The NHL will produce regional broadcasts for four clubs next season; Telemundo lands Spanish-language UEFA rights in the U.S.; and select Audacy stations will become available on SiriusXM later this year. Plus news on Zlatan Ibrahimović, Noah Eagle, Tim Tebow and Joey Votto.
NHL to produce regional broadcasts for four clubs next season
The NHL announced Tuesday that it will centralize local broadcast production for four NHL teams this fall — the Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild and defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes — with the potential for more teams to join the fold before next season. The venture, an expansion of NHL Productions, follows the apparent shutdown of RSN operaror Main Street Sports Group.
Other teams formerly in the Main Street portfolio have already announced new distribution models for next season, including the Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings.
The NHL is not going to distribute broadcasts it produces through specific team-branded channels akin to Major League Baseball, but, per Alex Silverman of Sports Business Journal, will assist teams in their negotiations with pay television providers and help them secure partnerships with streaming and over-the-air companies. While the Hurricanes are launching a local television network to air games next season, other teams working with NHL Productions have not revealed distribution plans.
The production capabilities will feature shoulder programming, NHL EDGE technology, graphics packages and more cameras, the league said. Former MLB Network president Rob McGlarry is joining the NHL as its general manager/local media and will be leading the new effort. David Proper, the league’s chief media officer and senior vice president, said in a statement that the move “strengthens the value of regional media rights by expanding the pool of potential distribution partners, reducing dependence on outside production providers and allowing Clubs to manage production investments more effectively.”
Telemundo lands Spanish-language rights to UEFA Champions League, additional competitions
Telemundo has acquired Spanish-language rights to UEFA men’s club competitions starting next season, including the UEFA Champions League, it was announced Sunday. Under the three-year deal, UEFA Conference League, Europa League, Super Cup, Youth League and the aforementioned Champions League will air on linear networks Telemundo and Universo and streaming options Peacock and the Telemundo Deportes Ahora FAST channel.
TelevisaUnivision has held Spanish-language UEFA rights since 2018, with matches airing on Univision, TUDN, UniMás and the streaming service ViX. Prior to 2018, Spanish-language UEFA Champions League broadcasts in the U.S. aired across ESPN Deportes and Fox Deportes.
Paramount continues to hold English-language rights to the UEFA Champions League, airing games on CBS, Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network. The company is in the midst of a six-year deal for the rights reportedly worth $250 million/season that is said to continue through the 2029-30 campaign. With Spanish-language rights slated to expire at the same time, UEFA could presumably bring both packages to market simultaneously for the first time since 2022.
Telemundo has also acquired Spanish-language rights to the German Bundesliga in a deal reportedly worth $10 million/year. The deals occur as Comcast plans to NBCUniversal and Sky into a standalone, publicly-traded company next year, and ahead of potential FIFA World Cup negotiations that could bundle English and Spanish-language rights to both the 2030 and 2034 men’s tournaments.
Select Audacy sports talk radio stations to become available on SiriusXM in September
Multiple Audacy-owned sports talk radio stations will become available on SiriusXM beginning in September, including WFAN, 104.3 The Score and SportsRadio 94WIP. The agreement also includes news/talk radio stations 1010 WINS/92.3 FM, KCBS All News and KYW Newsradio, but those will become available at a later time.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, who was first to report the news, said that Audacy will get a licensing fee as part of the deal, while SiriusXM can sell its own advertising for those who listen on the platform. The sports radio stations involved span 18 markets, among them New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Under CEO Kelli Turner, who took over the position last March, Audacy has outsourced its content to a series of platforms. The company inked a content distribution partnership with iHeartMedia last June that brought 28 sports talk radio stations to the platform. Audacy also worked with Westwood One to launch the Westwood One Sports national sports brand last December, which includes Jim Rome in afternoon drive. Earlier in the year, Audacy imposed layoffs that affected several on-air talents and restructured its regional sales operations, eliminating the market manager role in the process.
Turner moved into the CEO position, initially on an interim basis, after Audacy emerged Ch. 11 bankruptcy last year as a private company having reduced approximately 80% of its debt. As part of the exit, Audacy CEO/president David Field stepped down from his role and exited the company’s board of directors. The stock was previously delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in May 2023 after it was trading below the $1 minimum requirement. Audacy recently entered into an agreement to sell six stations in St. Louis, Mo. — including KMOX — to Hoffmann Media Group in a deal pending FCC approval.
Plus: Zlatan Ibrahimović, Noah Eagle, Tim Tebow, Joey Votto
- Fox Sports analyst Zlatan Ibrahimović revealed at the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup on Sunday that he will not be returning to the studio. Ibrahimović, the all-time leading goal scorer for Sweden, noted that the tournament would be “the first and last time” in the role, presumably taking him out of the equation of potential analysts for the next iteration of the competition. Ibrahimović joined a revamped Fox Sports studio team for the tournament featuring analysts Thierry Henry and Alexi Lalas alongside host Rebecca Lowe.
- Noah Eagle is expected to call the Week 1 49ers-Rams NFL International Series game from Melbourne, Australia for Netflix, according to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. Eagle will have called a game for Netflix in each of the streamer’s first three seasons carrying NFL games, having worked a Christmas game each of the past two seasons. Netflix has four other games this season — Packers-Rams on the day before Thanksgiving, two Christmas games, and a Saturday game in Week 18.
- Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow has signed a multiyear contract extension with ESPN, continuing his role as a college football analyst on SEC Network and appearing on ESPN programming. Tebow, who joined ESPN as the SEC Network launched in 2014, is an analyst on “SEC Nation” and has also contributed to “SportsCenter” and “College Football Live.” ESPN president/content Burke Magnus said in a statement on Monday that Tebow would “continue to be a fixture in our coverage on SEC Network and across ESPN.”
- Joey Votto will debut on NBC Sports’ MLB coverage this Sunday as part of the pregame show ahead of an interleague matchup between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, during which he will provide “Inside the Pitch” commentary. Jason Benetti will broadcast Yankees-Phillies on NBC “Sunday Night Baseball” alongside YES Network analyst Joe Girardi and NBC Sports Philadelphia analyst John Kruk. Earlier in the day, the “MLB Sunday Leadoff” game airing on Peacock between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians will feature play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian with Rays.TV analyst Brian Anderson, CLEGuardians.TV analyst Rick Manning and sideline reporter Ashley ShahAhmadi.
