The NHL and Turner Sports announced today a 7 year agreement that will bring pro hockey to HBO Max, TBS, and TNT. The deal includes rights for the Stanley Cup playoff and final games which will air on TNT and TBS starting next season.
“This agreement with the National Hockey League brings one of the most prestigious championships in sports to TNT and fuels our entire Turner Sports and Bleacher Report portfolio with even more premium content for many years to come,” said WarnerMedia News & Sports Chairman Jeff Zucker. “We’re delighted to spotlight the world’s best hockey league on our leading networks, while continuing to further elevate this marquee property through an ever-expanding array of digital platforms in the years to come.”
With the agreement, Turner networks will air the NHL Winter Classic, the League’s annual New Year’s Day outdoor game, in all seven seasons of the deal. They will show all games in the Stanley Cup Final in 2023, 2025 and 2027, one conference final series each season and half of the first two rounds of the playoffs along with 72 regular-season games per season.
This deal will coincide with the deal the NHL made with Disney in March to bring hockey coverage to ABC, ESPN, ESPN+, and Hulu. That deal gave ABC rights to the Stanley Cup Final in 2022, 2024, 2026 and 2028, along with one conference final round per season, half of the first two rounds of the playoffs, 25 regular-season games on ABC or ESPN, and 75 additional national games that will stream on ESPN+ and Hulu.