NHL.com/articles/sports/nhl-s-big-new-television-deal-is-coming-and-the-internet-marketing-industry-is.htm The NHL has agreed to a $3.1 billion, five-year deal with DirecTV to televise the playoffs.
The deal includes a $400 million buyout of the Los Angeles Kings and $2.5 billion for the Toronto Maple Leafs, which will remain in Toronto, the league announced Friday.
The league said it also plans to buy a stake in the Carolina Hurricanes, which also will be relocated to Carolina.
The Kings will have $1.6 billion, a $600 million buyback and the Los Angles Kings will receive $2 billion.
The purchase of the Hurricanes comes as the NHL seeks to expand its reach.
The new TV deal is expected to make the league one of the top-20 advertisers in the world, the NHL said.
The NHL is expected spend $3 billion in broadcast and advertising in 2020.
The deals come amid the league’s efforts to build a new $2-billion arena, which is slated to open in 2019.
The NHL and Directv are negotiating the details of the deal.
ESPN has announced that it will televise all games of the NHL regular season, beginning next season.
DirecTV’s buyout is expected at $4.5 million per year.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs will share in the deal, and the Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates will each receive $1 million.
The $400m buyout represents a 20% premium over the deal announced by the NHL’s owners last year.
For Direc TV, the deal is a major step forward in building a new, larger, high-definition television network.
The network is expected launch in 2018 and has been in negotiations for the past two years, with Direcom, Comcast and Time Warner Cable as the three largest buyers, according to ESPN.
More than 500 million homes in the U.S. currently have no choice to watch live games, according the league.