The Medge Consulting and Advisers Media International agencies agreed four-and-a-half-year rights deals, from now until the end of the 2015-16 season, for National Hockey League ice hockey in the Ukraine and the Balkans.
In the Ukraine, newly-launched pay-television channel Hockey Channel acquired the rights. It will show up to 15 live matches per week.
Pan-regional pay-television broadcaster Arena Sport acquired the rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia. Arena’s rights in Slovenia are non-exclusive, shared with free-to-air sports broadcaster Sport TV.
Both broadcasters will show NHL coverage in their local languages, and in high definition.
Medge and AMI are selling the rights for the NHL in Europe, the Middle East and Africa under a five-year deal, from 2011-12 to 2015-16, with the league, worth between $20 million (€15 million) and $22 million per year.