In the world of US sports, the NHL often goes under the radar, quietly going about its business despite being both the fastest and most physical of the big four. There’s always talk of the latest issues in the NFL, the MLB’s fade from being America’s sport, and the NBA on the rise, while the NHL still has tremendous room to grow.
To commence the 2022/23 season, the hockey league welcomed its 32nd member in the form of a new franchise in a major market, the Seattle Kraken, as well as a new broadcast deal. Parting ways with the NBC set-up, Disney’s ESPN is now embarking on the first year of its new colossal deal with the NHL.
It couldn’t come at a better time, either, with the league being as closely contested as ever and the needs of sports fans continuing to evolve beyond that of TV viewing, primarily to online streaming.
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A great season to become more accessible to the masses
The highlight of the start of the season was the Seattle Kraken getting their inaugural season underway, bringing in a new fan base and a new contender in the Pacific Division. The opening home games have been electric, even if the team itself doesn’t look to be a playoff contender right out of the gate.
Having won two Stanley Cups on the trot, in unconventional seasons, the Tampa Bay Lightning has been receiving more attention than ever. However, it’s their state rivals, the Florida Panthers, who have laid down the gauntlet. From relative obscurity, the Panthers are now the joint-second favorites in sports betting.
At +900, the Panthers are toe to toe with the Lightning, but both trail the Colorado Avalanche from the opposite conference. Like the Bolts, though, the Avs only managed four wins in their first eight games, marking a rather lackluster start from the two early favorites. This only proves how strong and competitive the NHL remains.
A new deal to reach the masses
In the eyes of many NHL fans, agreeing to re-sign with ESPN marks a course correction and a fix to a mistake made some 17 years ago, when the league opted for NBC rather than an ESPN renewal. It’s also the first time that the NHL will be shown by multiple broadcasters, with TNT also getting several games throughout the season.
This alone increases the reach of the NHL, with the NHL also getting over three times the rights fees from Disney and WarnerMedia than it did from NBCUniversal. Crucially, however, is the non-TV element of the deal. Now fans can turn to the $7-per-month ESPN+ to stream over 1,000 games not being televised locally, as well as overseas leagues – rather than NHL.TV, which used to cost double that rate.
The sheer amount of money that the new rights holders have invested in this seven-year deal speaks volumes to the current support of hockey and how far it can grow. Already represented in all but a couple of the largest markets in North America, it’s also been found that NHL fans are, perhaps, the most desirable to have on your platform. A study into demographics found that the NHL fan base is the wealthiest of the competitions.
It’s an exciting year for the NHL both on and off of the ice, with growth in its physical presence as well as becoming far more accessible to fans all over through cost-effective streaming.