Disney To Broadcast 103 NHL Games Across Multiple Platforms For 2021-22 Season

Walt Disney Co. DIS announced it will broadcast 103 National Hockey League (NHL) games during the 2021-22 season across its ESPN, ESPN+, Hulu and ABC platforms, along with more than 1,000 out-of-market games on ESPN+.

What Happened: In March, Disney and the NHL signed a partnership deal covering television, streaming and media rights that begins with the 2021-22 season and runs through the 2027-28 season.

The new partnership includes exclusive coverage of the Stanley Cup Final on Disney’s ABC in four of the seven years of the agreement, along with the ability to simulcast/megacast on ESPN+ and additional ESPN networks. Half of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN each season.

The partnership marked the NHL's return to ESPN after the network was outbid by Comcast CMCSA subsidiary Outdoor Life Network in 2005, which ended ESPN’s 21-year relationship with the league.

Related Link: Wayne Gretzky Joining Turner Sports NHL Coverage, Spurns ESPN

What's Next: The first games under this partnership will take place on ESPN and ESPN+ on Oct. 12 with the Pittsburgh Penguins versus Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Seattle Kraken versus Vegas Golden Knights at 10 p.m. ET

The majority of the games will be seen on ESPN+ and Hulu. ESPN will carry 18 regular season games, including a game each Tuesday throughout October, while ABC will broadcast 10 regular season games including the 2021 Thanksgiving Showdown between the St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. and the 2022 All-Star Game on Feb. 5.

What Else Happened: Separately, the NHL announced Turner Sports will broadcast 50 of its games via the TNT cable network. The coverage begins with an Oct. 13 double-header the New York Rangers versus the Washington Capitals at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Chicago Blackhawks versus the Colorado Avalanche at 10:00 p.m. ET).

Turner Sports, a division of AT&T's T WarnerMedia, will broadcast NHL games over 25 Wednesday nights throughout the season, including 15 double-headers, along with seven weeks of Sunday afternoon games in March and April.

Photo: courtesy of the NHL