NBA and NHL game schedules include non-nationally exclusive regular-season and postseason games, as well as select preseason matchups. Live games programmed on the networks’ respective ‘plus’ or overflow channels will be available as live-event streams outside the 24/7 channel.

Peacock reported that in-market blackouts may apply to certain teams’ games (including blackouts of all games for certain teams in particular zip codes) based on user location consistent with television availability and league policies.

BOSTON—In a first for regional sports, the Boston Bruins, NESN, and National Hockey League have announced that they will produce “Best Snow Day Ever,” which feature an animated version of a NHL game between the Bruins and the Panthers. It will air on March 11 at 7 p.m. ET locally on NESN+ and the NESN 360 app, alongside the main broadcast of the Bruins-Panthers game on NESN.

“Best Snow Day Ever” is one of several NHL animated data visualizations that are being produced in association with NHL innovation partner Sony’s Beyond Sports for the 2024-25 season. It marks the first time one of these games has been done regionally.

This program represents a continuation of the NHL’s innovative efforts to further engage young fans and families and to demonstrate applications of NHL technology initiatives like NHL EDGE Positional Data.

In addition to an animated version of the game, “Best Snow Day Ever” will bring kids on an imaginary snow day with no school where they follow Blades, the Bruins’ mascot, on an adventure as he’s transported into a snow globe of an imaginary Boston.

The story incorporates a mix of STEM-focused lessons, using hockey as a vehicle to make math, physics and science concepts come together in a way that is both fun and educational. NESN reporter Adam Pellerin will lead the animated play-by-play, with former Bruin and 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Andrew Ference providing analysis.

“The Boston Bruins are thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to work with the National Hockey League and our regional broadcast partner NESN to bring to life the first regional animated data visualization in our market,” said Andrea Mazzarelli, Bruins vice president of marketing. “‘Best Snow Day Ever’ is more than just bringing hockey into a fantasy environment; our program is designed to educate and engage younger audiences and families with integrated STEM lessons throughout the program, which can live on in classrooms well beyond March 11.”

“We’re constantly searching for innovative ways to bring sports to new audiences. This animated data visualization provides us the opportunity to reach kids in a fun, relevant and educational way – because while fans may not consider it, sports are all grounded in STEM – from the speed of the puck to the angle of the shot,” added Josh Jun, vice president of content for NESN. “Working with the Bruins and NHL to develop this project has been such an incredible experience and we can’t wait for young hockey fans to tune in.”

In addition to the STEM lessons, the animated data visualization will feature appearances from Bruins players during intermissions, where they will participate in interactive segments designed to make learning even more fun. Viewers will also experience a Boston-centric narrative, showcasing local landmarks, history, and culture, all while highlighting STEM lessons that tie back to the on-ice action between the Bruins and Panthers.

The animated program builds upon the Bruins’ and NESN’s ongoing commitment to engage with and educate kids through sports. Through the Bruins Academy, the Bruins offer youth hockey programs and free curriculum materials that integrate the sport of hockey with STEM-focused lesson plans, while NESN’s weekly show, NESN Clubhouse, gives kids a backstage look at the skills, technology and fitness necessary to be a professional athlete.

Boston Bruins corporate partners TD Bank, Rapid7 and JetBlue are supporting the initiative with integrations throughout the animated broadcast.

The Columbus Blue Jackets, Sinclair and FanDuel Sports Network have signed a deal that will allow Sinclair and Gray Media stations in select markets to simulcast five Blue Jacket NHL games.

As a result of the deal, FanDuel Sports Network’s game productions will be simulcast locally on Sinclair’s WSYX (known on-air as ABC 6) and WWHO (channel 53, known on-air as CW Columbus), both of which are available to viewers OTA as well as through cable and satellite providers Spectrum, DirecTV and DirecTV Stream, YouTubeTV, Dish and Breezeline.

In addition, regional broadcasts will allow fans in areas throughout Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky to watch the games over-the-air via stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Gray Media.

“We’re excited to work with Sinclair Broadcast Group, Gray Media and our partner FanDuel Sports Network to bring these games to fans across Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky,” Blue Jackets vice president of business intelligence and broadcasting Marc Gregory said. “By expanding access to these matchups, we’re offering an additional opportunity for our passionate fans to engage with the team and experience Blue Jackets hockey.”

“The Columbus Blue Jackets are a beloved team, and we are excited to expand their reach to a broader audience with these broadcasts,” said Tony D'Angelo, vice president and general manager of WSYX, WTTE (Fox 28) and WWHO. “ABC6 and CW Columbus will provide a unique opportunity for fans to watch these games, and we are excited to be able to offer this coverage to Blue Jackets supporters in our community.”

The five matchups, including pregame and postgame coverage, will air live on the channels listed below. The schedule includes two games against the Detroit Red Wings before the teams face off in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game on March 1 at Ohio Stadium:

• Thursday, Jan. 2: vs. Detroit Red Wings, CW 53
• Saturday, Jan. 11: at St. Louis Blues, ABC 6
• Thursday, Jan. 23: at Carolina Hurricanes, CW 53
• Thursday, Feb. 27: at Detroit Red Wings, CW 53
• Monday, March 17: vs. New Jersey Devils, CW 53

Additionally, all five games will continue to be broadcast on the team’s flagship FanDuel Sports Network Ohio and via the FanDuel Sports Network app, featuring pre-and postgame coverage.

The out-of-market schedule includes:

• Thursday, Jan. 2, vs. Detroit Red Wings on WKRC 12.2 CW (Cincinnati); WUAB 43.1 CW (Cleveland); WKEF 22.3 MyTV (Dayton, Ohio); WQCW 30.1 CW (Charleston-Huntington, West Virginia and Portsmouth, Ohio); WKYT 27.2 CW (Lexington, Kentucky); TBA (Louisville, Kentucky).
• Saturday, Jan. 11, at St. Louis Blues on WSTR 64.1 MyTV (Cincinnati); TBA (Cleveland); WKEF 22.3 MyTV (Dayton); WSAZ 3.2 MeTV (Charleston-Huntington, Portsmouth); WKYT 27.4 MeTV (Lexington,); TBA (Louisville).
• Thursday, Jan. 23. at Carolina Hurricanes on WKRC 12.2 CW (Cincinnati); WUAB 43.1 CW (Cleveland); WKEF 22.3 MyTV (Dayton); WQCW 30.1 CW (Charleston-Huntington-Portsmouth); WKYT 27.2 CW (Lexington); TBA (Louisville).
• Thursday, Feb. 27, at Detroit Red Wings on WKRC 12.2 CW (Cincinnati); WUAB 43.1 CW (Cleveland); WKEF 22.3 MyTV (Dayton); WQCW 30.1 CW (Charleston-Huntington-Portsmouth); WKYT 27.2 CW (Lexington); TBA (Louisville).
• Monday, Mar. 17, vs. New Jersey Devils on WKRC 12.2 CW (Cincinnati); WUAB 43.1 CW (Cleveland); WKEF 22.3 MyTV (Dayton); WQCW 30.1 (Charleston-Huntington-Portsmouth); WKYT 27.2 CW (Lexington); TBA (Louisville).

SOUTHPORT, Conn.—A U.S. bankruptcy court has approved Diamond Sports Group’s reorganization plan, paving the way for the troubled regional sports network owner to emerge from Chapter 11 protection. Diamond expects to complete the restructuring process in the coming weeks.

The ruling in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas ends a long-running saga that highlighted the massive impact of cord-cutting on RSNs. After Sinclair paid $10.6 billion for the 21 former Fox Sports Net RSNs in 2019 and set up Diamond as a subsidiary, cord-cutting and a declining pay TV business pushed the group into Chapter 11 in March 2022.

Under the terms of the plan, Diamond will complete a comprehensive balance sheet restructuring that will reduce its debt from almost $9 billion to $200 million. On completion, Diamond will be capitalized with more than $100 million in cash and cash equivalents on its balance sheet.

Upon emergence, Diamond’s lead creditors—funds managed by or affiliated with PGIM, Inc., Hein Park Capital Management LP, Discovery Capital Management, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP and Alta Fundamental Advisors LLC—will exchange certain funded debt claims for equity in the reorganized company.

Sinclair’s equity interests in Diamond will be canceled.

Diamond will operate as a standalone entity, having completed its operational separation from Sinclair.

The new owners hope a streaming deal with Amazon's Prime Video, a naming rights agreement with FanDuel that saw the RSNs rebranded as FanDuel Network and rights to 27 MLB, NHL and NBA teams will be enough for the operations to prosper.

When it comes out of Chapter 11, Diamond will be home to 13 NBA teams, 8 NHL teams and 6 MLB teams, including:

• NBA: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs.
• NHL: Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning.
• MLB: Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays.

Following Diamond’s completion of the restructuring process, David Preschlack, CEO; Eric Ratchman, president of distribution and business development; and David DeVoe Jr., chief operating officer and chief financial officer will remain in their respective roles. Diamond’s Board will include new members after emergence from bankruptcy.

“Today is a landmark day for Diamond, as we embark on a new path for our business. Diamond is now unencumbered by legacy debt, financially stable and enthusiastically supported by new ownership,” Preschlack said. “Over the last 18 months, we have worked tirelessly to strengthen our business, including by reaching revised multiyear rights agreements with team and league partners, go-forward carriage agreements with major distribution partners, a broad naming rights partnership with FanDuel and a commercial agreement with Amazon. These critical achievements and a realigned business are enabling us to emerge as a sustainable, go-forward entity that drives value for our partners and fans.”

Preschlack continued: “Looking ahead, Diamond is well-positioned to further enhance its product offering and remains committed to delivering the highest quality live sports content in-market to fans through both linear and direct-to-consumer frameworks. I want to express my gratitude to the hardworking Diamond Sports Group employees for their unwavering support, dedication and continued confidence throughout this transformative period. Together, we are excited to build a bright future for Diamond and our stakeholders.”

Additional information regarding Diamond’s Chapter 11 proceeding, including court filings and information about the claims process are available here.

CHICAGO—Chicago Sports Network (CHSN), which televises games and content from the Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox, said it will roll out its its new subscription streaming service for fans on Friday (Nov. 15).

The service will let fans stream games involving the three teams on the CHSN app (available on iOS and Android) or on any web browser.

The offering will include a CHSN Live Game Center that will offer:

• Live streams of Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox games
• Real-time game coverage with in-game highlights
• Pregame and postgame coverage, including interviews with athletes and coaches

Subscription packages will start at $19.99 per month for one team or $29.99 per month for full access to all three teams’ live games. Fans can enjoy a free 7-day trial of a package of their choice. The streams can also be cast from the web or the app to larger screens, including the TV.

“We are excited to offer Chicago sports fans a one-of-a-kind digital product enabling immediate access to live games and a complement of personalized, on-demand content,” CHSN President Jason Coyle said. “Today’s announcement is the next step in our long-term commitment to Chicago sports fans everywhere and is another new and compelling way for us to serve and connect with them.”

Subscribers of the full access package will also get access to CHSN’s programming slate, which includes “The Chicago Lead,” “The Big College Football Show,” “The Big Pro Football Show presented by the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevy Dealers,” and a simulcast of WSCR radio’s “Mully and Haugh” morning show.

CHSN partnered with ViewLift, an over-the-top technology vendor that has created DTC streaming platforms for sports and entertainment clients. ViewLift’s roster includes the Altitude+ streaming service in Denver; Monumental Sports Network in Washington; the NHL and individual teams; as well as the NBA, NBCUniversal, LIV Golf, Tegna and others.

Authentication via eligible TV providers will be made available in the coming weeks, followed by access to the games via connected TV applications such as Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV.

To purchase the new streaming service, fans can visit CHSN.com or download the app in the iOS App Store or Google Play.

TYSONS, Va.—After securing the local broadcast rights for several NHL and NBA teams, Tegna has announced that it has reached a new multiyear agreement with Fubo that will ensure the virtual pay TV provider’s subscribers have access to the stations that air those games.

As a result of the deal, Fubo subscribers now can now access KFAA Dallas, an independent station that will broadcast 70 or more Dallas Mavericks NBA games. KONG Seattle, which will air up to 70 Seattle Kraken hockey games, and KTVD Denver, set to air 20 Denver Nuggets NBA games and 20 Colorado Avalanche NHL games, are expected to launch on Fubo in the coming days.

“We’re thrilled to enhance access for viewers and fans through our partnership with Fubo,” Brad Ramsey, senior VP, media operations, at Tegna, said. “By leveraging Fubo’s innovative platform and our dedication to collaborating with premier NBA and NHL teams in our markets, we’re committed to ensuring fans never miss a moment of the action.”

In the runup to the first season of the NHL’s Utah Hockey Club, SEG Media launched UtahHC+, a dedicated, Utah Hockey Club-branded direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming service similar to Jazz+, the Utah Jazz’s streaming service that SEG launched in September 2023. 

In addition, SEG Media has also introduced SEG+, a bundle that provides access to all UtahHC+ and Jazz+ content in one convenient place. 

SEG reported that the three services are equipped with enhanced capabilities including DVR and Search functionality and feature extensive programming – live games, video-on-demand (VOD) content, game-specific alternative broadcasts, and more insider programming – all produced by SEG Media. 

Subscriptions for SEG+, UtahHC+, and Jazz+ are available for purchase now at www.segplus.com.

“There has never been a more exciting time to be a sports fan in Utah, and we are committed to making sure our fanbase can easily engage in every minute of the action coming this season with Utah Hockey Club and the Utah Jazz - however they want to watch,” said Caroline Klein, chief communications officer for Smith Entertainment Group. “We gained valuable insight into our fans’ streaming preferences last season and look forward to creating even more memories with them through the front-row access and intuitive experiences that SEG+, UtahHC+, and Jazz+ provide.”

The SEG+ subscription sports streaming bundle is only available as an annual subscription priced at $174.99. 

UtahHC+ gives subscribers access to 75+ live Utah Hockey Club preseason and regular season games, excluding all exclusive nationally televised games. Live game coverage begins with the club’s first preseason game at 5 P.M. MT on Sept. 22 against the St. Louis Blues at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.

Annual subscriptions to UtahHC+ are available for $69.99 (less than $1 per game). Other UtahHC+ subscription options include monthly ($14.99) and pay-per-view (starting at $5 per live game). 

Jazz+ offers live streams of 75+ Jazz games and pre- and post-game coverage, excluding exclusive nationally televised games and other content.  An annual subscription to Jazz+ remains priced at $125.50, equivalent to less than $1.50 per game. Other Jazz+ subscription options include monthly ($19.99) and pay-per-view (starting at $5 per live game).

Only annual and monthly subscriptions include access to on-demand games and other content such as alt-casts, in addition to live games, SEG reported. 

New for this season, SEG Media has introduced enhanced capabilities across its three DTC services, including a DVR function during live games and a new search capability makes it easy to find desired content – from game replays to popular VOD content.

Also new this season, annual and monthly subscribers to SEG+, UtahHC+, and Jazz+ will be the first to access cross-over content that highlights players from the Jazz and Utah Hockey Club coming together as they showcase the best of Utah. This programming will be available via the streaming services 48 hours before it is released on other team-owned channels.

All 3.3 million plus Utahns can access and subscribe to all SEG Media subscription streaming services. UtahHC+ is available via an expansive territory including the state of Utah, as well as Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming, and parts of Nevada. 

Jazz+ is available to all fans who live within the Jazz broadcast footprint, which includes the state of Utah plus areas of Idaho and Wyoming. SEG+ is available where Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey Club broadcast regions overlap.

SEG is also offering free tickets to early purchasers of the streaming services. 

NEW YORK—The digital joint venture between MSG Networks and YES Network, Gotham Advanced Media and Entertainment (GAME) has announced that it will launch The Gotham Sports App this fall prior to the NBA and NHL regular seasons.  

The new Gotham app will bring MSG+ and the YES App under one roof – becoming the exclusive regional TV Everywhere and direct-to-consumer streaming home of each programming service, with games and content from the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, Brooklyn Nets and New York Yankees. 

Fans within MSG Networks' and YES' respective regional coverage territories (New York State, Connecticut, north and central New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania) who are authenticated MSG Networks and YES subscribers through their respective traditional pay TV providers will receive The Gotham Sports App at no additional cost. 

For those customers who do not subscribe to a traditional TV service, The Gotham Sports App will offer for purchase the existing MSG+ and YES App services, as well as a combination Gotham Sports package that includes both services. The combined direct-to-consumer version will cost $41.99 a month or $359.99 a year, which is less than the two MSG and YES apps. 

The app will be available on a variety of devices and platforms at launch, including Amazon Fire TV, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku and the Web, with additional platforms expected to be added in the near future. 

Andrea Greenberg, president and CEO of Officer of MSG Networks, said: "We are excited through GAME to bring New York area fans their favorite teams in one state-of-the-art app.  With the increased fragmentation of outlets carrying fan favorite sports programming, The Gotham Sports App allows fans of our teams one easy access point for New York area sporting events from MSG Networks and the YES Network." 

"The new Gotham Sports App will deploy GAME's best-in-class technology to deliver a greatly enhanced fan experience, showcasing the best in New York sports all in one place," said Jon Litner, CEO, YES Network. "The app, which will be free to our distributors' authenticated customers, will provide one convenient digital destination for our programming services and for fans of some of the most iconic teams in all of sports."     

As previously reported, in January, MSG Networks and the YES Network announced GAME, a 50/50 joint venture to capitalize on technical and operational synergies associated with MSGN's and YES' streaming services.  GAME also offers turn-key digital content distribution services, including platform technology, operational support and comprehensive data analytics to third parties, utilizing the combined technical and operational expertise each company has garnered from the respective successful launch and operation of the MSG+ and the YES App.

More information The Gotham Sports App is available at www.Signup.GothamSports.com.  

KENNEWICK, Wash.—In another example of sports rights moving to broadcast TV, Morgan Murphy Media has announced that its Apple Valley News Now/KAPP-KVEW will be the new official broadcast home for most regular season Seattle Kraken games for the next two seasons.

Through a partnership with the Kraken and TEGNA’s KING-TV in Seattle, all non-nationally televised games, likely more than 70 in total, will be available starting this fall for viewers in the Yakima/Tri-cities TV market.

"We couldn't be more excited to offer the Kraken for free, over-the-air, to broadcast viewers for the first time,” said KAPP-KVEW vice president and general manager James Loftus. “We know how passionate Kraken fans are and we are proud to bring these live games to viewers at no cost.”

For viewers in central Washington and northern Oregon, many games will be available on ABC affiliate KAPP-KVEW, channels 35.1 and 42.1, which is also available on all local cable and satellite providers. Select games will be offered on the station’s digital sub-channel, MeTV, channels 35.2 and 42.2. Those sub-channels are also provided on cable and Morgan Murphy Media has already contacted Dish and DirecTV about adding these local channels to their lineups.

“Expanding the reach of Kraken hockey to Yakima/Tri-Cities is crucial to our goal of growing the game in Washington state.” said Jeff Webster, chief commercial officer for the Seattle Kraken. “Our partnership with TEGNA and Morgan Murphy Media allows us the opportunity to provide free access to Kraken games all season long.”

“Our partnership with the Kraken is all about their passionate fans and delivering more games to more people in more homes,” added Brad Ramsey, senior vice president, media operations, Tegna. “We are thrilled to partner with Morgan Murphy Media to expand free over-the-air Kraken games to fans across central Washington and northern Oregon.”

“ABC is already the broadcast home for the Stanley Cup playoffs so our offerings for hockey fans are unmatched,” added Loftus.

Coverage will include pre- and post-game analysis from the broadcast team Kraken fans have been used to. John Forslund, JT Brown, Eddie Olczyk, Alison Lukan and Nick Olczyk will continue broadcasting the games for the 2024-25 season.

In addition to live, local game coverage, Apple Valley News Now will offer expanded Kraken coverage and features in its local newscasts during the hockey season.

The 2024-25 Kraken season will kick off with Seattle’s home opener on Tuesday, October 8 against the St. Louis Blues at Climate Pledge Arena.

LAS VEGAS—Elation has announced that its PULSE PANEL FX lights were used in the live broadcast of the NHL Draft on June 28 and 29 from Las Vegas Sphere —the first ever live TV broadcast from that extraordinary space. 

When the NHL decided to elevate the draft experience by hosting it at the Sphere, they sought a top-tier designer with extensive large broadcast TV and touring experience and tapped Tom Kenny for the job. Already familiar with the venue from his early consulting work on the Sphere project, Kenny also has long-time associations with Willie Williams and the entire U2 crew (including Allen Branton and Felix Peralta), who opened the Sphere last fall, not to mention his own experienced crew, all of whom provided the designer with valuable venue insight. 

“The NHL Draft at the Sphere was just amazing and out of this world,” Kenny said. “This was really a historical show and we needed a modern look for this new way to hold a draft. I knew I wanted something that was epic and futuristic looking in that main television shot, and even though you’re up against the biggest backlight in the world with its amazing content, the PULSE looked beautiful and won over a lot of hearts.” Indeed, Kenny reported widespread praise from NHL executives, teams, and the TV network for a job well done.  

Featuring arrays of RGB and cool-white LEDs across its large face, PULSE is ideal for direct view applications like TV visuals, while zone control opens up a myriad of design possibilities. Panel rotation ensures flexible positioning and continuous 360° pan/spin and 180° tilt add an extra level of dynamism, Elation reported.  

Supplied for the NHL Draft by Fuse Technical Group, the fixtures generate a powerful 100,000 lumens, though Kenny only needed to use them at a fraction of that output. “We didn’t have the chance to show them off as much as we could have,” he said, referring to their multi-functional strobe/blinder/wash light/eye candy capability, “but with that amount of power, I can see it being used on big events, tours, and stadium/arena type shows.”

Kenny, who has a tradition of being the first to use new lighting technology in a real-world application, jumped at the chance to debut the PULSE Panel FX. “I have always enjoyed moving forward with new technology and knowing Elation has launched some beautiful, high-tech lights of late, I was eager to incorporate them into my design,” the designer said. 

“Especially in TV, the backgrounds are very important so I was happy to get a new and interesting product in that upstage position, right in the main frame where it can be seen and make an impact. And it worked! The PULSE has this very modern, high-tech look, like something out of Star Wars or a modern video game, and they have all the tricks that we’ve always liked and wanted. They just blew us all away.”

Characterizing the modernized NHL Draft as an “artistic and elegant show,” Kenny placed 14 PULSE PANEL FX fixtures upstage in a semi-circle, prominently displayed throughout the two-day event for “subtle eye-candy bling” in camera shots. Additionally, Kenny created more energetic looks for camera shots when players were drafted.

“Whenever there was a pick, programmers Scott Cunningham and Han Heinz gave us some great ballyhoo looks for the in-house audience,” Kenny said, noting that it wasn’t visible on camera as they cut away to the draft pick. “But it looked great in-house and cut through the heavy lumens of the giant screen, which is very difficult.” 

Kenny added that because the show was filmed in 360-degrees, the back of the PULSE fixture occasionally showed in the frame, but that didn’t concern him. “The fixture has beautiful lines and even the back of it looks good, like sitting behind a beautiful car.” 

Due to the high demand for the Sphere, which runs a unique “Sphere Experience: Postcard from Earth” show multiple times a day, the crew had to load in and out twice daily. “You need lights that can handle constant movement and don’t mind being recalibrated. Another great thing about the PULSE is that they worked every time,” Kenny concluded.

See a video of the NHL Draft here. 

As part of an effort to boost revenue since going public, Reddit has announced a partnership program with major sports leagues that will bring more sports highlights to the Reddit platform and open up new advertising opportunities on Reddit via video ads, automotive model ads (AMAs), and other formats.

The new partnership program will involved many of the most popular sports leagues in the U.S. including the NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA Tour, and NASCAR to bring content to Reddit communities. 

In making the announcements, Reddit noted that the major sports leagues are some of “our most engaged Reddit Pro users and best-in-class examples of the power of engagement within Reddit communities. In addition, sports are one of Reddit’s most popular and fastest-growing (at +26% YOY) interest groups, bringing together highly engaged fans across over 1000 communities.” 

“We believe these new partnerships can enhance our community experience with content that fans want while enabling advertisers to align with expanded fan content on Reddit,” Reddit said in a blog post. “Through our official partnerships with the NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA Tour, and NASCAR, redditors will gain access to video highlights from games and tournaments, player AMAs, behind-the-scenes videos, and more special content posted by the leagues throughout their seasons and including during major events like Super Bowl and NBA All-Star.”

The effort builds on a test with the NFL during the 2023-24 season that saw FanDuel, Samsung, Ford, Volkswagen of America and several others advertise on the platform. “During the test, an alcoholic beverage brand saw a +11.3 point lift in purchase intent, a +9.4 point lift in brand favorability, and a 5.9 point lift in awareness by activating alongside premium video content from the NFL,” Reddit reported. 

“Reddit is the go-to destination for sports fans around the world because it’s the place where they can dive deeper than anywhere else, and connect with other fans beyond the season and throughout the year,” said Reddit’s COO Jen Wong said in a statement. “The country’s major sports leagues see the opportunity to reach global audiences on Reddit. We’re continuing to build more ways for businesses and organizations to engage with Reddit’s communities; this benefits our communities, program partners, and advertisers.”

Reddit also noted that there are over 1,000 active communities in the sports category. Those produced 20.4 billion screen views to communities in the sports category in the last 12 months (up 26% YoY) and 249 million global monthly engagements (posts, votes, comments) in sports communities on Reddit. 

TYSONS, Va.—Tegna Inc., the Seattle Kraken and Gray Media have announced that Gray’s KAUU in Anchorage and KYEX in Juneau will expand the Kraken broadcast network into Alaska. 

The deal follows the recent announcement that Tegna will broadcast all locally available Kraken games, approximately 70 regular season games each year, on KING 5 and KONG in Seattle, KGW in Portland and KREM and KSKN in Spokane. Additional broadcast partners in Washington and Oregon are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

“Our partnership with the Kraken is all about their passionate fans and delivering more games to more people in more homes,” said Brad Ramsey, senior vice president, media operations, Tegna. “We are thrilled with the early momentum we are seeing from advertisers and sponsors in Seattle, Portland, and Spokane, and grateful to our friends at Gray for helping us expand free over-the-air Kraken games beyond the continental United States.”

The 2024-25 Kraken season will kick off with Seattle’s home opener on Tuesday, October 8 against the St. Louis Blues at Climate Pledge Arena. The Kraken enter this season with new head coach, Dan Bylsma, and newly-named assistant coaches, Bob Woods and Jessica Campbell, who is the NHL’s first full-time female assistant coach behind the bench. Bylsma and Campbell join Seattle from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate and two-time Western Conference Champions, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Season highlights include the first matchup between Brandon Montour and the Florida Panthers, his former team and 2024 Stanley Cup Champions on December 10.

“We couldn’t be more excited or more proud to partner with Tegna and Gray Media to expand our broadcast reach into Anchorage and Juneau,” said Jeff Webster, chief commercial officer for the Seattle Kraken. “We’ve built an incredible relationship with the hockey community in Alaska over the years and it’s important that we continue to foster that connection. This partnership is another example of our commitment to making Kraken hockey accessible for our fans in Alaska and beyond.”

SUNRISE, Fla, and CINCINNATI, Ohio.—The Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers have signed a multi-year agreement with Scripps Sports to locally broadcast Panthers hockey free for residents of Miami/Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Fort Myers.

As part of the agreement Scripps and the team will also work together to launch a direct-to-consumer streaming service. 

The games had aired on the Bally Sports regional sports network. NHL teams in Utah and Las Vegas have also cut broadcast deals with Scripps as part of its efforts to expand sports programming.

“After back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances and celebrating 30 years of Panthers Hockey in South Florida, we could not be more excited about the future of our hockey team. Scripps’ distribution network and accessibility makes them the ideal partner to stream and carry Panthers content on and off the ice,” said Panthers president and CEO Matthew Caldwell. “Panthers content will be available for free over the air and we are thrilled about the new homes this will reach as we continue to grow our great sport.”

Under this new agreement, The E.W. Scripps Company has the ability to televise all locally produced Panthers preseason, regular-season and round one games of the postseason with distribution on cable, satellite and over-the-air television, becoming the new home on television of Florida Panthers hockey. 

Financial terms will not be disclosed. 

More specifically, in Miami/Fort Lauderdale, all locally produced games will air on WSFL-TV, channel 39. In West Palm Beach, all locally produced games will air on WHDT-TV, channel 9. In Fort Myers, Scripps Sports will announce the broadcast channel in advance of next season.

The deal has obtained the necessary approvals from the National Hockey League, Scripps said. 

As part of the agreement, Scripps Sports and the Panthers will also work together to launch a team-branded direct-to-consumer application with details to be announced prior to the 2024-2025 season. This direct-to-consumer application will be the destination for live streaming of all Scripps Sports-produced games throughout the team’s territory in South Florida.

“The Florida Panthers are the best team in the NHL, and their fans deserve to be able to see all of their games on every available broadcast platform, including free over-the-air,” said Brian Lawlor, Scripps Sports president. “When the Stanley Cup champions take the ice in October, Scripps Sports will be proud to bring all locally broadcast games to all the Panthers fans in Miami/Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Fort Myers using our powerful over-the-air TV stations.”

Scripps Sports, which is now home to the last two Stanley Cup champions, will be responsible for the production of the pregame, in-game and postgame shows. Scripps Sports and the Panthers will partner to co-produce a weekly Panthers program that showcases the team, its players and the organization beyond the ice.

More details on the production and schedule will be available soon, Scripps said. 

The 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held at Sphere in Las Vegas on Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29, marking the first time the event will be held in Las Vegas. Additionally, the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be the first event televised live from Sphere.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made the official announcement during the broadcast of the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery. “The NHL is proud to bring the first sports event and the first live television broadcast to Sphere,” said Steve Mayer, NHL senior EVP and chief content officer. “Together with the amazing team at Sphere, we plan to deliver an NHL Draft like no other, introducing the bright future of hockey in an innovative and exhilarating setting.”

The 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft will take place over two days: Friday, June 28 (Round 1, televised on ESPN, ESPN+, Sportsnet and TVA Sports, starting at 4 p.m. PT) and Saturday, June 29 (Rounds 2-7, televised on ESPN+, NHL Network, Sportsnet and SN1, starting at 8:30 a.m. PT). NHL club executives, scouts, and coaches will be present on the NHL Draft floor, while thousands of fans and hundreds of print, television and radio media are expected to attend.

This article originally appeared on TV Tech sister brand AVNetwork

The Chicago Blackhawks and NBC Sports Chicago have announced a collaboration with the NHL to bring fans the first-ever local animated real-time sports telecast. 

The partnership will create an alternate animated presentation airing on NBC Sports Chicago Plus (NBCSCH+) as the Chicago Blackhawks face off against the Dallas Stars on Saturday, April 6 at 2:30 p.m. (CT).

Last year, ESPN teamed up with the Disney Channel and the National Hockey League to present a first-of-its-kind live volumetric animation presentation of an actual live NHL hockey game to a national audience. The upcoming Blackhawks game would be the first time this has been done for a local game, NBC Sports Chicago said. 

The animations are part of a NHL effort to bring the sports to younger audiences. 

Geared toward families, the presentation will feature real-time volumetric animation of the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars players and include a celebration of ‘Tommy Hawk’s Birthday Party’ with some surprise visits from Tommy's friends.

"Every day, we're challenging ourselves to bring hockey to fans in new ways, and we're incredibly excited to bring the first-ever local animated game to kids across Chicagoland and beyond in partnership with NBC Sports Chicago and the NHL," said Jaime Faulkner, president of business operations for the Chicago Blackhawks. “It’s our highest priority to introduce Blackhawks fandom to our youngest generation, and this passion project of ours is fueled by our ongoing efforts to share the game we love with families in ways that connect with their daily lives."

The animated presentation on NBCSCH+ will include Chris Vosters as play-by-play announcer and in-game analysis provided by Dominic Moore with Adam Burish and Tony Granato providing studio coverage for all ages during intermissions.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to combine the talents at NBC Sports Chicago, the Chicago Blackhawks and the NHL to produce this first-ever, local, animated pro game telecast,” said John Schippman, vice president of sports content, NBCUniversal Local Chicago. “We’re excited and proud to be delivering a new and fun way for families and younger fans to experience this wonderful sport like never before.”

Building upon the League’s recent national animated telecast successes, this first-of-its-kind local animated presentation will leverage NHL EDGE positional data (NHL Puck and Player tracking) and Hawk-Eye Innovations optical tracking to recreate the action on the ice as it is happening.

It will also feature Blackhawks mascot Tommy Hawk with some of his friends within a fun environment with the United Center as a backdrop. The real-time animated program will also be produced in association with NHL innovation partner Beyond Sports.

NBC Sports Chicago will also carry the traditional game telecast featuring WGN Radio 720’s John Wiedeman handling play-by-play duties with NBC Sports Chicago’s Darren Pang providing expert game analysis. 

SUNRISE, Fla.—The NHL’s Florida Panthers video production crew here has transformed its workflow in response to growing demand for the team’s content following a string of successes, including its 2023 Stanley Cup playoff appearance—the first in 27 years.

At the center of the new workflow are storage systems and management tools from EditShare that enable a more fluid and secure workflow to create and deliver content for in-house screens and scoreboards as well as for fan engagement online and content delivered via the team’s custom app, the company said.

Working with sales engineers from 76 Media Systems, now part of Starin Marketing, the team developed a solution around an EditShare 256TB EFS300 storage appliance installed at the Amerant Bank Arena where the Panthers play, it said.

The ground storage network is linked and synchronized to an EditShare cloud implementation. The hybrid on premise-cloud architecture allows shooting teams on the road with the Panthers to upload content via a VPN, making it immediately available for post and delivery. The hybrid approach adds storage redundancy, securing content, it said. 

Key tools like FLOW workflow and asset management and FLEX cloud synchronization are core parts of the technology that make the system easy to implement and intuitive to use, said Dennis Docil, senior director of content services for the team.

“Before coming back to the Panthers, I worked for Ion Media Networks, and they were one of the first users of EditShare,” he said. “When we were looking for a solution, we looked at the market, [and] EditShare seemed to be the most user friendly for what we needed it to do. It gave us the slick workflows we need to keep on top of our exponentially increasing workloads.”

Supporting many video streams is an important aspect of this deployment. At game time, the EditShare EFS300 ingests live content from eight cameras and live coverage and shots from Bally Sports Network. At the same time, it also feeds the scoreboard and all the video screens around the arena, the company said.

The system also enables the video production team to generate a lot of content to engage fans via the team’s website and app. The Panthers also have a large retail shop alongside the team’s new practice facility in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Multiple screens at the facility create interest and excitement in the team and players as well as drive merchandise sales, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

Diamond Sports Group and the NHL have reached an agreement to keep games for 11 NHL teams on Bally Sports regional sports networks through the end of this season. 

The agreement was filed in bankruptcy court and is subject to court approval. 

The Associated Press is reporting that the local rights for those 11 franchises will revert back to the NHL at the end of this season.

Diamond also reached a deal for the NBA for games to remain on Bally Sports for this season in November, the AP said. 

WASHINGTON—The National Hockey League has partnered with sports streaming tech provider ViewLift to relaunch "NHL," a library of free apps available across a range of device platforms that allow hockey fans to create a customized feed of the latest highlights, condensed games, features, and other content.

The new, upgraded apps can be downloaded via Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV and Roku, each with a unique native UI developed by ViewLift to enable fans to select their favorite teams so they can access related video content on the app’s homepage.

On top of the customized team feeds, the apps showcase League-wide content, including general highlights from all games, must-watch moments, top goals, saves and plays, and “Weird NHL” – humorous and quirky features. 

“The redesigned NHL app gives fans easy and engaging destinations to catch all the latest highlights and recaps of their home teams and the League overall,” said Nili Doft, NHL Senior Vice President, Digital Media. “ViewLift’s expertise in sports streaming is ensuring that we can curate and present compelling content to our fans.”

“The NHL has taken hockey’s speed and athleticism to elevated levels, and these new-look NHL apps on major large-screen devices bring the action to fans around the world,” noted Rick Allen, ViewLift’s Chief Executive Officer. “With must-see hockey content, this is a real treat for sports fans as we head into the holidays.”

RESTON, Va.—Comscore has concluded a multi-year measurement license with the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League. The agreement will provide the hockey team with instant access to local market audience data via Comscore's local television measurement solution.

As a result of the deal, Comscore Local TV will be the exclusive measurement solution to support programming insights and revenue opportunities in the nine local markets, including Minneapolis-St. Paul and Milwaukee, that air the Wild's games and original programming.

"With Comscore as our new primary measurement solution, we now have an understanding of our audience at a level of granularity we had never seen before," said chief revenue officer and executive vice president, Mitch Helgerson. "The Comscore Local TV data allows our sales and marketing organization much greater visibility into market activity as we continue to expand our programming footprint."

"Live sports continue to be a driver of ratings and impressions for live linear television, however, to develop a deep understanding of those audiences and harness insights to grow fandom requires a level of measurement precision and granularity that only Comscore can provide. We look forward to supporting the Minnesota Wild and are excited by their immediate success resulting from the use of our measurement," said Carol Hinnant, executive vice president and executive advisor for currency strategy & initiatives at Comscore.

Comscore's local TV solution combines real-world TV viewership information with advanced household-level consumer and demographic data, providing greater accuracy to customers' advertiser base, Comscore said.

ESPN has announced that NHL action will return to ESPN+ on Saturday, September 23, beginning more than 30 live National Hockey League preseason, out-of-market games.

Opening the NHL preseason – and available to all ESPN+ subscribers without blackouts – the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings are set to face off in the 2023 NHL Global Series Melbourne at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 24. Both games will start at 12:05 a.m. ET and mark the first-ever NHL games played in the Southern Hemisphere.

The full preseason schedule is available here. 

The regular season begins in North America on Tuesday, October 10, in a tripleheader Face-Off on ESPN and ESPN+. 

The Nashville Predators begin the season hosted by the Tampa Bay Lightning, followed by the highly anticipated debut of 2023 number-one draft pick Connor Bedard in the Chicago Blackhawks’ season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The evening closes out with the Seattle Kraken facing off against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The rebrand of the old NBC Sports Washington network has gone live with the launch of Monumental Sports Network and the announcement that the rebranded regional sports network will be offering a host of new features and digital experiences for its coverage of the 2023-24 NBA and NHL seasons. 

Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), the parent company which acquired the network in 2022, announced the rebranding in June of 2023, which took place on Sept. 20. The linear channel is available at the same channel number where NBC Sports Washington was formerly found via pay TV providers. 

"Since acquiring NBC Sports Washington one year ago to the day, we have spent every day since building what we believe will be the best local media experience for the greatest fans in all of sports," said Zach Leonsis, president of media & new enterprises at Monumental Sports & Entertainment. "Our fans deserve the best experience possible, so we challenged ourselves to push every standard and deliver an extraordinary media platform. We're excited to begin the network's transformation this month with additional plans to unveil several significant upgrades throughout the course of the Capitals and Wizards regular seasons."

Monumental Sports Network is also building a brand-new production plant and broadcast studio, set to be delivered by early 2024 – located right next to Capital One Arena, at Gallery Place. 

This two-story, SMPTE 2110 facility will feature two major league quality studios which can also combine on non-conflict nights to create one single regional telecast worthy experience. The facility will also feature two insert studios and five control rooms to produce multiple events simultaneously.

Upon the opening of the new production plant and studios, Monumental Sports Network plans to upgrade its video quality from 1080i (shooting at 30 frames per second) to 1080p (shooting at 60 frames per second) so fans can enjoy their favorite live and original programs in stunning HD. The new facility is also built to upgrade its video quality to 4K in the future. In addition, Monumental Sports Network will plan to pursue its alternate telecast strategy upon the opening of the new facility. Further announcements will be made this winter.

"While the local media ecosystem continues to evolve, we seek to build the exemplar local media platform in all of sports. The value of live sports rights continues to grow, which is why we are so confident in making these significant investments back into our local rights," continued Leonsis. "We will do more with our live rights than ever before, upgrading the existing live experience, and producing more programming to the benefit of our fans and business partners. We look forward to debuting many more additional upgrades and enhancements throughout the NBA and NHL regular seasons."

A key part of the relaunch is enhanced video functionality for live-streaming of games with authentication of their Pay TV credentials, on-demand viewing of original programming and game replays, exclusive behind the scenes content and more, the network reported. Monumental Sports Network's new digital presence is also optimized across desktop, tablet, and mobile experiences. Users who had the previous Monumental Sports Network app downloaded on their digital devices will receive a new version of the app via a standard app update.

Additional features of the new digital experience include: 

• Access to multiple camera angles during live games with additional functionality including the ability to rewind and watch in slow motion.
• Personalization features that tailor a user's experience towards their favorite teams and players.
• Access to hundreds of hours of original behind-the-scenes programming, new shows including Hometown with Rachel Nichols and much more.
• Ability to watch Monumental Sports Network's live, 24/7 linear feed on-the-go on multiple devices.
• Opt-in ability to receive score alerts, team and player updates, as well as a new Monumental Sports Network newsletter.
• Daily editorial and video clips covering the Capitals, Wizards, Mystics, and Go-Go which can be saved to a user's list for later viewing.
• Sportradar integrations providing users with advanced, real-time sports data and betting analytics.
• Ticketmaster integration for ticket management and account linking.
• Consistent look and feel across all platforms, allowing for an intuitive experience across all devices.
• Pay TV subscribers receive all these benefits for free by signing in with their TV Everywhere (TVE) credentials on Monumental Sports Network's online and mobile platforms.

Monumental Sports Network partnered on these enhancements with ViewLift, a leading end-to-end digital platform developer providing OTT distribution solutions for content owners across multiple device platforms, including web, mobile, connected TV devices, smart TVs and gaming consoles, to design and develop the brand-new digital experience.

The network also announced a number of improvements to the linear channel. These include new branding and a new logo as well as new programming. 

Other enhancements include: 

• New Digital Properties: The digital experience is available on desktop, mobile, tablet, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV. It features all the live programming, on-demand game replays and TV episodes, and exclusive behind-the-scenes digital content.
• New Social Channels: Follow us at @MonSportsNet on X, Instagram, Meta, TikTok, and YouTube.
• New Paid Media Campaign: Monumental Sports Network is partnering with Gupta Media to launch its first-ever ad campaign and will be seen in print, online and out-of-home boards around the D.C., Maryland and Virginia region.
• New Visuals Inside Capital One Arena: Fans attending games and events can expect to see Monumental Sports Network signage around the venue as well as on the court and ice during game intermissions.
• New Fan Engagement Opportunities: Check out the "Rock the Red Carpet" event during the Capitals Opening Night on October 13 where Monumental Sports Network will provide live coverage and host a station for fans to win fun prizes. Throughout the Capitals and Wizards seasons, Monumental Sports Network will host watch parties for fans throughout the DMV.
• New Digital Newsletter: Sent three times a week, the Network's newsletter will keep fans up to date on the latest programming, as well as a roundup of the best digital content from our network and our teams.

NEW YORK—In the run-up to the start of the 2023-24 NHL and NBA seasons, MSG Networks announced that its new streaming product MSG+ has expanded the way users can access content with monthly, annual and even single game purchases. 

MSG is billing the option to purchase single games as an industry first for regional sports networks. 

MSG Networks also announced that the pharmaceutical company Bayer and the Aleve brand at Bayer will serve as the presenting sponsor for MSG+.  Bayer has been a thought leader in sports marketing and brand activation and will be presented throughout the MSG+ streaming service. 

MSG announced the launch of the streaming service in March.

"This is an exciting time for MSG Networks and fans of our teams," said Andrea Greenberg, MSG Networks president and CEO.  "MSG+ is a game-changer for fans who do not subscribe to a traditional, bundled pay television subscription and a win for our subscribers of participating traditional distribution partners who will have free access to this robust streaming service."

MSG+ (which includes all content from MSG Network and MSG SportsNet) will offer fans access to all MSG-produced New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres and New York Knicks games and other live sports events and programming, included on the networks in their area. 

As part of the new pricing option, fans are now able to purchase single games of their favorite local teams for $9.99 per game.

Fans may also subscribe to MSG+ on a direct-to-consumer basis by purchasing monthly ($29.99) and annual ($309.99) subscriptions, the streaming service reported. 

Pay TV subscribers can also also access MSG+ and its full complement of programming at no additional charge if they subscribe to a package that includes the MSG networks. MSG+ replaces MSG GO as the company's authenticated streaming service.

MSG+ will be available on a variety of devices and platforms, including iOS, Android, web (www.msgplus.tv), Samsung Smart TV, Apple TV and Android TV, with additional devices expected in the future.

Preseason hockey on MSG Networks and MSG+ begins on September 24th, with the Rangers facing off against the Bruins. 

LOS ANGELES—In another example of major sports moving to local broadcasters in the wake of the turmoil in the regional sports business, the LA Kings have released their regular season television schedule for the 2023-24 season that will features 63 regular season games for the upcoming 2023-24 campaign on Bally Sports West and six games on KCAL-TV (Channel 9). Another 13 additional games will be nationally televised. 

Bally Sports West will produce six games that will be broadcast over-the-air locally on CBS-owned KCAL-TV. This represents a TV homecoming for the Kings, whose games previously aired on Channel 9 from 1967-85 (when the station’s call letters were KHJ-TV) and also during the 1998-99 season.

Joel Vilmenay, president and general manager of KCAL-TV and KCBS-TV (Channel 2), which are owned by CBS News & Stations, said that “everyone at KCAL and CBS Los Angeles is honored to be reunited with the LA Kings. We are excited to enter into this mutually beneficial relationship with the team, which includes helping the Kings expand their reach on television and in the community, and also establishing a new marketing relationship that benefits the team and also adds value to our stations. In addition to the game broadcasts, we look forward to airing several half-hour specials over the course of the season and providing comprehensive coverage in our local sportscasts. This truly is a win for all concerned, especially Kings fans.”

Bally Sports previously announced the renewal of its rights to air LA King games. 

Fans who do not have Bally Sports West and/or KCAL-TV options available to them will be able to subscribe to Bally Sports+ to receive all the games available on Bally Sports West and KCAL-TV as part of the Bally Sports+ streaming subscription.

LOS ANGELES—Diamond Sports Group and the Los Angeles Kings (“LA Kings”) have  announced a new, multi-year market and digital rights agreement that ensures Diamond remains the LA Kings’ exclusive local media partner.

Since filing for bankruptcy protection, Diamond has lost or shed some regional sports rights and has been trying to retain its more profitable operations. 

Under the agreement, Diamond’s Bally Sports West will broadcast approximately 65 live games, as well as pre and postgame shows and original programming. Fans will have streaming access via the Bally Sports app, when they authenticate with their pay TV credentials or subscribe to Bally Sports+, the direct-to-consumer (DTC) offering. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

“We are thrilled to extend our longstanding relationship with the LA Kings as we work together to continue delivering high-quality, live game broadcasts to our enthusiastic and dedicated regional sports audiences,” explained David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond. “This partnership furthers our commitment to the Bally Sports West distribution markets and to providing LA Kings fans with in-depth coverage of their favorite team on multiple platforms. Additionally, we are encouraged by the progress we are making in our restructuring process and are hopeful that this agreement can serve as a model for future discussions with our team and league partners.”

“The LA Kings and AEG are proud to extend our long-standing partnership with Bally Sports,” said Dan Beckerman, president and CEO, AEG and Alternate Governor, LA Kings. “For nearly 40 years, our organizations have enjoyed this strong relationship, and we look forward to the future together.”

Bally Sports West is a joint venture part owned by entities affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels and has been the home of the Kings since 1985, delivering exclusive coverage and telecasts of Angels and Kings games to fans in the greater Los Angeles area.

LAS VEGAS and NEW YORK—Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights has announced an multi-year agreement with sports streaming provider ViewLift to stream all locally-broadcast Vegas Golden Knights games live on major devices, reaching NHL fans in Nevada and surrounding states in the team's territory.

The Golden Knights will use ViewLift's end-to-end platform to simplify content streaming and production workflows, the companies said. 

The service will launch in time for the opening of the new season on September 24, with new features being announced in the coming weeks, the NHL team said. 

The Vegas Golden Knights noted that the new deal complements the team's previously-announced agreement with Scripps Sports to produce the games and distribute them via their local station KMCC-TV over-the-air, on pay TV and on connected TV platforms.

ViewLift is an existing NHL streaming provider for such teams as the Washington Capitals.

As part of the agreement, ViewLift will create Golden Knights-branded properties on the web, iOS and Android devices, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Vizio and Xbox, featuring live games and companion content.

"Our alliance with ViewLift and Scripps Sports enables our fans throughout the region to enjoy the action on whatever device they choose and from wherever they are," said Vegas Golden Knights team president and CEO, Kerry Bubolz. "We will give our fans every possible option to interact with the team and watch hockey live and on demand. It's essential that our TV and digital services reflect our Stanley Cup winning on-ice performance, and I know that with Scripps Sports and ViewLift we will achieve this."

"We are honored to be the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights' digital partner, and to work with the team and Scripps Sports to bring the action to all local VGK fans," said ViewLift CEO Rick Allen. "Our expertise delivering live sports across the OTT device world – including for the NHL and its teams – will ensure the best streaming experience for those fans, watching at home or on the go."

As part of the agreement, ViewLift's integrated marketing services will also be used to help the Knights to engage fans more deeply, and the team will use ViewLift's monetization tools to boost revenue. 

The NHL team said that ViewLift's experience bringing live sports to the market in days, not months; clients' capabilities to make changes on the fly without further software development or have ViewLift fully customize a service; and the platform's presentation of all key business metrics in real-time across every OTT device, were key factors in the decision to select ViewLift. 

Evolution Media Capital (EMC) served as an advisor to the Golden Knights on the Scripps Sports and ViewLift distribution deals.

BOSTON—Brightcove has announced an agreement with the National Hockey League (NHL) to provide its technology and platform for the delivery of digital video content on the websites of the League and the 32 Clubs, as well as the NHL app.

“The NHL has selected Brightcove to ensure its fans receive reliable, high-quality and efficient video streaming, and we’re thrilled to partner with them to enhance their streaming capabilities,” said Brightcove CEO Marc DeBevoise. “We look forward to working with the League to deliver a world-class, seamless streaming user experience to NHL fans worldwide.”

“We’re delighted to partner with Brightcove to support the delivery of video content across League digital platforms,” added Nili Doft, NHL senior vice president, digital media. “We look forward to working with Brightcove, who will help us continue to deliver great experiences for our passionate fans through their innovative streaming solutions.”

Brightcove’s streaming solutions – including ingest, players, management, data and insights, and monetization – will be used to transform how the NHL delivers its video to hockey fans across the globe, including by offering high-quality video, fast load times and fewer disruptions, the NHL said. 

The National Hockey League joins a large roster of professional sports organizations who are Brightcove clients, including Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Raycom Sports, ATP Tour, Badminton Horse Trials, Canadian Football League, Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf), Harness Racing Victoria, Little League Baseball and Softball, Major League Soccer, National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), U.S. Ski & Snowboard, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, United World Wrestling and USA Volleyball. 

For more information, visit Brightcove.com.

NEW YORK—The National Hockey League (NHL) has selected Amagi to create and distribute its first free ad-supported television (FAST) channel to The Roku Channel and other platforms in the future.

The channel features programming from the league’s content library and memorable highlights from past games, including the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Finals, NHL All-Star games and other contests.

"The NHL's foray into ad-supported streaming TV gives the FAST content ecosystem a massive boost," said Srinivasan KA, co-founder and chief revenue officer at Amagi. "It also offers NHL fans the opportunity to re-live the best moments from their favorite sporting events and stay engaged with NHL content at all times. Enabling the NHL to build this channel, and get it featured on the top FAST platforms in the USA, has been a dream come true for Amagi."

The NHL used the Amagi CLOUDPORT broadcast-grade channel playout solution to create and distribute the channel with a content lineup that includes post-game highlights, the company said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

LAS VEGAS and CINCINNATI—Scripps continues to expand its rights to air local sports with a new multi-year agreement to air the Vegas Golden Knights NHL hockey games for free to residents of Nevada and surrounding states within the team’s broadcast territory.  

The agreement, which begins with the 2023-34 season, allows The E.W. Scripps Company to televise all non-nationally exclusive Golden Knights games with full distribution on cable, satellite and over-the-air television. 

Financial terms are not disclosed. The deal has obtained the necessary approvals from the National Hockey League.

Scripps will air Golden Knights games on its local station KMCC-TV, which is currently airing programming from ION, Scripps’ national entertainment network. 

ION programming will continue to be available to Nevadans over-the-air, on pay TV and on connected TV platforms through a move to another Las Vegas broadcast channel, Scripps said. 

Scripps said that it plans to rebrand KMCC, channel 34, as an independent station before the 2023-24 NHL season begins. In addition to the Golden Knights games, the new KMCC will broadcast local and national news, local sports and additional entertainment programming. 

Scripps also owns the Las Vegas ABC affiliate, KTNV, which will provide a strong marketing platform for KMCC and the Golden Knights telecasts and has carried VGK preseason games since the franchise’s inaugural season of 2017-18.

“This deal is a significant win for our fans because they will be able to see our games on television and for free, if they wish,” team president and CEO Kerry Bubolz said. “That was our goal in finding a new TV partner. We wanted to serve our fanbase in the best way possible.”

The Golden Knights and Scripps also said that they are committed to providing fans with a direct-to-consumer streaming option as part of this partnership. Details on the streaming option will be announced when plans are finalized, the companies said. 

The deal provides another example of the ongoing turmoil in the regional sports business, which led to Sinclair Broadcast’s Diamond Sports Group to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year, citing $9 billion in debt spread across its 19 Bally Sports regional sports networks.

Warner Bros. Discovery, which had carried Golden Knights games on AT&T SportsNet since 2017, has said it is leaving the regionals sports network business.

In the wake of those problems, other broadcasters like Gray Television and Scripps have been looking to expand their sports offerings. 

The Vegas Golden Knights broadcasters, led by the multi-Emmy Award winning duo of Dave Goucher and Shane Hnidy, will remain on the call for Scripps Sports’ games.

Broadcasts will include pregame and postgame coverage for every game, with additional distribution into Idaho (Boise, Idaho Falls and Twin Falls), Montana (Billings, Butte-Bozeman, Glendive, Great Falls, Helena and Missoula), Nevada (Reno), Utah (Salt Lake City) and Wyoming (Casper-Riverton and Cheyenne-Scottsbluff). 

“We have been impressed by the Golden Knights’ commitment to winning and their desire to connect and engage with fans in Vegas and outer markets, as well,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports. “This is going to be a wonderful partnership, and it’s the fans who will benefit most. We launched Scripps Sports with the belief that we could help teams reach more fans through our stations, which do not depend on subscriptions and added fees for the consumer.” 

The Golden Knights are the first professional sports team to reach a deal with Scripps Sports, which launched in December. It is the second deal Scripps has announced in the past 15 days. The first was an agreement with the WNBA, announced April 20, to televise games on ION on Friday nights during the regular season starting May 26.

NEW YORK — Major professional sports leagues and some broadcasters have announced the formation of the Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising, a voluntary association of sports leagues and media entities committed to ensuring that companies take a responsible approach to sports betting advertising.

Members of the Coalition, which include the NFL, MLB, MLS, NASCAR, NBA, WNBA, NHL, NBCUniversal, and Fox, also published six core principles for responsible sports betting advertising. 

"As the legalization of sports betting spreads nationwide, we feel it is critical to establish guardrails around how sports betting should be advertised to consumers across the United States. Each member of the coalition feels a responsibility to ensure sports betting advertising is not only targeted to an appropriate audience, but also that the message is thoughtfully crafted and carefully delivered," a joint statement from the Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising explained. 

The legalization of sports betting has provided broadcasters with a new source of advertising revenue. The American Gaming Association (AGA) estimated in February that sports betting gross game revenue hit a record $7.5 billion in 2022. 

BIA Advisory Services had predicted that the local ad spend for sports betting would hit $1.8 billion in 2022 and that by 2024 the local ad spend for sports betting would increase to $2.9 billion, according to Forbes. 

But the growth of the betting ads on TV has also raised worries about how the ads might increase gambling addiction.

In response, coalition has committed to implement and maintain consumer protection policies consistent with the following six principles:

• Sports betting should be marketed only to adults of legal betting age
• Sports betting advertising should not promote irresponsible or excessive gambling or degrade the consumer experience
• Sports betting advertisements should not be misleading
• Sports betting advertisements should be in good taste
• Publishers should have appropriate internal reviews of sports betting advertising
• Publishers should review consumer complaints pertaining to sports betting advertising

"We're proud to join these prominent sports industry stakeholders in this important effort," explained David Highhill, general manager, Sports Betting at the NFL. "Legalized sports betting offers fans another way to engage with their favorite sports, but just as we must support problem gambling prevention and resourcing, we must also remain mindful of how sports betting is presented and advertised to consumers, and this coalition should greatly aid in that cause."

Mike Mulvihill, executive vice president, head of strategy and analytics, FOX Sports added that, "Fox and Fox Sports are proud to be charter members of this broad and important coalition.  As America's leader in live sports, we are committed to providing fans a responsible and ethical engagement with sports betting, keeping the integrity of the games and our broadcasts at the forefront at all times."

Elaborating on its core principles, the group also outlined more specific guidelines for each of its six principles:  

• Sports Betting Should be Marketed Only to Adults of Legal Betting Age. The content of sports betting advertising, marketing and promotion should primarily appeal to individuals of legal betting age, and sports betting should never be endorsed or otherwise promoted by any person who is, or appears to be, below such legal age. Sports betting promotional materials should (i) only appear in media where a significant majority of the audience is reasonably expected to be of legal betting age and (ii) never primarily appeal to children in content or theme. 
• Sports Betting Advertising Should Not Promote Irresponsible or Excessive Gambling or Degrade the Consumer Experience. Sports betting advertisements should always contain a clear, prominent responsible gaming message, including information on responsible gambling resources, and never be directed to individuals known by the advertiser to be self-excluded. Gambling advertising, promotion and other integrations that encourage irresponsible gambling or degrade the consumer experience (e.g., by appearing excessively) should also be avoided. 
• Sports Betting Advertisements Should Not Be Misleading. Sports betting advertisements should never be false, deceptive or misleading. For example, sports betting advertisements and marketing should not promote unrealistic expectations of financial gain, or suggest that social, financial or personal success is guaranteed by engaging in sports betting. Nor should any such messaging state or imply that a bet is without risk if the customer must incur any loss, or risk the customer's own money, to use or withdraw winnings from such bet.
• Sports Betting Advertisements Should Be In Good Taste. Sports betting advertisements should (i) adhere to contemporary standards of good taste applicable to all commercial messaging, taking into consideration the applicable medium and advertising context and (ii) never undermine public perception of sports or their integrity.
• Publishers Should Have Appropriate Internal Reviews of Sports Betting Advertising. Publishers showing sports betting advertising should (i) provide appropriate training to their relevant employees regarding responsible sports betting advertising policies and (ii) implement internal processes to ensure compliance with such policies. To the extent possible, such processes should include a separate review of advertising and marketing materials by company employees outside the marketing and sponsorship departments.
• Publishers Should Review Consumer Complaints Pertaining to Sports Betting Advertising. Publishers showing sports betting advertising should develop and implement a process to review consumer complaints pertaining to that advertising.

After pioneering many firsts in sports production, ESPN is teaming up with the Disney Channel and the National Hockey League Team to present a first-of-its-kind live volumetric animation presentation of an actual live NHL hockey game. 

On March 14 at 7 p.m. EDT, ESPN+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney+ will air the “NHL Big City Greens Classic,” a live, animated NHL game telecast, featuring the Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers.

The alternate presentation of the Capitals-Rangers game will feature live, real-time volumetric animation of players and teams modeled after characters on Disney Branded Television’s Emmy Award-winning animated comedy “Big City Greens.” 

ESPN+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney+ will present the live, animated telecast, while the main telecast will be available on ESPN and ESPN+.

“Working with Disney Channel and the NHL, we are producing a telecast that will reach a new and different audience and help to grow hockey fandom even more,” said Ilan Ben-Hanan, senior vice president of Programming and Acquisitions, ESPN. “‘Big City Greens’ has a huge following in a younger audience that we are excited to tap into, offering a fun and creative way to enjoy the game across Disney platforms.”

The first-of-its-kind alternate presentation will leverage NHL Edge positioning data (puck and player tracking) to recreate the action on the ice as it is happening while featuring “Big City Greens” characters skating alongside animated versions of the NHL players. The real-time animation will be produced in association with ESPN Edge Innovation Center and NHL EDGE Innovation partners Verizon, Beyond Sports and Silver Spoon.

ESPN commentators will call the action for the “NHL Big City Greens Classic,” and “Big City Greens” talent, including the Houghton brothers and Marieve Herington (the voice of Tilly), will also be featured in the presentation. 

“We’ve said from day one that our partnership with The Walt Disney Company is a big win for our fans and our League,” said Dave Lehanski, NHL’s executive vice president of Business Development and Innovation. “We’ve spent years investing in a fast and accurate puck and player tracking system to help us grow the game. The ‘NHL Big City Greens Classic’ will demonstrate how we can leverage data from NHL EDGE — our puck and player tracking system — to create entirely new fan experiences for a younger audience in collaboration with incredible partners like The Walt Disney Company, ESPN and Beyond Sports. What a testament — to have the greatest animation company of all time leverage its incomparable creativity and IP to promote and grow our game.”

ESPN said more details regarding the first-of-its-kind production will be announced closer to the game.

The 2022-2023 NHL season is now underway and along with it, a new way of garnering new advertising revenues. 

Borrowing a script from other sports leagues, the NHL has now added virtual ads superimposed on barriers surrounding the hockey rink. These virtual ads are visible only to viewers watching from home but already have stirred controversy among some fans who contend that the fast moving sport is not conducive to this type of digital signage.    

“The NHL is instituting moving advertisements on the dasherboards that surround the rink, despite the fact that the play in the NHL tends to pinball wildly back-and-forth, and as a result, the camera has to pan quickly from side-to-side in order to follow the action,” writes HockeyBuzz.com. “There will likely exist scenarios during gameplay whereby the puck is moving in one direction while the advertising moves counter to the play, and the resulting discombobulation will distract from the product on the ice, not to mention the possibility for disorienting motion sickness.”

The NHL’s move towards motion advertising is a result of the impact Covid has had on the sport, which, unlike other major U.S. sports leagues, relies more on gate revenues, which comprised approximately 35% of operating revenue in 2019-2020, according to Statista.com. The league has also given permission to teams to sell advertisement patches on player uniforms and helmets.

Fans voiced their disapproval over Twitter: 

One hockey fan even referenced an earlier NHL TV tech advance that failed miserably (remember the “glowing puck?)

Although the move toward motion digital signage ads adds to NHL revenues, the addition of this feature could turn off potential new fans, HockeyBuzz.com writes. 

“The major problem with these new technology-based “solutions” will result from the portion of the public that already finds hockey difficult to follow due to its byzantine rules, quick-moving action and small puck.” 

NEW YORK—Telstra and the National Hockey League (NHL) have signed a five-year agreement for Telstra to distribute up to 1,400 games per year to rights holders around the world using Telstra’s Global Media Network (GMN).  

Initially Telstra will deliver NHL games to rights-holders in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with plans to expand to other markets worldwide.  

Telstra’s GMN is a purpose-built video contribution and distribution network supporting permanent and occasional use services for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint on a consumptive-based business model across traditional broadcast, IP video standards and cloud connectivity, the companies said. 

“With their Global Media Network, Telstra offers a level of flexibility, creativity and commitment that allow us to provide tailored, custom delivery solutions on a market-by-market basis, said Dan Kim, NHL senior vice president, media and international distribution and strategy. We will continue to share the excitement of live hockey with avid fans around the world and look forward to building audiences in new markets this season and beyond.” 

In addition, Telstra will support the delivery of the NHL content through its Broadcast Operations Centers in Pittsburgh, Sydney and London. These centers provide 24/7 monitoring of Telstra’s Global Media Network, ensuring continuous stable and reliable connectivity to provide fans with the highest-quality viewing experience, the companies said. 

“This exciting new partnership coincides perfectly with Telstra’s ongoing commitment to invest in its networks and offer new, innovative content delivery and distribution solutions to customers around the world,” said Adam Day, Telstra Americas vice president of enterprise, technology and broadcast sales. “We look forward to helping the NHL expand its reach and showcase the spirit and excitement of the game to more sports fans globally.” 

ATLANTA—When the 2021-22 NHL season opened in October from its new home on TNT, Turner Sports unveiled a new broadcast studio powered by the disguise live visual creative platform.

Four disguise vx 2 media servers and five rx II render nodes are driving the more than 270-degree wraparound visual content in the studio, which will be used exclusive over the next three years as home to league coverage, disguise said.

Built in under two months at the end of summer with the help of disguise Certified Solution Provider and Atlanta-based creative studio MEPTIK, the studio is leveraging disguise’s ability to seamlessly combine LED and projection to create the massive canvas. The disguise deployment combines nine projectors, two LED walls and multiple cameras into a single end-to-end workflow.

“This is a full broadcast studio completely driven by disguise,” said Gideon Ferber, disguise director of product for broadcast who oversaw the development of the studio. “Turner Sports opted for the full disguise solution for its ease of use and efficiency of delivery.”

Custom-built curved LED panels on either side of the oval and the projection screen filling the remaining canvas display video, images and data via the disguise solution.  A full height diagonal LED panel display and two large tracking monitors in the foreground of the studio further blend the LED and projection displays and offer additional flexibility for shots and presenter positions, the company said.

A pixel-accurate 3D project was created and played out before going live with the new studio. “It was absolutely crucial to be able to pre-visualize the studio because they didn’t have time to do rehearsals or block shots in advance during the build,” said Ferber. “The studio was actually up and running a week before the go-live date, so the ability to previs the whole setup and how the content would look, then build in animations and graphics, was imperative.”

The in-house production team of Turner Sports received training on the disguise workflow for broadcast from disguise and MEPTIK. Curricula for each key set of skills, from producers and creatives to engineers and operators, guided the training of a number of super users across each skill. Using disguise’s online training community, the aim was to have the team gain knowledge over time.

“We provided Turner Sports with a blank canvas for creatives to tell their best stories and engage the audience. We were so proud of being able to turn around this project in such a short timeframe and have it be such a success,” said Phil Ventre, vice president of broadcast at disguise.

More information about disguise is available online.