As the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs kick off, fans are tuning into first round matchups on regional sports networks, which is a facet of the league’s current media rights agreements with ESPN and TNT Sports. Until these deals expire in 2028, first round playoff games remain non-exclusive. This means that, while ESPN and TNT air the games nationally, fans in local markets can continue watching on their RSNs, leading to challenges for ESPN and TNT. Many viewers in the first round may opt for the familiar local broadcasts they’ve followed throughout the season.
ESPN anchor John Buccigross recently expressed his thoughts on the need for change during the NHL’s next media rights negotiations on an episode of Sports Business Journal’s The Sports Media Podcast. He stated, “Again, the first round we’re not exclusive. I’m surprised, and I would think that next time, whether it’s us or TNT, we need exclusive playoff games. I mean, we just can’t sacrifice a round where these big markets can watch on their regional sports network, whether it’s Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, New York especially.”
While it’s apparent that ESPN and TNT desire exclusivity for the first round, this alteration might displease fans who appreciate watching games with their local broadcast teams. Moreover, removing local broadcasts would significantly impact RSNs, which depend on this inventory to negotiate carriage agreements with distributors. It’s worth noting that the NBA decided to eliminate non-exclusive first round broadcasts in their new set of agreements with Amazon, NBC, and ESPN starting next season, suggesting that the NHL could theoretically follow a similar path in the coming years.
As of now, ESPN, TNT, and the NHL have declined to comment on the future of non-exclusive broadcasts during the first round, according to Sports Media Watch.
