As the NHL drops the puck on another season, two of its teams have reached new broadcast agreements for their local rights.
On Tuesday, Main Street Sports Group, the parent company of the FanDuel Sports Networks, announced both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild have extended their broadcast agreements with the company. Blue Jackets games will continue to air on FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, while Wild games will continue to air on FanDuel Sports Network North.
According to a report by Alex Silverman in Sports Business Journal, both deals are “short-term extensions,” though the exact lengths are not disclosed.
“We’re trying to optimize revenue and audience,” Wild CRO Mitch Helgerson told SBJ. “While the audience has changed and shifted within the local RSN model, in Minnesota and with hockey fans, they’re still there. … And the economics are still better in this model than they are in any other model that we’ve been able to find.”
NHL clubs are currently faced with a tradeoff of reach versus revenue. Several teams, such as the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and Dallas Stars, have opted to take their local broadcasts off of RSNs to free, over-the-air affiliates. Those deals have proven to be substantially less lucrative than the traditional RSN deals, but have greatly increased the reach those teams receive in their markets, especially as RSNs get pushed into higher, more premium tiers on pay TV packages.
MLB and NBA franchises have faced similar dilemmas in recent years, with some opting to continue reaping the benefits of well-paying, albeit declining, RSN agreements, with others opting to get local telecasts in front of more viewers.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.