MTG to distribute NHL throughout Nordics

Modern Times Group (MTG) has signed a multi-year deal giving the Scandinavian broadcaster the rights to telecast every NHL game live via television, mobile and broadband throughout the Nordic region.

MTG has the rights to show live coverage of all 1230 regular season games as well as every Stanley Cup Playoff game each season on its pay-TV channels and Viaplay online multi-screen video streaming service. Certain games also will be made available on MTG’s free-TV
channels. That’s a lot of hockey.

As well as the different MTG owned or affiliated broadcasters showing the matches, all of the games will be available over the internet on the Viaplay service in each country. The coverage also will include for the first time a new NHL-produced daily highlights show, which will be begin airing in the coming months.

“This is a landmark agreement that will deliver every NHL game to the Nordics for the first time ever,” said John Collins, NHL Chief Operating Officer. “In combination with the local-language NHL.com websites launched at the start of the season, this distribution partnership gives NHL fans in the Nordic countries unprecedented access to our games and our players. It’s a win for NHL hockey and a win for our fans.”

More than 25 percent of NHL players hail from outside of North America, with 10 percent originating from Sweden, Finland, Denmark or Norway alone. There are more Swedes playing in the NHL this season than ever. As part of the season launch celebration, the NHL opened the 2011-12 season in this territory with the New York Rangers playing the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, and the Anaheim Ducks playing the Buffalo Sabres at Helsinki’s Hartwall Areena.