The Disney+ streaming platform has secured rights to the National Hockey League (NHL) in Sweden and Finland under a new five-year agreement starting with the upcoming 2026-27 season.
The NHL games included in the new deal will stream live on ESPN on Disney+, with select games also available on Star Channel in Finland.
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The tie-up gives ESPN a significant presence in two of Europe’s strongest ice hockey markets, alongside long-standing rights holder Viaplay.
Streaming giant Viaplay has been the NHL’s principal Nordic broadcast partner for more than 15 years and recently renewed its rights deal with the league through the 2030-31 season.
Disney+ subscribers will have access to live and exclusive coverage of 160 regular-season games, which include 50 guaranteed games in Nordic primetime, as well as 20 playoff games from the first and second rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The agreement, which runs through 2030-31, also includes shared rights to the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final. Coverage will include select ESPN-produced games.
In Sweden, Viaplay has carried the NHL since 2009 and retains rights to the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs. In Finland, its renewed agreement includes at least 900 regular-season games on an exclusive basis, most playoff games, and coverage of the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final.
The NHL features several Swedish players, including William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs), Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators), and Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres), as well as Finnish players Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers), Mikko Rantanen (Dallas Stars), and Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes).
David Proper, NHL chief media officer & senior executive vice president, said: “The NHL’s connection to fans across the Nordic region and internationally has never been stronger, driven by the success of both Nordic-born players in the NHL and our on-ice product overall.
“Disney+ and ESPN are important in expanding our global reach and serving our international fans, providing broad access and unique perspective to NHL games and showcasing the incredible impact Nordic players continue to have on the sport.”
Through this deal, Disney+ continues to expand its live sports offering in Europe, having picked up rights to several major competitions in recent months.
Most recently, the service snapped up rights to American football’s NFL in Sweden.
In the Nordics, Disney+ also shows European soccer’s UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League club competitions in Sweden and Denmark, the Spanish Copa del Rey (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland), LaLiga and DFB-Pokal (Sweden, Denmark, and Finland), and the UEFA Champions League in Sweden from the 2027-28 season.
Disney+ is also the exclusive home of the UEFA Women's Champions League across Europe.
The OTT platform is available from 69 SEK ($7) per month in Sweden.
The addition of the NHL follows the recent launch of ESPN on Disney+, which offers major US sports, such as the NBA, to select markets.
The wider lineup also features college sports such as the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments (March Madness), college football playoffs, and bowl games.
Diego Londono, senior vice president & general manager of networks & sports at The Walt Disney Company EMEA, added: “ESPN's relationship with the NHL has been shaped by decades of expert insight, analysis and storytelling, and we're proud to bring that experience to customers in Sweden and Finland for the first time on Disney+.
“With ESPN alongside each game, fans can follow every twist of the NHL season through world-class production, expert analysis, and local language commentary. It's another exciting addition as we continue to build ESPN on Disney+.”
