RALEIGH — The NHL is about to enter an exclusive renegotiation period with its two U.S. media rights holders, ESPN and TNT Sports, and will be doing so from a period of historic viewership strength.
Speaking before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said those talks will begin next year with the two networks and their respective parent companies, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery. As it does so, it will lean into a recent audience heater that has seen double-digit percentage viewership growth in every round of the playoffs, and at many points has hit all-time highs since the deals with the two networks were signed in 2021.
“I am excited about those prospects [in rights renegotiation], based on how well we’re performing,” Bettman said in response to a Front Office Sports question. “While there have been some casual discussions [with ESPN and TNT Sports], we’re not at the point where we’re in firm negotiations. We’ll respect the rights that are in the contracts, and if things materialize sooner, great. If we’re not, we’re more than prepared to go through the usual routine.”
The current seven-year national deals with ESPN and WBD, running through the 2027–28 season, are collectively worth about $4.5 billion over the full term. Bettman did not detail new financial targets in the rights deals, but it stands to reason that the NHL will be in line for a big increase—particularly in the wake of a 10-year English-language Canadian rights deal with Rogers Communications signed last year worth $7.7 billion.
