NHL and ESPN strike TV deal with struggling NBC

The NHL is back at ESPN, sources confirmed.

In a seven-year deal that could be announced as early as this week, ABC / ESPN will air four Stanley Cups, sources say.

SportsNet of Canada first reported the transaction. ESPN and the NHL declined to comment.

The finances of the deal are not yet known. ESPN +, the network’s streaming service, is expected to have a significant presence in the future.

NBC Sports is in the final season of their 10-year contract, worth around $ 2 billion. It had exclusive rights to the league in the United States, but the NHL decided to have multiple carriers from its national broadcasts.

NBC could very well keep half the package and collect the other three Cups. In light of upcoming deals with the NFL in which it is expected to double the amount it pays for “Sunday Night Football” to $ 2 billion a year, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said the parent company NBC Sports will have to make “tough decisions” about current relationships.

The company is shutting down its NBC Sports Network at the end of the year, but could use USA Network and its subscription service, Peacock, for the majority of all games.

Fox is another contender for the other half of the package, while CBS cannot be fully ruled out.