UK pay-television broadcaster Premier Sports has acquired live rights to the International Ice Hockey Federation’s 2013 World Championship, marking the first time the event has been afforded live coverage in the UK and Ireland.
Premier Sports will broadcast 20 games from the Championship, which takes place in Stockholm and Helsinki from May 3-19.
The broadcaster struck the deal with the Infront Sports & Media agency, the federation’s marketing partner.
In addition, Premier Sports has acquired rights for all of Great Britain’s games in the second-tier World Championship Division I Group A in Budapest from April 14-21. The games against Hungary, Kazakhstan, Italy, Japan and Korea will be broadcast live and in full.