NHL blog by MIDiA Research

Blog: NHL

Read our latest daily deep-dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the digital entertainment world. Check out your favourite analyst, or search by coverage – games, video, music, audio, media & marketing, or critical developments for all.

Are streaming TV services poised to become pay TV channels in all but name?

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Blog post by Ben Woods

16 May 2023

Amazon Prime Video

The streaming TV landscape is changing rapidly. Leading entertainment industry executives are questioning every aspect of the subscription video on-demand (SVOD) model in pursuit of sustainable profits....

Watch Together: BT Sport adapts to lockdown, offering synchronised group streaming

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Blog post by Alistair Taylor

4 Feb 2021

The pandemic-enforced prohibition of fans in attendance at sporting events has weakened the viewing spectacle, forcing rights holders and operators to experiment with the viewing experience. The NHL pioneered...

Line change for the NHL: COVID-enforced innovation arrives as ‘D-Day’ commences

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Blog post by Alistair Taylor

7 Jan 2021

Sporting rights

With 2021 commencing, the start of ‘ D-day’ or ‘ Year 0’ for sporting rights is upon us, as the major domestic sports rights start coming up for renewal. Nowhere is ‘D-day’ for sporting rights...

DraftKings is making its own strategic bet on the rise of the US sports betting market

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Blog post by Alistair Taylor

19 Nov 2020

betting company

US-based sports betting company DraftKings’ stock value has grown 11% following a strong third-quarter performance in which its revenues increased 98% year on year (YoY) to reach $132.8 million, up from...

Why the sports broadcast model is now under threat

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Blog post by Alistair Taylor

6 Nov 2020

Sinclair Broadcast Group

sports broadcast

The Sinclair Broadcast Group reported its Q3 2020 results earlier this week, which highlighted the detrimental impact sporting investments had on its balance sheet. A 37% year-on-year (YoY) increase in...

Verizon Media announces platform to ‘evolve’ live streaming experience

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Blog post by Alistair Taylor

16 Sep 2020

Verizon Media announced a series of new Media Platform improvements in a press release today (16th September), intended to ‘evolve the live streaming experience’. These features are all aimed at increasing...

FuboTV adds key sporting rights to portfolio following Disney deal

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Blog post by Alistair Taylor

2 Jul 2020

Sporting rights

FuboTV, the US over-the-top (OTT) internet-delivered TV service launched back in January 2015 as a soccer-centric proposition. In that time it has established itself as a niche distributor of live streams...

Move Over Mickey, The NBA is Set to Become Disney World’s Star Attraction

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Blog post by Alistair Taylor

27 May 2020

Australian Rules Football

COVID-19 forced sports leagues to think outside the box for restarting live sports. The UFC wanted to rent a private island , the NRL to ferry players to and from games, and the WWE performed to empty...

Tale of the Tape: UFC or Bundle Driving ESPN+ Adoption?

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Blog post by Alistair Taylor

11 Feb 2020

Walt Disney’s pureplay sports streaming service ESPN+, which launched back in April 2018, has surpassed 7.6 million paid subscribers, Disney’s chief executive Bog Iger reported during last week’s...

Disney+ Recovers From Initial Blunder to Surpass 10 Million Sign Ups on Debut!

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Blog post by Alistair Taylor

14 Nov 2019

21st Century Fox

all-encompassing offering

AppleTV+. Market saturation

Disney claims unexpected traffic on its newly-launched service was at fault for the buffering and technical issues of Disney+’s launch Tuesday . The issues highlight just how difficult it is transitioning...

Battle of the Docuseries: Who Mirrored Who?

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Blog post by Alistair Taylor

13 Jun 2019

addressable audience

Leeds United are set to become the latest soccer club to feature in an original documentary series, with tech major Amazon securing a deal for a behind-the-scenes look at Argentinian manager Marcelo Bielsa’s...

Heavyweight Battle for Premium Sporting Rights Dependent on Three Factors

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Blog post by Alistair Taylor

3 Jun 2019

broadcast rights

The sports rights landscape has changed fundamentally with the emergence of streaming subscription video on demand (SVOD) services. Digital and broadcast rights used to be separate deals entirely, but...

ESPN+ leverages UFC appeal to double subscriber base to 2 million in five months

Blog post by Alistair Taylor

8 Feb 2019

direct-to-consumer

Disney announced in its Q1 earnings call on Tuesday that its sports-centric streaming service ESPN+ had surpassed two million subscribers, doubling its subscriber base in less than five months. Launched...

Eleven Sports Loses Serie A Rights As Partnership With IMG Ends

Blog post by Alistair Taylor

1 Feb 2019

audience acquisition

Eleven Sports, the fledgling sports-centric streaming service has lost the UK and Irish rights for Serie A and Eredivisie, following a strategic decision to ‘amicably’ end its partnership with international...

Amazon, Regional Sports and Owning the Local Economy

Blog post by Georgia Meyer

16 Jan 2019

21st Century Fox

Amazon is reportedly bidding for all 22 US regional sports networks that Disney is putting up for sale (as part of its $73.1 billion deal to buy most of 21st Century Fox). Among the networks is the YES...

Sport1 To Drop US-centric Channel in Favour of Esports

Blog post by Alistair Taylor

5 Dec 2018

addressable audience

audience demographics

German broadcaster Sport1 is replacing its US sport focused channel for the very first German-speaking esports channel. Sport1 announced last week that the channel dubbed eSports1 will launch in Germany,...