US cable TV heavyweight DirecTV has announced a new multi-year distribution agreement with the National Hockey League (NHL) to carry the new regional channels of the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues
Through the agreement, Hurricanes Hockey Network, Blue Jackets Hockey Network, Wild+, and Blue Note+ will be available to DirecTV streaming and satellite customers who live in each team’s NHL-designated home territory.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Subscribers will have access to pregame, postgame, and in-game live sports services.
The agreement also provides distribution rights to each NHL team to all of DirecTV For Business’s sports bars, restaurants, fitness clubs, and other commercial venues located within each team’s respective region.
DirecTV recently obtained regional or local rights to 76 of the 81 US-based NHL, NBA (basketball), or MLB (baseball) franchises, including multi-year agreements for 23 US-based hockey teams.
Rob Thun, chief content officer at DirecTV, said: “We are committed to keeping fans connected to their favorite teams and giving them more choice and flexibility in how they watch and what they pay.
“As local sports distribution evolves, DirecTV brings team channels, regional sports networks, and other viewing options together to make it easier for fans to follow their teams.”
