• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Disney Takes Over As Lead NHL Broadcaster

  • Disney made its media rights deal with the NHL official.
  • NBC Sports, meanwhile, will lose its status as the league’s exclusive media rights partner in the U.S.
two_nhl_players_celebrating
James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

Disney made its media rights deal with the NHL official and its networks are set to once again air the league’s live games. NBC will lose its status as the league’s primary media rights partner in the U.S.

The Disney and NHL agreement lasts seven years, from the 2021-22 season through 2027-28. Disney will pay $2.8 billion over the course of the deal, per the New York Post.

  • ABC gets exclusive coverage of the Stanley Cup Final in four of the seven years. ABC/ESPN also gets to pick which conference finals it wants each season, and half of all playoff games.
  • Twenty-five exclusive national games will be broadcast on ABC or ESPN with another 75 broadcast on both ESPN+ and Hulu.
  • More than 1,000 live games per season on ESPN+.

ESPN’s first NHL broadcast was in December 1979, three months after the network launched. ESPN also carried NHL games from the 1992-93 season through 2003-04, and ESPN+ currently streams weekly NHL games.

With NBC’s 10-year, $2 billion deal expiring after this season, talks for the rest of the NHL’s rights continue. NBC is facing off against Fox Sports, said sources.

An NBC spokesman told Front Office Sports that the network wants to remain partners with the NHL: “We continue to discuss a potential future with the league as we focus on the season at hand.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

NBC Sports
exclusive

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

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

Fox Promotes Allison Williams to Laura Okmin’s Former NFL Sideline Role

Williams left ESPN in 2021 after declining to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Sinner Outduels Alcaraz for First Wimbledon Title and $4M Payday

The best two players in men’s tennis battled once again.
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

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

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

Featured Today

Bobbleheads are seen at Vintage Indy Sports, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Speedway. The local sports memorabilia store opened recently.

Baseball’s Bobbleheads Are the Center of the Collectibles Universe

Baseball’s most important keepsake drives long lines—and big business.
Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.
July 11, 2025

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
July 6, 2025

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
Apr 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) before game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.

Rockets Get $20 Million in Wiggle Room From New VanVleet Deal

VanVleet first signed with the Rockets in 2023.
April 20, 2025

Max Verstappen Linked to $300M Aston Martin Deal Ahead of Miami GP

Aston Martin is currently seventh in the constructors championship.
June 24, 2025

Timberwolves’ 4-Year Ownership Saga Ends As A-Rod, Lore Take Over

The unanimous approval brought a clean end to a long-disputed transaction.
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
March 27, 2025

Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions Gets PE Boost

The Hall of Famer’s company gains another prominent backer.
March 20, 2025

High School Sports Power Signs Eight-Figure Rights Deal in First

The deal pays roughly $1 million annually, FOS has learned.
March 20, 2025

Maxx Crosby’s Agent: Edge Rushers Set to Dominate NFL’s Non-QB Market

Maxx Crosby just signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension.
March 4, 2025

Eagles Make Saquon Barkley NFL’s Highest-Paid Running Back Ever

Barkley is coming off a historic 2024 season with the Eagles.