In Demand To Offer Free Preview Of NHL Center Ice

In Demand will offer an 18-day free preview of the NHL's Center Ice out-of-market game pacakge to affiliates beginning Oct. 8 as part of the league’s rollout of its digital live game offerings.

The NHL Center Ice package, which offers 40 live out-of-market NHL games every week across 14 channels, will retail at a suggested retail price of $159.96, said league officials. Along with the live game offerings, the package also provides a multi-screen mosaic which showcases all the live games being played each night, as well as same day replays of games and dual feed telecasts.

In Demand affiliates including Comcast Xfinity, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS, Cablevision Systems, Charter Communications and RCN will offer the package free of charge through Oct. 25, said In Demand officials.

The league Monday also touted its other digital services including its NHL GameCenter Live product, which provides a multi-screen experience for fans streaming live games over their computers, Apple iPhones and iPads, Android phones and tablets, internet-connected devices including Apple TV, Xbox 360 and PlayStation gaming consoles, Roku devices and for the first time, the Xbox One gaming console.

Fans watching on computers will experience a redesigned video player with improved viewing controls, including a sidebar on the right side of the screen for one-click access to stats, in-game highlights, league news, and Twitter, said the league.

Users of the NHL App, formerly the NHL GameCenter app, will experience cleaner design that gives users one tap access to video content, scores, top news stories, live game audio, and social media updates, said league officials. Fans can customize settings to follow their favorite teams for personalized news, video and team alerts, said the league.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.