Austin-based digital streaming provider FloSports signed an exclusive four-year streaming deal with the ECHL. The relationship will begin with the upcoming ‘20-21 season. FloSports is paying the ECHL an undisclosed guaranteed rights fee for the content, which will include 1,000 games being available live and on-demand via the platform. It is FloSports' first deal in pro hockey. “There might not be more passionate fans out there than hockey fans,” said Matt Bowlsby, Senior Director Global Rights Acquisition at FloSports. “They don’t always get the coverage that they want and the love that they deserve. … This falls in line with Flo’s strategy of finding these really passionate sport communities that don’t get much airtime when you look at SportsCenter and some of these other more traditional paths.” FloSports will now host ECHL.tv, where league games have been streamed for the past six years. ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin said the deal will create a “broader footprint and more exposure” for the league, which has been streamed via ECHL.tv for the past six years.
DEAL DETAILS: As part of the deal, there will be tiered subscriber thresholds on an ECHL team-by-team basis and at the league level; if certain numbers are reached, it will result in a financial reward, according to Bowlsby. Both FloSports and the ECHL declined to share specifics on financials and the various subscriber benchmarks. ECHL content will be available through FloSports’ hockey vertical, which was launched about two and a half years ago and costs $29.99 per month or $150 annually. Bowlsby worked directly with Crelin and the league’s media committee on the deal. N.Y.-based ROI Sports Marketing Group served as a resource to the ECHL. FloSports works with other college hockey properties like the CCHA, WCHA and Atlantic Hockey, among others.
