{"id":791051,"date":"2026-07-10T09:10:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T09:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/791051\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T09:10:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T09:10:10","slug":"gary-bettman-sends-message-on-nhls-next-major-broadcast-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/791051\/","title":{"rendered":"Gary Bettman Sends Message on NHL’s Next Major Broadcast Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said this week that the league does not need to finalize new national media rights deals before the NFL even starts to negotiate. The league\u2019s confidence stems from past success, when its last round of talks tripled the previous value.<\/p>\n

Bettman spoke on this in an interview with CNBC’s Julia Boorstin at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference. <\/p>\n

When he was asked about the pressure to move quickly to meet the NFL’s timeline, Bettman explained that the NHL last negotiated its current deals in 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NFL is a great property, and we understand that it\u2019s prominent in the media landscape,\u201d Bettman told Julia Boorstin of CNBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut interestingly enough, the last time we had to negotiate the current deals [in 2021], it was in the wake of what the NFL had done, and we managed to get triple what we were getting [previously].\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The NFL has been slow to announce new media talks, offering little public indication of progress.<\/p>\n

Bettman elaborated on the league\u2019s confidence: \u201cThe NFL has a large footprint,\u201d Bettman said. \u201cIn this environment, if they sneeze, we\u2019ll probably get pneumonia.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he was discussing a potential early renewal with ESPN, Bettman said the league would be ready \u201cto go at any time.\u201d That is only if a deal comes together that works for both sides.<\/p>\n

Bettman mentioned that the NHL remains the only major U.S. league without an actual streaming-exclusive partner. Their priority is to ensure that fans can access games however and wherever they want.<\/p>\n

The NHL is hoping TNT Sports could end up under Paramount\u2019s ownership once the company\u2019s pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is closed. That could be a new opportunity for the league.<\/p>\n

Renegotiations Set to Begin Next Year<\/p>\n

Bettman talked about a similar situation about a month earlier, as mentioned in an article by Front Office Sports. <\/a>He spoke to reporters before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights.<\/p>\n

At the time, he confirmed that renegotiations with ESPN and TNT Sports are set to start next year. The NHL now enters the sixth year of its current media rights deals with both networks.<\/p>\n

Those deals are worth $4.5 billion combined over seven years, running through the 2027\u201328 season. Bettman said, \u201cWe\u2019re not at the point where we\u2019re in firm negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NHL enters this process strongly. Last year, the league also signed a 12-year, $7.7 billion Canadian rights deal with Rogers Communications.<\/p>\n

The NFL could also start new TV talks of its own, possibly this year. If that happens, it could bring a huge shift in the sports media market even before the NHL gets to negotiate.<\/p>\n

Read more at NHL Fan Central!<\/a><\/p>\n

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