Longtime NHL Kings broadcaster Bob Miller will "miss another seven games while he continues recuperating from a mild stroke he suffered last month." The Kings said that Miller will "provide another update on his return near the end of the month." He is in his 44th season with the Kings. Miller "missed the final three months of last season because of quadruple bypass surgery." The team noted that Ralph Strangis will "pair with Jim Fox to call games" on FS West from Feb. 16-28 (AP, 2/13).
FACE THE NATION: VARIETY's Todd Spangler noted Facebook has inked a deal with Univision to "stream 46 Liga MX soccer matches, including playoff games, in English to Facebook users." The games will be available beginning Saturday on Facebook's video tab. The English-language live streams will "not carry any advertising at the outset, as Facebook is still developing its ad models for live video." The companies "didn’t disclose terms of the pact." The games will be "broadcast with Spanish commentary" on the Univision Deportes cable channel (VARIETY.com, 2/13).
GRAB THE WHEEL: In California, Tom Hoffarth reported the NHRA has "invested in its own in-house media production unit and office studios" as part of its strategy to engage viewers and fans who have "grumbled about the fact the TV coverage was inconsistent." It is also about "cultivating those younger cyber followers with more content and access." The NHRA's strategy to "realign itself with Fox, and more specifically provide regular content" for FS1, has "already moved the needle" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 2/12).
WORLD WRESTLING: NBC Olympics and the NBC-owned SportsEngine have picked up the exclusive TV and streaming rights to top international wrestling events through a media rights deal with United World Wrestling. The deal, which lasts through ’20, covers 24 events and takes effect with Thursday’s World Cup from Iran. That event will be streamed via Trackwrestling, which is a division of SportsEngine. NBCSN also will carry events, including the World Championships (John Ourand, Staff Writer).
