NHL and Prime Video Pull Back Curtain on Plans for Monday Night Hockey, Coast to Coast Whiparound Show, and FACEOFF Docuseries

NHL and Prime Video Pull Back Curtain on Plans for Monday Night Hockey, Coast to Coast Whiparound Show, and FACEOFF Docuseries Prime says the goal is to make it a huge national event every Monday' By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.

Tuesday, September 24, 2024 - 2:40 pm

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The NHL is set to kick off a new era in Canada with the start of a new two-year deal with Amazon Prime Video that includes weekly live Prime Monday Night Hockey games and a new NHL Coast to Coast whiparound show on Thursdays. At a media event in Toronto on Monday, the league and the streamer offered a sneak peek into what fans can expect from their live game and studio coverage, as well as from the highly anticipated new FACEOFF: Inside the NHL docuseries produced by Box To Box and NHL Productions.

The creativity [and] the investment that they're going to make in production, I think people - particularly younger people - are going to find really exciting, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said at the event in Toronto. I think Amazon will bring the wow factor. We're a big deal in Canada - the biggest - and they're going to make us even bigger. They're going to give our fans an opportunity to connect with the game in new ways. They're going to maybe break some traditions, which isn't a bad thing for Gen Z's and Gen A's. When we look back on this season, we're going to say, Wow, we've taken everything to another level!

The announcements marks the next chapter in the evolving relationship between Amazon and the NHL. Since 2021, the NHL has worked with Amazon Web Services (AWS) on its cloud-based content-delivery system to facilitate delivery of new in-game analytics and video highlights to enhance the fan experience.

At Amazon, our passion for hockey runs deep, said Mark Shopiro, head of Prime Video Canada. We will make Monday nights a must-see event for Canadians across the country by creating a premium viewing experience. Our goal is to offer a best-in-class broadcast week after week that celebrates the game and its fans.

Prime Monday Night Hockey: Make Every Monday Feel Like a Huge National Event' Prime Monday Night Hockey will stream all national regular-season Monday-night NHL games in English to Prime members in Canada during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 NHL seasons. The deal, which was announced in April, is the NHL's first exclusive national-broadcast package with a digital-only streaming service in Canada. Produced by Prime Video, the Prime Monday Night Hockey package will stream live exclusively to Prime members in Canada at no additional cost.

Our goal is to make it a huge national event every Monday, said Jay Marine, head of Prime Video Sports. We are going to invest like crazy to do that. I know Gary [Bettman] has noticed what we've done around the world with big properties, whether that's Thursday Night Football in the U.S. or Champions League [in] Europe.

The MNH on-air lineup will be led by veteran play-by-play announcer John Forslund and will feature analysts Jody Shelley, Thomas Hickey, and Shane Hnidy. Anchoring the Prime Monday Night sports desk onsite will be Adnan Virk, Andi Petrillo, analyst Blake Bolden, and a mix of local guests throughout the season. Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier will be a contributor throughout the season both on the desk and in vignettes.

One of the things we believe in is getting fans closer to the action, added Marine. We travel all of our talent onsite. That matters so much because they can feel the environment and the fans. Over time, you will see us investing in innovation and how we can make the game better. Along with AWS, what are the things we can do that makes that fan experience better? That's our goal.

Prime Monday Night Hockey presentations will include pre/postgame and intermission segments produced by Amazon.

Our rotating roster of play-by-play game analysts both in the booth and between the benches, rink-side reporters, and hosts will travel each Monday night throughout the season, noted Shopiro, allowing Prime Video to be on the ground and in person where all the action is happening. With a passionate team at each game and the power of Amazon behind them, we believe this partnership with the NHL will set a new bar for broadcasting the world's fastest team sport.

In addition, Prime Video is launching the Rapid Recap feature, which assists fans joining the game in-progress to catch up on the action missed. It uses machine learning to compile big plays and exciting moments into a two-minute highlights package for Prime Video customers. While viewing the rundown, viewers can skip or rewatch big plays within the queue and jump to live action at any time.

Prime Video will also look to use analytics to enhance its broadcasts, as it has on other major properties, such as Prime Insights for Thursday Night Football in the U.S.

NHL Coast to Coast: League, Prime Video Embrace the Whiparound Model in Canada The NHL and Prime Video also unveiled details for the recently announced NHL Coast To Coast weekly whiparound studio show. The Thursday-night show will offer live look-ins, highlights, and expert analysis of every NHL game, along with interviews with top players, coaches, and commentators. Hosted by Andi Petrillo, the new series will feature a rotating roster of analysts, who will navigate the coast-to-coast action of the 10-15 games taking place throughout the evening.

We're super excited about the fast pace, said NHL Senior EVP/Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer. We also are going to talk to our fans as the show goes on, and we want to hear from them throughout the night. We'll be monitoring social media and what they're saying, and we'll also have our own insider, who will give us the latest on a

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