National Hockey League (NHL)

The IMG Events & Media agency took a big step into the winter sports media rights market this week with a deal for National Hockey League rights.

The IMG Events & Media agency has struck a multi-season deal to market and distribute global media rights for North American ice hockey league the NHL outside the United States, Canada and Nordic countries.

Multi-territory broadcaster Modern Times Group renewed National Hockey League rights across the Nordics late last month, but missed out on the sport’s World Championship rights in Sweden.

The Major League Baseball Advanced Media division of Major League Baseball has confirmed a digital rights deal with the NHL ice hockey league in North America.

Modern Times Group, the multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster, has signed a five-year extension to its rights deal in the Nordic region for North America’s NHL ice hockey league, while it has also acquired rights to the 2016 World Cup of Hockey national team event.

Medge Consulting Sports has ceased to exist as a media rights agency, and its rights to the National Hockey League have reverted to the league after it missed payments, TV Sports Markets understands.

A federal judge has ruled US sports fans accusing Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and broadcasters of illegally restricting their ability to watch their favourite teams on television cannot claim damages as a class.

US pay-television network ESPN beat commercial networks NBC and Fox to win rights to the revived World Cup of Hockey in 2016.

The resurrected World Cup of Hockey will join the National Hockey League on pay-television broadcaster Rogers Sportsnet in Canada following a deal agreed late last month.

Canadian telecommunications company Rogers Communications has acquired broadcast rights to the 2016 World Cup of Hockey national team ice hockey tournament, according to the Globe and Mail.

North American ice hockey league the NHL has signed a rights deal with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

North American ice hockey league the NHL has agreed a partnership with US cable and satellite television broadcaster Epix to produce and distribute a two-part original series dedicated to the 2015 Winter Classic and Stadium Series events.

National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman has intervened in talks over San Jose Sharks’ local broadcast rights deal amid fears the long-term agreement is seriously affecting the ice hockey team’s financial position, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

The International Ice Hockey Federation this week secured a strong increase in the value of the media and marketing rights to its World Championship, but some experts believe it could have earned even more.

Sport1’s deal last week for the rights to the National Hockey League means the sports broadcaster now has exclusive rights to each of the four top North American sports leagues.

NHL ice hockey team Chicago Blackhawks has agreed a three-year extension to its partnership with local broadcast rights-holder WGN-TV.