NHL Network

NHL Network may refer to:

NHL Network (United States)

NHL Network is an American sports-oriented cable and satellite television network that is owned as a joint venture between the National Hockey League (which owns a controlling 84.4% interest) and NBCUniversal (which owns the remaining 15.6%). Dedicated to ice hockey, the network features live game telecasts from the NHL and other professional and collegiate hockey leagues, as well as NHL-related content including analysis programs, specials and documentaries.

The NHL Network has studios in New York, NY, from which it produces NHL Live and in Secaucus, New Jersey, from which it produces NHL On The Fly and NHL Tonight.

History

Launched on October 1, 2007, the NHL Network was developed out of a joint venture between the NHL and cable provider Comcast, as part of a broadcast rights agreement that resulted in the NBC Sports Network (then known as OLN) acquiring partial cable television rights to regular season, and Stanley Cup Playoff and Finals games from the National Hockey League.

NHL Network (Canada)

NHL Network was a Canadian English language Category B specialty television channel broadcasting ice hockey programming. The channel's primary focus was on the National Hockey League (NHL), although it occasionally aired games from other leagues, such as minor league and international circuits, to fill its schedule.

The channel was owned by the NHL Network Inc., a venture consisting of the National Hockey League and two of its Canadian member franchises, CTV Specialty Television Inc. (a division of Bell Media and ESPN Inc.), and Insight Sports Ltd. The network's ownership structure, which gives the league only an 11.6% interest, is due in part to foreign ownership restrictions for Canadian broadcasters, which prevents the NHL (owned by 30 member franchises of which 23 are based in the United States) from exercising majority ownership directly.

The network's Canadian operations were managed by Bell-owned TSN, the now-former cable rightsholder of the NHL in Canada. Following Rogers Communications' acquisition of sole national media rights to the NHL in Canada, the Bell Media staff members who operated the network were laid off in July 2015, and NHL Network was shut down entirely on September 1, 2015. The network's U.S. version was not affected by the shutdown, as its operations were migrated to the facilities of MLB Network as part of a wider partnership between the league and MLB Advanced Media.