For the first time in 16 years NBC will not be part of the NHL’s rights package come next season.
The NHL and ESPN agreed to a seven-year deal in March to become a partner with the league in order to broadcast games for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
And now we know who will share those right, and it reportedly won’t be NBC.
According to The New York Post’s Andrew Marchand, “Turner is expected to get the new deal, including the Stanley Cup Finals, according to sources.”
Mollie Walker of The New York Post added: “Turner is going to pay in the neighborhood of $225 million per season over its seven-year NHL deal, according to sources. It will be getting rights to some Stanley Cup Finals as part of the deal.”
The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro also added that “CBS is not part of the deal” and that “there is an HBO Max element” to the contract.
NBC has had the rights to broadcast the NHL’s games since the 2005-06 season, but reportedly pulled out of negotiations for the second network. Their multi-year deal expires at the end of the season. It is unclear as to why they pulled out of bidding.
