An NHL-ESPN Reunion?
July 31, 2007 by admin
Filed under Television
According to Sports Business Journal, the NHL could be back on ESPN – at least ESPN2 – for the 2008/09 season.
Talks about a nine-game regular season package and the playoffs started earlier this month.
Of course, a lot of things need to happen before ESPN gets back into the game. For one, NBC has to pass on exercising an option its has for the 2008/09 season, and Versus would have to surrender its cable exclusivity agreement that it holds until 2011. The Versus agreement generates $70-million a year for the NHL so Versus would likely waive its deal if the right kind of compensation came along.
While no one should get too excited about a nine-game package, getting ESPN back is a huge step in the right direction for the NHL.
For more, check out Ray Slover at the Sporting News.
