NHL Slaps $50 Charge On 'Center Ice' PPV Package

The National Hockey League will charge $50 for its NHL Center Ice out-of-market package for its abbreviated regular-season, the league and In Demand announced Monday.

The price marks the lowest suggested retail price for the package, which will feature 40 live out-of-market NHL games a week across 14 channels. The announcement comes as the league readies for a truncated 48-game regular season which opens Saturday, a week after the players ratified a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement effectively ending the 119-day labor stoppage.

The league will offer a free preview of NHL Center Ice from Jan. 19 through Jan. 31, 2013. Along with the games, the package will include such features as a multi-screen mosaic, same-day replays, dual feed telecasts, a stat channel and high definition games, according to In Demand officials.

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.