NENT GROUP EXPANDS NHL BROADCASTING RIGHTS INTO NORDIC REGION

Nordic Entertainment Group announced the extension of an exclusive agreement with the National Hockey League, allowing the broadcasting of NHL games in the Nordic region until 2026. The new five-year agreement will take NENT Group’s partnership is intended to reinforce the position of the company’s Viaplay streaming service as one of the top sports content platforms in the Nordic region. “We have now secured all of our key sports rights in the Nordics for many years to come,” Anders Jensen, NENT Group President, and CEO said. “This extension with the NHL is a fantastic complement to our recent long-term deals for Premier League, Formula 1, FIS winter sports, IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, Bundesliga, the Swedish men’s football team and more.”

The five-year extension consists of 1,400 live NHL games every season on Viaplay in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland, including all of the NHL European Games of the Week. NENT Group will also present extensive coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final and marquee NHL events throughout the season, including the NHL Winter Classic, NHL All-Star Game, NHL Stadium Series, NHL Heritage Classic, and NHL Global Series.

NENT Group has acquired the rights to the Premier League (SE/NO/DK/FI), IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship (SE/NO/DK/FI/IS), and the Swedish men’s football team qualifiers (SE) to 2028; FIS winter sports (SE/NO/DK/FI) to 2026; Bundesliga (SE/NO/DK/FI/IS) to 2025; and UEFA Europa League (SE/NO/FI), UEFA Champions League (DK) and Formula 1 (SE/NO/DK/FI/IS) to 2024.

Studio programming and local language commentary will be available for numerous key games, including the ones airing on NENT Group’s TV channels, including on free to air television. The conglomerate's portfolio also features IndyCar, NFL American football, boxing, UFC, tennis, basketball, handball, and golf, showcasing over 50,000 hours of live sporting action on its streaming services and TV channels each year. “The NHL’s quality and excitement are both unmatched, and its large Nordic contingent makes it a local competition for our viewers, who can look forward to even more of the world’s best ice hockey on Viaplay every week,” Jensen said.

There were 120 players from Nordic regions on opening day rosters for the 2019-20 NHL season, behind only Canada and the US. Forty-nine Nordic players were selected in the 2020 NHL Draft and six Nordic players have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. “The NHL has enjoyed a growing roster of NHL stars with roots in the Nordic region and a strong and expanding fan base and viewing audience," David Proper, Senior Executive Vice President of Media & International Strategy, NHL. "The passion Nordic fans have shown for the NHL has been tremendous and that is due, in large part, to our incredible partnership with NENT Group and its commitment to making every game available locally and extensively promoting the NHL’s Nordic hockey heroes.”