Key Points
- DIRECTV has reached a multi-year distribution agreement with the NHL to carry four new team-operated regional channels serving the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues.
- The agreement covers Hurricanes Hockey Network, Blue Jackets Hockey Network, Wild Plus and Blue Note Plus, providing live games and related programming to subscribers within each team’s designated home territory.
- Learn more about DIRECTV’s satellite and streaming packages by clicking or tapping here.
Satellite and streaming television provider DIRECTV has reached a multi-year distribution agreement with the National Hockey League (NHL) to carry four new regional channels operated on behalf of the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues.
The agreement announced on Saturday covers Hurricanes Hockey Network (Carolina Hurricanes), Blue Jackets Hockey Network (Columbus Blue Jackets), Wild Plus (stylized as Wild+, Minnesota Wild) and Blue Note Plus (stylized as Blue Note+, St. Louis Blues), giving eligible DIRECTV customers access to live games and related programming within each team’s designated local television territory.
The channels will be available to DIRECTV satellite and streaming subscribers who receive the company’s Choice programming package or higher. U-verse television customers with U200 or higher packages will also receive the channels in their respective markets. (Learn more about DIRECTV’s streaming packages by clicking or tapping here.)
The agreement extends to DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS, allowing the company’s commercial customers, including sports bars, restaurants and fitness centers, to carry the channels within each team’s authorized distribution territory.
DIRECTV said the channels will carry live games, along with pregame and postgame programming.
- The Hurricanes Hockey Network will be available on Channel 650 for DIRECTV satellite and streaming customers, along with Channels 726 and 1726 on U-verse.
- The Blue Jackets Hockey Network will occupy Channel 660 on DIRECTV streaming, Channel 660-1 on satellite and Channels 735 and 1735 on U-verse.
- Wild Plus will be available on Channel 668 through DIRECTV streaming, Channel 668-1 on satellite and Channels 745 and 1745 on U-verse.
- Blue Note Plus will be carried on Channel 673 through DIRECTV satellite and streaming, along with Channels 747 and 1747 on U-verse.
“We are committed to keeping fans connected to their favorite teams and giving them more choice and flexibility in how they watch and what they pay,” Rob Thun, the Chief Content Officer at DIRECTV, said in a statement. “As local sports distribution evolves, DIRECTV brings team channels, regional sports networks, and other viewing options together to make it easier for fans to follow the teams they love,” Thun continued.
The arrangement comes as professional sports franchises increasingly pursue alternative distribution agreements for local games, including team-operated channels and partnerships with broadcast television stations. DIRECTV said it has recently secured local or regional distribution rights involving 76 of the 81 U.S.-based franchises across the NHL, National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB). Those arrangements include multi-year agreements covering 23 U.S.-based NHL franchises.
David Proper, Chief Media Officer and Senior Executive Vice President of the NHL, said the agreement will make local games more accessible to fans in the four participating markets.
“Making it easy for fans to follow their teams is at the heart of what we do,” Proper said on Saturday.
Beyond the newly added channels, DIRECTV’s local NHL portfolio includes games distributed through regional sports networks such as NESN, MSG Network, Altitude Sports, SportsNet Pittsburgh, NBC Sports California and Monumental Sports Network. The company also carries local NHL broadcasts through television stations in several markets, reflecting the league’s evolving approach to regional television distribution.
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