The National Hockey League (NHL) has reached a deal with IPTV provider NeuLion to provide live game content and other streaming video on the NHL's Website.
NeuLion, which is backed by Computer Associates founder and New York Islanders owner Charles Wang, has made a business out of providing set-top boxes and back-end technology support that lets consumers use their TVs to watch Chinese-language programming and other niche content that is delivered through the public Internet. It also delivers content directly to computers, such as the dedicated "Islanders TV" service that covers the NHL team.
The Plainview, N.Y.-based company will now help the NHL create an "NHL Integrated Video Portal" that will be available via NHL.com and all of the 30 team Websites that will deliver live game content, video features, behind-the-scenes footage and game highlights that are viewable in multiple video windows or full screen. The new NHL service will offer a mix of subscription and free content, according to a NeuLion spokesperson, including:
Live hockey games from NHL Center Ice Online for paying subscribers, with up to 40 games per week.
League-wide videos, player information and fan input.
Team Channels for all 30 teams plus NHL.com, including clips from morning skate, pre-game interviews and post-game commentary. Additional content may include off-season NHL highlights and team-specific video-on-demand such as locker room access and mascot features.
"The popularity of viewing sports highlights and games online continues to grow, especially with hockey fans, who tend to be early adapters to new technology," said John Collins, Senior Executive Vice President, Business and Media, NHL, in a statement. "This new agreement with NeuLion is another addition to the NHL's technical platform to deliver unique and exciting content online that is available anytime, anywhere, without geographic boundaries."
