• Loading stock data...
Saturday, July 19, 2025

Utah Among NHL Teams Navigating RSN Decline, Rights Negotiations

  • Comcast hasn’t agreed to a retransmission agreement for a Scripps-owned station that carries Utah HC.
  • Utah HC is one of five NHL teams that have gone to a new setup amid the collapse of RSNs.
Rob Gray-Imagn Images

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Hockey Club’s inaugural regular-season game against the Blackhawks was seen—at least mostly—by a sellout crowd inside Delta Center. Watching the team from home is a more complicated proposition for the NHL’s newest market, especially for customers of the state’s dominant cable company. 

Utah HC is one of five NHL teams with a hybrid local distribution model that includes free over-the-air broadcasts and paid streaming offerings that have evolved in the wake of widespread RSN collapse. In this setup, teams—who are footing the bill for production and distribution costs—want their games on cable and satellite providers for them to reach the broadest audience. 

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said before Tuesday’s game he was “disappointed that Comcast Xfinity is declining to carry Utah 16,” a rerun-heavy station owned by Utah’s broadcast partner, Scripps Sports, that hasn’t been picked up by Comcast. Comcast is being asked to pay a retransmission fee to carry Utah 16 (a station Comcast has never carried), a source with knowledge of the discussions tells Front Office Sports

“I’m hoping that there’ll be a groundswell of demand that will perhaps cause them to reevaluate that position or there are other alternatives,” Bettman said.

The current agreement between Scripps Sports and the Utah HC was made with the Arizona Coyotes before the offseason relocation to Salt Lake City. 

This is the new frontier of distribution disputes, not dissimilar to those between RSNs and cable, satellite, and streaming providers that have plagued sports fans for years. In fact, the new Chicago Sports Network RSN—which carries the White Sox and Bulls as well—also hasn’t been picked up by Comcast in the Chicago market. 

FOS asked Bettman whether he was concerned that these carriage and retransmission disputes would take a hit on the NHL’s bottom line ahead of negotiations toward a new collective bargaining agreement with the players that will begin in a few months. The current CBA expires after next season. 

“No,” Bettman says. “We set a revenue record last year. We anticipate doing it again this year based on the number of clubs and with their arrangements. What we’ve been able to do is to substitute market by market; we think our clubs are going to be fine.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Golf’s Prize Money Boom Is Slowing Down

There is no purse increase at The Open Championship.

WNBA Stars Say Zero Progress Made at CBA Meeting

The WNBA and its union had their first in-person meeting Thursday.

New NFLPA Head Will Face Multibillion-Dollar Decisions

The next NFLPA leader will wrestle with a series of pressing issues.

Michael Jordan’s NASCAR Team Loses Another Legal Battle

23XI Racing has lost its Cup Series charter status for the time being.

Featured Today

Ryan Field Construction
exclusive

First Look Inside Northwestern’s $862 Million New Ryan Field

Five big things FOS learned on our exclusive stadium tour.
Jul 21, 2024; Ayrshire, SCT; Xander Schauffele celebrates with Claret Jug after winning the Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Troon.
July 17, 2025

The Boozy History and Traditions of The Open’s Claret Jug

The Open awards the world’s most famous wine decanter.
2025 PDC World Darts Championship Final - Luke Littler vs Michael Van Gerwen
July 16, 2025

A Teen Darts Prodigy Is Becoming Bigger Than the Game Itself

Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler is cashing in on his devastatingly accurate shot.
May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive
July 13, 2025

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.

Netflix Beats Projections Again—and Plots Big Holiday Sports Slate

The streaming giant again beats analyst projections in every respect.
Jul 15, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; National League designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a home run in the swing off of after the 2025 MLB All Star Game ended in a tie at Truist Park.
July 16, 2025

MLB All-Star Game Viewership Dips Despite Historic Swing-Off

Game viewership falls 3% despite late dramatics in the unique tiebreaker.
July 17, 2025

ESPN Bidding Against NBC, Apple for MLB Rights Package

The league continues to negotiate with multiple media-rights bidders.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 15, 2025

MLB Home Run Derby Draws 5.7M Viewers on ESPN, Up 5%

ESPN reverses the trend from last year and registers audience growth.
July 15, 2025

WNBA Hits Fourth-Highest ABC Viewership With Clark-Bueckers Duel

Clark missed the first Fever vs. Wings game with an injury.
Brittney Griner and Caitlin Clark
exclusive
July 15, 2025

‘Good Morning America’ Will Air From WNBA All-Star in First

The All-Star Game’s relevance has exploded with the league in recent years.
NBC Sports
exclusive
July 14, 2025

NBC Hiring Ex-Hawks Exec Grant Liffmann As NBA Front Office Insider

Liffmann spent the last three years with Atlanta after covering the Warriors.