German Hockey League To Switch Free-To-Air TV Coverage From ServusTV To Sport1

The German Hockey League (DEL) "has found a new free-TV home after media rights holder Deutsche Telekom reached a sublicense agreement with Sport1," according to Nils Lehnebach of SPONSORs. The length of the deal "is not yet known as neither party officially confirmed the deal." The package is expected to include "one game on free-to-air TV per week, as well as playoff matchups." Sport1 said that "it is not commenting on rumors." The league's current free-to-air TV partner, ServusTV, "withdrew its offer two weeks ago and opened the way for Sport1." ServusTV, a subsidiary of Red Bull, "has been the DEL's broadcast partner over the last four seasons." For Sport1, getting a weekly DEL game "would boost its hockey coverage." The channel has a deal in place with the German Hockey Federation (DEB), which runs through '18 (SPONSORs, 4/4).