Ice Hockey

The Kontinental Hockey League’s new international rights deal with the Lagardère Sports agency marks the beginning of a six-season plan to expand the league across Europe and restructure its revenue streams.

Interview with Sergey Dobrokhvalov, marketing and communications vice president at the Kontinental Hockey League, on the league's recent international rights deal with Lagardère Sports and the league's plans for expansion.

International sports broadcaster Eurosport has acquired Champions Hockey League rights in Poland while Austrian public-service broadcaster ORF has also become a rights-holder for the European ice hockey competition.

The AMC Networks International Central Europe division of US entertainment company AMC Networks has acquired rights in Slovakia for the Kontinental Hockey League ice hockey competition, according to the Broadband TV News website.

Austrian public-service broadcaster ORF has acquired rights to ice hockey’s pan-European club competition the Champions Hockey League.

The National Collegiate Hockey Conference has extended its partnership with technology products and services provider NeuLion in a deal that is set to enhance its direct-to-consumer digital video platform, NCHC.tv.

Multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group has renewed a rights deal in the Nordic region for the Kontinental Hockey League ice hockey club competition.

The Lagardère Sports agency has renewed an agreement with the Kontinental Hockey League to continue distributing the international media rights for the ice hockey competition.

Social media platform Twitter has agreed a deal to live stream matches from US ice hockey competition the National Women’s Hockey League.

The Swiss Competition Commission (Weko) has opened an investigation into the pay-television market for ice hockey in the country, stating there have been “indications” of antitrust violations by telecommunications company UPC.

Modern Times Group, the multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster, has reached an agreement with public-service broadcaster SVT to share rights in Sweden to two major ice hockey competitions for the period spanning 2018 to 2023.

Regional sports broadcaster Root Sports has been named as the official television home of newly-formed NHL ice hockey franchise the Vegas Golden Knights through an agreement between the club and the AT&T Sports Networks division of US telecommunications company AT&T.

The Mediapro agency has agreed a deal to return North American ice hockey league the NHL to Spanish television screens.

Finland’s SM-Liiga defied expectations by substantially increasing the value of its media rights last week thanks to telco Telia’s entrance into the Finnish sports media-rights market.

Finnish telecommunications company Telia has acquired rights to the SM-Liiga, the top division of ice hockey in Finland.

SM-Liiga, the top division of ice hockey in Finland, will require a new rights partner from the 2018-19 season after media group Sanoma said its commercial and pay-television broadcaster, Nelonen, will not extend its contract.