NHL Fans Will Experience a Whole New Game on OLN
STAMFORD, Conn. and NEW YORK, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- OLN, a television
leader in action and adventure sports, and the National Hockey League (NHL)
today announced that OLN will be the new national cable television home for
the NHL.
Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, OLN will televise at least 58
regular-season games. These games will air consistently on Monday and Tuesday
nights and be exclusive to the network. OLN will carry the NHL All-Star Game
exclusively in the US and will provide wall-to-wall coverage throughout the
Stanley Cup Playoffs, including exclusive Conference Finals action and the
first two games of the Stanley Cup Final. OLN will kick off NHL coverage
beginning with the Rangers-Flyers matchup October 5, the first day of the new
season.
OLN and the NHL will bring television viewers closer to the ice by
leveraging the League's new telecast enhancements - increased behind-the-
scenes access, microphones on the players and coaches, netcams and in-game
interviews.
The partnership between OLN, Comcast and the NHL will redefine the sport
for hockey viewers. More action on video on demand (VOD), in HDTV and online
will create an experience like never before, including:
-- VOD game highlights and library footage of hockey's greatest moments
with full fast-forward, rewind and replay capability;
-- HDTV game coverage in a crisper, faster-moving, more exciting game for
hockey fans every week;
-- Online streaming of two live games per night (subject to local
blackout), broadband highlights, commentary, and library footage;
-- Round-the-clock coverage on the NHL Network, to be launched in the US
in the future; and
-- Comcast will have the ability to carry and/or syndicate additional
games on Comcast's regional sports networks where it has the consent
of the local team and team's rights holder.
"We are entering into a great partnership with the NHL. Hockey is
excellent, exclusive programming for OLN and will be a marquee sport for the
network. We are proud to be the new national television home of the NHL when
the puck drops on October 5," said OLN President Gavin Harvey. "Adding hockey
to our lineup when the NHL returns to the ice with a fresh season, new energy,
new players and a new attitude adds tremendous value to OLN and builds upon
the momentum of our other premier sports programming like the America's Cup
and The Tour de France."
"We recognize and appreciate that Comcast is making a tremendous
investment in the NHL and that hockey will be a priority on OLN," NHL
Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "This multifaceted partnership with OLN and
Comcast creates exciting opportunities for our fans and for us, and we look
forward to a terrific relationship in the years ahead."
The NHL revised its schedule format, to emphasize divisional and
conference rivalries, and implemented a number of changes that will reduce the
number of play stoppages while heightening hockey's action, flow, offense and
excitement. The attacking zone has been enlarged, and the goaltenders have
been limited - not only in the size of the equipment they will be allowed to
wear but also in the areas of the ice where they will be allowed to play the
puck. As well, the introduction of the shootout as a tiebreaker, featuring
hockey's most exciting play, the breakaway, will ensure that every contest has
a winner.
"Comcast's leadership and innovation in delivering integrated sports and
other entertainment on HDTV, VOD and on the Internet is being met with rave
reviews from our customers. We will use this experience to bring the NHL to
hockey fans in ways that they have never seen before," said Jeff Shell,
President of Comcast Programming for Comcast Corporation.
Additional details about the OLN television schedule, hockey commentators,
HDTV and VOD schedules will be released as details become available.
About OLN:
OLN is the leader in competitive and adrenaline-charged content. Now in
more than 64 million homes, OLN is the cable home of the National Hockey
League and best-in-class events like The Tour de France, The America's Cup,
Professional Bull Riders (PBR), the Boston Marathon and USSA Skiing. The
network offers unique programming in four primary areas: Action Sports, Field
Sports, Bulls & Rodeo and Awe-Inspiring Series, and is the exclusive home of
"Survivor" in syndication. OLN, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation
(Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite
operators throughout the United States.
About the NHL:
The National Hockey League, founded November 22, 1917, is the second
oldest of the four major team sports leagues in North America. Today, the NHL
consists of 30 Member Clubs based in the United States and Canada. More than
33 percent of NHL players hail from outside North America from 22 different
countries. Through the NHL Foundation, the League's charitable arm, the NHL
raises money and awareness for Hockey Fights Cancer, Hockey's All-Star Kids
and NHL Diversity, and supports the charitable efforts of all NHL players. For
more information on the NHL, fans may log on to http://www.NHL.com.
SOURCE Comcast
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Related links:
http://www.comcast.com
CONTACT:
NHL: Jamey Horan, +1-212-789-2785; OLN: Amy
Phillips, +1-203-406-2509; Comcast: Tim Fitzpatrick,
+1-215-981-8515
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