Telekom Sport, the pay-television channel operated by German telco Deutsche Telekom, has extended a rights deal for the DEL, the country’s national ice hockey league.
Telekom Sport had an existing deal that was due to expire mid-2020. The two parties have now agreed a four-year extension that will run to the middle of 2024.
Deutsche Telekom’s head of sports marketing, Henning Stiegenroth, said that the league’s popularity on Telekom Sport was increasing, with the 2017-18 play-offs having attracted consistent six-figure audiences.
Gernot Tripcke, the DEL’s managing director, added: “The cooperation with Telekom has been a great success for the DEL since the beginning. The league and all clubs have significantly increased their media presence. As a result, more and more spectators from other sports are learning about the DEL as an attractive competition.”
Telekom Sport recently extended a rights deal for coverage of the German national ice hockey team’s friendly matches through to 2024.