NHL Bets On In-House Production As Regional Sports Networks Collapse

The Columbus Blue Jackets are among the first 4 NHL teams to person section broadcasts produced by NHL Productions, a caller inaugural that follows the illness of FanDuel Sports Network. (Photo by Steph Chambers)

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For decades, National Hockey League teams collected section media-rights gross while location sports networks handled astir everything else, including producing games to distributing them to fans.

But erstwhile FanDuel Sports Network collapsed this year, that statement unraveled, leaving respective clubs scrambling to find a shaper for section broadcasts.

The solution came from the NHL itself.

Beginning this season, the Columbus Blue Jackets, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues will person section broadcasts produced done NHL Productions, marking 1 of the league’s astir important steps into the section media business.

Distribution Flexibility

The move will springiness teams elasticity to administer games crossed cable, streaming and over-the-air television, while besides allowing them to workout much power complete broadcast quality, promotion and instrumentality access. It besides positions the NHL arsenic a media company, not simply a convention that licenses media rights.

“We’ve taken this motto of ‘controlling the asset,’ which is thing we’ve ne'er done,” David Proper, the NHL’s main media officer, said. “Giving power of that plus to the teams opens up a batch of opportunities—interaction pinch fans, amended promotion, amended access.

“By getting power of the asset, they’re capable to nutrient the games the measurement they want, pinch the messaging they want and the promotion they want.”

Regional Sports Network Model

League-controlled media operations are not new.

Major League Baseball created MLB Local Media, which took complete producing broadcasts for astir half the convention aft galore RSN deals collapsed. The NBA operates NBA TV and produces convention programming, but section broadcasts stay mostly RSN-produced.

But galore fans relied connected the regional sports web model, agreements signed team-by-team to nutrient and aerial games successful section markets successful speech for guaranteed authorities fees

Those NHL, NBA and MLB franchises sold section TV authorities to entities for illustration FoxSports networks, Bally Sports and, astir recently, FanDuel Sports Network, which paid for production, advertizing income and distribution. The use to teams: predictable gross pinch small work for accumulation aliases distribution.

Its stability, however, depended connected a cablegram tv ecosystem that was quickly shrinking.

The Main Street Sports Group emerged from Diamond Sports Group's 2023 bankruptcy and provided games nether the banner of FanDuel Network. In 2026 they besides stumbled nether financial pressures. That near teams searching for caller ways to get their games to fans.

Enter the NHL

NHL’s Broadcast Experience

The NHL already has a history of distributing games done NHL Center Ice, a cablegram and outer package, and NHL GameCenter Live, which later became NHL.TV.

In 2021, the convention signed agreements pinch the Walt Disney Company and Turner Sports for television, streaming and media authorities done the 2027-28 season. Games became disposable crossed ABC, ESPN networks, Hulu and ESPN+, which replaced NHL.TV arsenic the league’s U.S. out-of-market streaming service.

Those products, however, focused chiefly connected distribution arsenic opposed to the accumulation of section broadcasts.

The convention has already embraced a accumulation domiciled done NHL Productions, which supports awesome events and programming including the Stadium Series, Winter Classic, NHL Draft and NHL Awards.

The NHL had planned to grow that cognition into section unrecorded crippled accumulation person to 2028, but the illness of FanDuel Sports Network accelerated the timetable, Proper said.

What’s Coming

Teams will now salary accumulation fees to the NHL, but the convention will discount the amount, Mayer said. This will make the teams’ costs comparable to erstwhile RSN agreements, but pinch greater imaginable return connected the finance from advertizing and different sponsorship revenue.

“We are taking each the innovation, each the things that are building the infrastructure are really being handled astatine the convention level,” he said. “We're adding cameras, we're adding caller graphics, music. We're bringing successful exertion [like] NHL Edge, which is our puck and subordinate tracking, that we deliberation is going to beryllium a immense add-on for the fans.”

Proper said a accumulation that costs $65,000 per crippled mightiness really costs a nine astir $50,000, pinch the convention absorbing immoderate infrastructure and improvement expenses. Amounts will alteration by squad and market.

Teams, however, must still build distribution networks and advertizing partners, pinch the convention assisting successful immoderate areas.

“Your broadcast utilized to beryllium astir 1 thing, and that was your authorities fee,” Proper said. “Now, erstwhile we look astatine the production…you request to look astatine each the ways you tin return that accumulation and make further worth that you whitethorn not person different been capable to generate.”

Changes Bring Challenges

Such changes are not without challenges.

The aged exemplary allowed teams to beryllium backmost and cod a interest pinch small overhead. In the caller model, teams suffer guaranteed rights-fee revenue, and they must now actively find and create revenue.

“Taking power of the accumulation requires that we make further finance successful that portion of it,” Todd Sharrock, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ vice president of communication, said. “We've gone from nary accumulation costs to having immoderate accumulation costs that are not insignificant. That financial scenery presents immoderate challenges that are 2 pronged--you suffer immoderate of that gross from authorities holder fees and past now we're paying to nutrient the games.”

Even arsenic accumulation plans are successful place, distribution remains unresolved. Fans still don't cognize precisely wherever games will air, whether they'll request aggregate subscriptions aliases really overmuch entree will cost.

"We're conscionable still finalizing precisely wherever games will beryllium shown, but the extremity is to make them arsenic accessible aliases much accessible than they've ever been," Sharrock said.

Team Benefits

Mayer said squad benefits see greater power complete storytelling, and amended integration betwixt cable, streaming and over-the-air tv which whitethorn supply greater entree to fans who person faced the disbursal of stand-alone apps aliases cablegram bundles, arsenic good arsenic blackout restrictions, depending connected each team's distribution agreements.

Sharrock agreed that convention resources and the expertise to create much storytelling opportunities for fans will make its merchandise better.

“We are going to move everything that we that we person into that,” he said. “There is nary greater privilege for america than to person fans that want to watch our games beryllium capable to watch our games.”

NHL Evolution

Instead of conscionable replacing location sports networks, convention executives said they judge they are building an infrastructure that could yet service much clients inside--and outside--hockey.

“We spot this arsenic a early business opportunity for the NHL—not only to service our NHL clubs, but extracurricular clients, not only successful sports but successful entertainment,” Mayer said. “If we person the accumulation infrastructure, why wouldn’t those aforesaid streamers travel to america to get the occupation done for them?”