NHL to Form Production Company

The National Hockey League will partner with former HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg to form its own broadcast production company.

NHL Original Productions follow similar model to the NFL’s  NFL Films company.

It will produce a range of content, including features and documentaries, for NBC Sports (the NHL’s broadcast partner), regional rights holders and NHL Network.

Further to April’s announcement that NBC had agreed a 10-year media rights agreement with the NHL, Greenburg is producing sports documentaries for NBC’s networks.

Greenburg said: “Hockey players compete in a sport that requires an unmatched combination of world-class skill and relentless toughness, all the while remaining the most approachable and genuine of professional athletes. I am thrilled to be able to tell their stories in exciting and innovative ways and delighted that I’ll be working so closely with the NHL for years to come.”

NHL Chief Operating Officer John Collins stated: “We’ve wanted to do these kinds of programmes. We feel like in many respects we’ll get more traction, be able to do more and hopefully be able to do it better if we do a lot of this stuff in-house.”

Planned 2011-12 projects for NHL Original Productions include 2011-12 ‘Day in the Life’ player documentaries, as well as documentaries and features to coincide with the lead up to the NHL’s 2017 centenary celebrations.