According to an article today from Reuters, the NHL's television reach and broadcast rights fees in the U.S. lag behind those of the other three major sports (NFL, NBA, and MLB), but they do appear to be growing strongly. In particular, there is a question as to whether the growth of league-owned networks (NFL Network, NHL Network, etc.) might eventually have an impact on the fees that leagues earn from the broadcasters:
League Broadcast partners Annual value of deals NFL Fox, NBC, CBS, DirecTV nearly $4.1 billion NBA TNT, ESPN, ABC $937.5 million MLB TBS, Fox, ESPN, DirecTV, numerous cable operators, XM Radio $900 million NHL Versus, NBC over $72.5 million
For the NHL, that $72.5 million comes from the Versus contract, and then in addition to that you have advertising revenues split with NBC (there's no up-front fee as with the other leagues).
As to the overall audience that the different broadcasters can reach, we have the following:
Networks Households Broadcasters (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) 114.5 million TBS 99.1 million TNT 98.2 million ESPN 98.1 million Versus 75.1 million
Versus has come a long way, but there is still a significant gap relative to the rest of the pack, both in terms of households reached as well as visibility.
The interesting angle, to me, that bears watching over the next few years is the growth of the NHL Network - which, as anyone who has it knows, is Pure Chewing Satisfaction to a hardcore hockey fan.
Network Subscribers League games aired Established MLB Network 52 million over 52 2009 NFL Network 45 million+ 8 2003 NBA TV 18 million 96 1999 NHL Network 12-15 million 75 2007
Note: NBA TV is on target to expand distribution to 37 million subscribers by the start of next season this fall, while the NHL Network, established first in Canada in 2001, is on track for 30 million subscribers.
The question that Reuters raises here is whether the growth of league-owned networks will threaten the big broadcast fees enjoyed by the NFL, NBA, and MLB. For the NHL, those fees are relatively minor, and instead, this situation represents a growth opportunity via the NHL Network and Versus.