US pay-television channel USA Network will reportedly broadcast coverage of the NHL ice hockey league’s 2015 Playoff competition.
USA Network previously broadcast a range of sports, including coverage of the NHL throughout the 1984-85 season. The channel has since lost all of the sports properties it broadcast and has focused on showing comedies and dramas, with the exception of broadcasting sports during the Olympic Games.
However, USA Network branding has appeared on NBC adverts promoting its coverage of this year’s Playoffs.
USA Network is a subsidiary of the NBCUniversal Cable division of US media company NBCUniversal, the US broadcast partner of the North American league.
NBC has the option to use USA Network as an overflow channel for coverage of the competition if there are conflicts with its NBC or NBCSN channels. Last year, NBC used its CNBC business and news channel as the main overflow platform.
An NBC Sports spokesperson confirmed to media news website Awfulannouncing.com that USA Network will broadcast the 2015 NHL Playoffs.
“USA Network is joining the NBC Sports Group team to televise Stanley Cup Playoff games this year,” the spokesperson said. “We’ll have more information as we get closer to the start of the playoffs.”