The NBC Sports Group and the NHL inked a 10-year, $2 billion deal keeping the two as partners for the next decade. The agreement is the largest broadcast deal in league history.
A battle between ESPN and NBC Sports offered the NHL more options than ever before. ESPN offered complete coverage of all the Stanley Cup games and to expand special NHL-related programming. They also offered extensive broadband and mobile TV options, but in the end they simply could not work out a way to get past the ability to match the offer by NBC Sports.
NBC Sports will rebrand Versus, and they plan on making the NHL the centerpiece of the network.
The new deal will have NBC and Versus carry 100 regular-season games per season, including a new Thanksgiving weekend game.
NBC and Versus will continue to share coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs, plus they will create more programs with an eye on building on the rapid growth of the league.
The real deal-clincher for the NHL was that all Stanley Cup playoff games will be telecast.
NBC, Versus and perhaps CNBC or MSNBC can now assure that major hurdle can be overcome and in the end sealed the deal.
“We have significantly increased the value of the NBC Sports Group with this unprecedented, 10-year agreement with the National Hockey League,” said Dick Ebersol, chairman of the NBC Sports Group. “What’s particularly exciting for us is not only the significant increase in regular season games, but the reality of a dream that every single playoff game will air on an NBC Sports Group platform. For the first time, the conference semifinal round will be exclusive on Versus with a 200 percent increase in games.”
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!
