America's National Hockey League (NHL) ice hockey will continue on ESPN (DStv 230) in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa after a new coverage deal was signed between ESPN and Advisers Media International (AMI)/Medge Consulting and the NHL.
The new deal for NHL broadcasting rights in Africa that include South Africa (and 35 countries in Europe) means ice hockey will remain on ESPN in South Africa and Nigeria on MultiChoice. Coverage will start on Thursday, 10 November.
''ESPN America and AMI/Medge are strong partners and we're pleased to have reached an agreement that will bring the NHL to important countries where we can both serve avid hockey fans and win over new ones,'' says John Collins, chief operating officer of the NHL. ''It's a continuation of our growth plan overseas, and a terrific complement to our distribution deals already in place.''
''We're very excited about continuing coverage of the NHL on ESPN for millions of sports fans across Europe and Africa,'' says Jeroen Oerlemans, the vice president and head of channels for ESPN for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. ''We know that hockey has a passionate and loyal following and we will continue to serve them with great games and coverage.''
