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Center Ice Online Goes Live
by Paul on 03/12/07 at 11:33 AM ET
Comments (12)
NEW YORK (March 12, 2007)—The National Hockey League (NHL) today announced that NHL Center Ice, the League’s out-of-market subscription package, will now be available to fans in the U.S. and Canada on NHL.com. NHL Center Ice Online provides fans the opportunity to watch up to 40 games per week through a broadband connection on their personal computer or laptop.
NHL Center Ice Online features comprehensive game coverage through the regular-season finale on April 8, plus select games from the Stanley Cup Quarterfinal and Semifinal Rounds (all games subject to local blackout). Current NHL Center Ice television subscribers can purchase NHL Center Ice Online for half price with proof of television package purchase.
“This is another step in the League’s effort to make its content available, across multiple platforms and screens, while preserving the critical relationships between our clubs and local rights-holders,” said Keith Ritter, President, NHL Interactive Cyber Enterprises. “Other than being at the game, there is nothing of greater interest to our fans than seeing broadcasts of live game action.”
Fans wishing to purchase NHL Center Ice Online can log on to NHL.com or CenterIce.NHL.tv to register. NHL Center Ice Online is a portable service; once registered from a home location, the service can be accessed remotely throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The NHL has chosen Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the leading global service provider for accelerating content and business processes online, to be the technology provider for its NHL Center ICE online service.
“We are excited to support the NHL’s launch of its first Internet TV experience to hockey fans in the U.S. and Canada,” said Bill Wheaton, Vice President, Digital Media Solutions, Akamai. “For a growing number of consumers, the Internet is becoming their main source for the most up-to-date content on sports, news and music programming. Akamai provides sophisticated online media delivery solutions, enabling forward-thinking companies such as the NHL to address the increasing interest in Internet TV content and programming.”
NHL Center Ice is currently available in the U.S. and Canada on the following League cable and satellite distributors: DirecTV, Dish Network, iNDEMAND, Bell Express Vu, Rogers, Cogeco, Access, Eastlink and others.
Filed in: Hockey Broadcasting, Center Ice | KK Hockey | Permalink
Comments
Honestly, this should come as a perk to the regular Center Ice. Maybe a $10-$15 addon perk, so that regular users can still watch their teams when they’re on business travel or the like. Otherwise, I don’t see this being worth it to me.
Posted by penguinsfan on 03/12/07 at 11:49 AM ET
Anyone know if you can access your package internationally? Sometimes business travel means you leave the continent.
Posted by snafu on 03/12/07 at 12:10 PM ET
Bettman f’s it up. the NBA offers its online package as a free sweetener for people who buy the tv product.
C’mon Gary get it right for once.
Posted by kdog on 03/12/07 at 12:13 PM ET
the NBA offers its online package as a free sweetener for people who buy the tv product.
Thanks kdog, that just cements my position even more. That’s exactly what I think they should do.
Posted by penguinsfan on 03/12/07 at 12:24 PM ET
How about internationally. Period. There’s a lot of NHL fans all over the world, esp in Europe and it would be nice to be able to pick and choose between more than a couple games a week.
Posted by SweWings on 03/12/07 at 01:14 PM ET
The concept’s awesome, but asking fans to pay $119 to watch games from the 12th of March onward is just too steep.
It should obviously be an added, highly discounted option for those who subscribe to the cable package, and there are so many die-hard NHL fans in Europe and abroad that restricting the service to North America makes no sense for 07-08.
All of that being said, it’s a wonderful step forward.
Posted by George Malik from South Lyon, MI on 03/12/07 at 02:08 PM ET
How stupid is that to let us Europeans not take part? We’re not able to watch many NHL games here and you get to watch your favourite time only about 5-10 times per season.
I know that they sold the NHL internet broadcast rights to NASN, the TV channes that broadcasts the NHL games here in Europe. But they should have sold the internet rights under the premise that NASN really does offer internet broadcasting.
If you live in the US you can subscribe to CenterIce via cable or satellite. Who is supposed to subsribe additionaly for internet tv, especially when it comes to such a high price. Here in Europe, people starve for NHL hockey and they would even pay that amount of money, but they’re not allowed to subscribe. Where’s the logic behind that?
Posted by Joe from Germany on 03/12/07 at 02:51 PM ET
Nice to see the NHL doesnt want new customers. Yeah, just make it available to people who have already access to it via TV.
Posted by Peter on 03/12/07 at 04:17 PM ET
Here is the make or break for me next season. How does the local blackout work? If I get this package, it is because I travel quite a bit in the US for work. Do they block out an Avs game if I am on the road, and my billing is in Colorado? Do they base blackouts on billing or hard location? If I couldn’t see the Avs play, why bother getting it? This would be a great thing for the “road warrior” if it worked well.
Posted by Tapeleg on 03/12/07 at 10:53 PM ET
I just found out my local cable company (Charter) isn’t going to carry Center Ice because the NHL is “asking for too much money” for it, according to Charter representatives. So this online bit might be a good idea. Unfortunately, this is the NHL I’m dealing with here so it’s a safe bet there will be some restrictions.
I also find it odd that they don’t tell you what the price is until you give them a lot of personal information when signing up.
P.S. Mr. Bettman, if you are reading this, Resign. For the love of all things holy, R-E-S-I-G-N. Give us back our sport so we can make it a marquee sport again!
Posted by Max from Minnesota on 10/01/07 at 05:37 PM ET
Max, you might want to check out the comments in this post from today.
Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 10/01/07 at 05:40 PM ET
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They need to reduce the price to about $50 for the rest of the season. $119 for the last 15 games of the regular season and first two rounds of the playoffs is too much.
Posted by PRStoetzer on 03/12/07 at 11:44 AM ET