NHL Eyes New TV Payday

Morning Edition

June 3, 2026

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The NHL is getting ready for its next round of media rights negotiations with ESPN and TNT Sports. Commissioner Gary Bettman says the league will enter those talks with real momentum thanks to a surge in playoff viewership.

—Eric Fisher

First Up

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The NHL will remake its All-Star Game around international competition after the success of 4 Nations Face-Off. Read the story.
Norway backed a complaint accusing FIFA of violating neutrality rules through its ties to U.S. President Donald Trump. Read the story.

NHL Set to Enter Rights Talks With ESPN, TNT As Ratings Climb

Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

RALEIGH — The NHL is about to enter an exclusive renegotiation period with its two U.S. media rights holders, ESPN and TNT Sports, and will be doing so from a period of historic viewership strength.

Speaking before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said those talks will begin next year with the two networks and their respective parent companies, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery. As it does so, it will lean into a recent audience heater that has seen double-digit percentage viewership growth in every round of the playoffs, and at many points has hit all-time highs since the deals with the two networks were signed in 2021.

“I am excited about those prospects [in rights renegotiation], based on how well we’re performing,” Bettman said in response to a Front Office Sports question. “While there have been some casual discussions [with ESPN and TNT Sports], we’re not at the point where we’re in firm negotiations. We’ll respect the rights that are in the contracts, and if things materialize sooner, great. If we’re not, we’re more than prepared to go through the usual routine.”

The current seven-year national deals with ESPN and WBD, running through the 2027–28 season, are collectively worth about $4.5 billion over the full term. Bettman did not detail new financial targets in the rights deals, but it stands to reason that the NHL will be in line for a big increase—particularly in the wake of a 12-year English-language Canadian rights deal with Rogers Communications signed last year worth $7.7 billion.

A potential complicating factor, however, is the NFL’s separate move to exercise opt-outs in its domestic rights deals and begin new talks as soon as this year. Those conversations will also involve Disney and CBS Sports parent company Paramount, currently in the process of acquiring WBD. As the NFL, the most-watched programming in U.S. television, soaks up more money from the sports rights market, that will likely give other leagues such as the NHL a chance to claim what they can.

Succession Planning

Bettman, meanwhile, said there have been some discussions within the league and among its team owners about a succession plan. Nothing has been formalized and fully implemented, however, and Bettman indicated that he plans to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

“I do acknowledge that I can’t do this forever, but … there’s nothing happening imminently,” said Bettman, celebrating his 74th birthday on Tuesday. “Reports of my demise or retirement are greatly exaggerated.”

The NHL’s fairly loose situation on this topic differs from that of Major League Soccer, which has much more actively planned for the next era after current and longtime commissioner Don Garber.

Contract Matters

The Golden Knights received a dose of support from Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly regarding the ongoing situation regarding former coach Bruce Cassidy. Vegas fired the 2023 Stanley Cup winner in March and brought in John Tortorella, who has led the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final.

Cassidy, however, remains unable to interview with other teams for their openings as he remains under contract with Vegas through next season. As that has continued, Cassidy has called the situation “upsetting,” but the league officials said the Golden Knights remain fully within their rights under the terms of the existing contract.

“When you sign and insist upon a long-term contract, there are certain policies and consequences of that, and so where we find ourselves is completely reasonable,” Bettman said.

Added Daly, “There are contracts that exist in the league that would not allow for this to happen. This was not one of them.”

SPONSORED BY E*TRADE FROM MORGAN STANLEY

Landon Donovan on Soccer’s Future

In Season 3, Episode 10 of Portfolio Players, presented by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley, Landon Donovan discusses the future of soccer investment, MLS growth, media rights, and why he believes the NWSL is the best investment in sports today.

Donovan reflects on investing in Lincoln City, the evolution of soccer in America, and what ownership groups often misunderstand about building successful organizations. He also shares his perspective on MLS expansion, Apple’s media partnership, and his transition into broadcasting and media.

👉 Watch now.

LOUD AND CLEAR

Fore, Not Finance

Kim Soo-Hyeon-Reuters

“I know nothing about business.”

—That’s what Jon Rahm said when asked whether he was trying to help LIV Golf find new investors following the Saudi PIF’s decision to pull its funding from the league, like Bryson DeChambeau is doing. Rahm said he has “more of a stay-in-your-lane type situation.”

“I’m never going to claim to know anything about business, and if I was in a business pitch, I would not know the first thing to say,” Rahm said Tuesday ahead of this week’s LIV event in his home country of Spain. “My job is to play golf.” Read the story.

Daily sports trivia: Can you rank the top five players by the most goals in the Premier League in the 2025–26 season?

ONE BIG FIG

The Right Chemistry

May 23, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; The Carolina Hurricanes celebrate after an overtime goal against the Montréal Canadiens in game two of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center.

James Guillory-Imagn Images

27

That’s the number of U.S. patents that Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky holds, part of a scientific background that easily stands out among the hockey lifers common in the sport. Tulsky has a dual degree in chemistry and physics from Harvard, and then he earned a doctorate in chemistry from Cal.

After that, Tulsky conducted his postdoctoral study at the Naval Research Laboratory and worked for a decade in nanotechnology in Silicon Valley. That rigor has led Tulsky to develop a scientifically oriented front office, and he now has the team in the Stanley Cup Final against the Golden Knights. Read the story.