NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Excited For Growth Potential With Two National Rightsholders Bettman also addressed opportunities in sports betting and social media By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Thursday, October 21, 2021 - 2:16 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
With an expansion franchise, two new arenas, and two new national broadcast rightsholders in the United States, this may be the wildest National Hockey League season in recent memory. For NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, this isn't stressful; its exciting.
At SportsBusiness Journal's World Congress of Sports, Bettman addressed the return of ESPN, the addition of Turner, and the latest in growing the game through sponsorships and sports betting.
On the return of ESPN as a national rightsholder:
The song is back. The level of promotion that led up to the game was phenomenal. The investment that they made in production and talent and cameras and all of the ways that they are covering the game was great. They are putting a tremendous amount of production capability behind us. I was at the game [on Opening Night] so I couldn't hear what most of the commentary was but [lead play-by-play announcer] Sean McDonough was a pro. As much as I could tell, the studio setup was great.
They treated this like a big event which makes us feel good about our game because we think our games are a big event. We feel there's a real genuine excitement. We have camera operators on the ice during TV timeouts; we had to work on that together. I guess the best thing I can say about it is its clear to us that there's an energy and excitement on behalf of ESPN and The Walt Disney Company to have us. We're thrilled to be with them. It's palpable.
The way that we structured this deal is really an attempt by both of us to be forward looking with a key element in ESPN+ being our direct-to-consumer [play]. So we have traditional linear and we have the digital platforms while I think is going to put us both in good stead as the broadcast industry continues to evolve.
I think in terms of promotion and platform, being back on ESPN brings us back to a more traditional sports fan. Hockey fans got separated from ESPN because there wasn't as much coverage. With my tongue in my cheek, if ESPN is half as good at promoting us as they were at freezing us out when they didn't have our rights, this is going to be great.
On the addition of Turner Sports:
I have known Jeff Zucker for years and we're excited about being with WarnerMedia.
Turner, I think tends to skew a little younger; digital facing with Bleacher Report. So I think for us, having been in one place when the other three majors were on multiple platforms being promoted, I felt it was important that we be in both places. I have great confidence in both the ESPN and the TNT relationships. They are used to being in the sandbox together because they both have NBA rights. So I think this is going to be a wonderful collaboration for all of us. We're something new for both of them and they are excited about that and this is an opportunity for us to reach more fans and even bring in more casual fans.
On the changing generational demographics:
There are a couple of aspects to that. One is we need to continue to use technology to help our fans connect with games in ways that they want to. So, yes it's about linear and digital but we are going to be more data driven. We have tech partnerships with AWS, SAP, Apple, Sportradar, Verizon. We are creating more data. Our game is played faster than any other game with more non-stop action so to give fans an opportunity to follow that we are using puck and player tracking. In terms of 5G, while we think our in-arena experience has always been great, this is a chance to enhance that and make sure that fans want to be at the games. All of this is to give fans a context and an ability to connect with the game on their terms and we haven't even touched sports betting yet.
The other, which has been a priority of mine, is we as a league need to be more diverse and inclusive. We are spending more money and more resources to not only make sure that our game is more welcoming at the NHL level for people who are players, fans, or on the business side, but we also want to make sure at the youth level that there are programs and that the culture is one that is welcoming and accepting of everyone no matter who they are or what their background is. We've probably been the most diverse league in terms of the nationality of our players as more than 20 different countries are represented but we need to do a better job in embracing the changing demographics in North America.
On sports betting and other new sponsorship opportunities:
DraftKings is our tenth and newest daily fantasy/sports betting partner. We're trying to do this in a responsible way where people can be comfortable betting on our game if they want to. If you want to just do fantasy, you can do that. To the extent that more and more jurisdictions are added, this is another way to grow the game. Not unlike, during the pandemic when we allowed some branding on helmets and, beginning next season, very modest but appropriate branding on sweaters. Again, it's a way to continue to grow and maybe make up a little bit for the mess of the past 18 months.
We're in the infancy of sports betting. What it looks like today, and its exploding, it will continue to evolve in terms of where people and how people will be betting on sports and connecting with sports.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
IPC Expands Brazilian Presence with New Channel Partner CCATech
Industry veterans Carlos Abrah o and Bruno Lopes strengthen local support and expand IPCs prese...
20/08/2026
Zixi Enters Mauritius Market Through Strategic Deployment with MTC Jockey Club
Worlds Oldest Horse Racing Club in the Southern Hemisphere Selects Zixis Softwar...
20/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Scripps Research assistant professor Tiantian Liu has received a five-year NIAID DP2 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Di...
20/08/2026
Audiences reveal appetite for multicultural Australia on-screen 20 August 2026
Dr Georgie McClean, Dr Rebecca Huntley (L-R)
By Dr Georgie McClean and Dr Rebec...
20/08/2026
How Mavis Studio Is Expanding Live Production Teaching at Sussex
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image displays a student about to mix be...
20/08/2026
Vertical Unscripted Series Legal Queens Captured with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Reality TV veteran Eric Gardner create...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Excited For Growth Potential With Two National Rightsholders Bettman also addressed opportunities in sports betting and social media By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
