If you’re an NHL fan and you start seeing references to NHL Power Play on ESPN’s platforms, don’t worry that you missed something.
The company is rebranding the NHL’s out of market package, previously known as NHL GameCenter and NHL.TV over the years, to NHL Power Play on ESPN+.
Last season, ESPN’s first in a seven-year deal with the NHL, there wasn’t any branding on the NHL’s out of market games, which led to potential confusion with the ESPN+ exclusive games.
Per ESPN’s release, here’s what will be included in the NHL Power Play on ESPN+ package, which includes replays of nationally televised regular season and playoff games in addition to the out-of-market games.
- NHL Power Play on ESPN+ serves fans located outside the home market of their favorite NHL teams, as well as diehard fans who follow the entire league.
- NHL Power Play on ESPN+ is the only place for fans in the U.S. to get more than 1,050 NHL games, alongside 53 exclusive national games available on ESPN+ and Hulu this regular season.
- NHL Power Play on ESPN+ games include the choice of two separate live streams with either home team or away team commentary, as well as Canadian national presentations of Hockey Night in Canada, providing a local experience for fans no matter where they are in the U.S.
- Replays of every NHL regular season and playoff game on ABC, ESPN, NHL Network, and TNT are also made available to stream on NHL Power Play on ESPN+.
- To help fans find and watch their favorite teams, NHL Power Play games will be tagged with a Power Play graphic across ESPN platforms, including the NHL schedule and score pages on ESPN.com, and a dedicated section of NHL Power Play games featured in the ESPN App.
Much of this isn’t new to anyone familiar with an out of market package. The home and away feeds were available last season on the out of market games, as were the national game replays. The branding here is the big shift, and while everything would have been included anyway, this at least separates the exclusive ESPN+ broadcasts with the out of market broadcasts.
[ESPN]
