ESPN paid $7-9M to secure the rights to the World Cup of Hockey, according to several sources. ESPN’s winning bid was several million more than bids from NBC and Fox, which sources said were in the $4-5M range (John Ourand, Staff Writer). On Long Island, Neil Best notes ESPN "has been accused for the past decade of shortchanging hockey in its news and highlights because it no longer has a rights deal with the NHL, so the sport's return to the network even on a limited basis is noteworthy." NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that he "viewed the tournament as a chance to 'rekindle' the league's relationship" with the net. ESPN President John Skipper: "The place is electric with excitement about getting back into hockey. We have a lot of hockey fans here" (NEWSDAY, 3/5). Bettman said that the "primary motivator was ESPN’s ability to schedule the event," adding that NBC "had scheduling conflicts during the tournament, while ESPN had the network space available." Bettman: “NBC was involved in the process but it became clear that, among other things, they had scheduling issues. It made the most sense to be partnering in this regard with ESPN. ... We have a terrific relationship with NBC Sports. We love the way they cover our game and the way they treated us. We have continued to maintain an excellent relationship with NBC. There are no points of friction or hard feelings. This is going to be an opportunity to promote into our season on NBC” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/4).
{podcast}
Media writer John Ourand joins NHL reporter Ian Thomas and Alex Silverman to discuss ESPN claiming the U.S. broadcast rights to the '16 World Cup of Hockey
