The National Hockey League plans to pursue a 50% to 100% rights fee increase when it opens formal negotiations with Disney and Skydance on Jan. 1. Both networks are encouraged by strong ratings, including regular-season viewership reaching a ten-year high and record postseason audiences averaging 1.8 million viewers per game. However, Skydance's debt obligations and upcoming NFL renewal costs could limit its budget for hockey broadcasts. The talks follow an earlier Canadian rights deal with Rogers Communications that successfully doubled in annual value.
Key points
Strong playoff ratings averaging 1.8 million viewers per game provide the NHL with signif…: Strong playoff ratings averaging 1.8 million viewers per game provide the NHL with significant negotiating momentum.
Disney wants to secure additional playoff broadcasts, while Skydance must balance hockey…: Disney wants to secure additional playoff broadcasts, while Skydance must balance hockey bids against debt reduction and NFL costs.
The final agreement will establish how aggressively major media conglomerates will invest…: The final agreement will establish how aggressively major media conglomerates will invest in major sports outside of the NFL.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
One of the biggest developing stories in entertainment and sports is how the world's biggest media companies judge the value of non-NFL rights — and the NHL is giving us our first window into this new era in media values.
My colleague Mike Ozanian is out with his new NHL valuations this morning. See the full list here.
The NHL can begin formally negotiating a new media rights deal with its incumbent partners — Disney/ESPN and Skydance, the new owner of TNT Sports — on Jan. 1. Sources tell me the league wants an increase in overall rights fees between 50% and 100% over its current deal. The NHL inked a 7-year, $4.5 billion deal with ESPN and TNT Sports in 2021.
Whether the league actually gets that type of increase is still unclear — and that will be one of the most watched data points in the world of sports business next year.
The bull case for the NHL
National media rights for the NHL currently make up about 13% of its annual revenue, which is around $8 billion,…
AstraZeneca is cutting 600 jobs in the United States as part of a $1.5 billion cost-saving overhaul. The workforce reduction comes amid broader restructuring efforts by the pharmaceutical company to reduce expenses.
Mohammed Alfatih faces extradition to Europe to confront serious terrorism allegations after British jurors convicted him of attacking a bailiff outside his residence. German intelligence services intervened in the alleged conspiracy targeting Jewish sites following an intelligence tipoff from Israel's Mossad. His violent encounter with civil enforcement exposed prior security oversights, prompting political scrutiny over how he secured British nationality.
Regulatory authorities penalized the ride-hailing company after determining that its pre-ride add-on mechanism deliberately misled users. The practice of prompting for an upfront gratuity or fee was officially classified as a manipulative dark pattern designed to deceive riders. This enforcement action highlights heightened governmental scrutiny over deceptive digital design choices that harm consumer interests.