German Hockey Federation President Calls Sport1 'Crucial' For Sport's Media Presence

German Hockey Federation (DEB) President Franz Reindl "has praised the development of hockey's media presence in Germany," according to Roman Gerth of SPONSORs. Reindl: "It is crucial to us that Sport1 has established itself as a real hockey channel. The rights portfolio with DEL [German Hockey League] games on Sundays, national team games, World Cup of Hockey and the NHL, it's a real godsend for the sport's domestic presence." On Wednesday, Sport1 renewed its NHL rights deal for a further four years until the end of the '19-20 season. Reindl said that the federation "is financially healthy after it cut all its liabilities." He said, "Now we can invest our income in youth development. The time in which we had to use it to fill holes from the past is finally over" (SPONSORs, 10/13).