Viaplay grabbed the media rights for the men’s ice hockey World Cup for the years 2024-28. Warner Bros Discovery has all the other Lions TV rights in its portfolio.
The lions will rock again next spring on Maikkar’s channels. After that, the media rights for the men’s WC will be transferred to NENT Group, i.e. Viaplay. PETRI SAARELAINEN / AOP
- The TV rights for men’s top ice hockey have been divided among four different players.
- The total price of all streaming services offering top hockey is almost 110 euros per month.
The men’s ice hockey World Cup tournament will still be shown next spring on the distribution channels of C More and MTV. After that, Leijonakiekko will disappear from Maikkar completely – at least according to the current information.
Nordic Entertainment Group, whose best-known distribution channel in Finland is Viaplay, has acquired the Nordic media rights for the World Hockey Championships for the years 2024–2028.
Maikkari has a lot of discs to offer consumers. The company’s portfolio includes the rights of Liiga, Mesti, CHL, SHL and the Swiss league – as well as the men’s World Cup next spring.
– Depending on the duration of the spring playoff series and a few other factors, shouldn’t we reach somewhere between 1150 and 1200 copies at the end of the season with live hockey matches, says C More’s responsible puck producer Kalle Takala.
At Maikkar, the puck will be narrated by, among others, Antero Mertaranta and Mika Saukkonen.
The price of the company’s most extensive sports package, i.e. the C More Total+ package, is 34.99 euros per month.
NHL on Viaplay
Viaplay shows all 1312 matches of the world’s best hockey league, plus the playoffs. For NHL followers, the time difference is a challenge, but Viaplay shows 128 games in prime time, as well as plenty of games starting at midnight.
Antti Mäkinen is the main announcer of taala league games, and the monthly price of the Elisa Viihde Viaplay Total package is 39.99 euros.
– In the broadcasts, more and more emphasis is placed on the Finnish perspective, says the channel’s sports boss Ville Klinga.
There will be 11 games between the defending champion Colorado Avalanche and the Florida Panthers during the regular season. Miro Heiskanen and the Dallas Stars play in good times 10 times, and Patrik Laine and the Columbus Blue Jackets eight times.
The NHL rights are held by NENT Group until 2026.
NHL also on Yle
You can follow Mikko Ranta, the Colorado Avalanche and the world’s best hockey league, the NHL, on Viaplay and Yle. PDO
Yle is involved in the offer of the NHL game. During the season, the company will show a total of 25 games and the Stanley Cup finals.
– In the games selected for Yle’s channels, the emphasis is on matches of Finnish players and the best viewing time suitable for the Finnish audience, i.e. Finnish time 20-24, says the Sports Manager Joose Palonen.
Yle has NHL rights until the end of the 2022–23 season.
On the first weekend of November, Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche meet in Tampere.
Big Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros Discovery has become a very significant owner of hockey TV rights in Finland.
The company owns the TV rights for all Lions teams for the years 2020-26, excluding the men’s World Cup.
– We show live broadcasts of more than 100 matches from various Lion teams, EHT tournaments and prestigious competitions organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. All of these can be seen on the Discovery+ service and more than 60 of them also live on the free TV5 channel, says the Director of Sports Antti Haajanen.
Maikkar’s content on Discovery
Liiga is a major TV product and its rights are owned by Maikkar. Tappara’s Veli-Matti Savinainen and TPS’s Ruben Rafkin fight for the puck. MIKA KYLMÄNIEMI / AOP
The Discovery+ service also shows plenty of Maikkari sports. This may not be very widely known.
– In addition, thanks to the sublicensing with Telia, the Discovery+ service shows all League matches (500-600 matches), the men’s World Cup (64 matches) and C More linear channels’ matches from the CHL, Mestis and the Swedish and Swiss leagues. So a total of more than 800 matches in the various packages of the Discovery+ service, Haajanen continues.
The puck sound of the channel is Oskar Saari.
110 euros
Watching top-level men’s hockey requires four different streaming services. It goes on the fan’s wallet.
The combined price of the streaming services of C More, Viaplay and Discovery+ is 109.97 euros per month. However, Liiga can also be seen through the Discovery+ service.
Of course, that price includes much more than just hockey or sports.