NHL Playoffs 2011: 10-Year TV Deal with NBC Brings New Dimension to Postseason

In a rarely heard of deal, the NHL and NBC signed an agreement on April 19 that ensures that American hockey fans will be able to watch hockey for 10 years on NBC Sports channels. The deal will run through the 2020-2021 season, with NHL hockey remaining on Versus and NBC.

The new agreement calls for 100 regular season games to be telecast on both channels. In addition to the regular season, the deal calls for the first-ever national distribution of all Stanley Cup Playoffs games starting with the conference semifinals. All playoff games will be broadcast on NBC, Versus or another major NBC national cable channel. With this agreement, hockey will be on 20 NBC Universal networks and over 40 digital platforms.

"This is the most significant U.S. media rights partnership in the League's history," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told NHL.com. "NBC Universal/Comcast is one of the most important, connected and ‘wired' media companies in the U.S., and as the potential of the NBC Sports Group is realized, the importance of our relationship will become more apparent to hockey fans and our business partners."

Starting with the 2012 Playoffs, 24 of 26 games in the second round will be on Versus, while the other four will be on NBC. Versus will also show all NHL Premiere Games, NHL Faceoff, the NHL All-Star Game and all of Canada’s Heritage Classic outdoor games.

The move allows hockey to be promoted on a national stage every week during NBC’s “Game of the Week.” Versus will also have at least one “Game of the Week” time slot available per week. It also allows more fans to view playoff games without having to be in their teams’ immediate area, as the games will all be broadcast on an NBC channel.

This innovative deal looks to raise awareness of professional hockey in America, while also catering to the loyal fanbase that tunes in every week, in addition to bringing one of the biggest national networks to the NHL.