Verizon Continues Partnership with NHL

The NHL along with the NBC Sports Group has signed a multi-year partnership renewal with Verizon Wireless.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Verizon has been an NHL partner since 2007.

According to the NHL, the new pact greatly enhances and expands upon the alliance. Fans immediately will see the results with exclusive content via the Verizon edition of the NHL GameCenter smartphone and tablet apps.

The renewed deal gives Verizon Wireless exclusive marketing and promotional rights as the NHL’s  “official wireless service provider” in the U.S., and category-exclusive U.S. marketing rights for such marquee NHL events as the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, NHL All-Star Weekend in the U.S., and the NHL Awards and NHL Lester Patrick Awards.

Verizon Wireless also will have “considerable media presence” on the broadcast, cable, and digital platforms of NBC and NBC Sports Network, including digital promotions on NBCSports.com banners, videos and live streaming games.

Customers of the Verizon NHL GameCenter Premium App now have the ability to stream programming, “taking fans inside all the action from around the league, including live look-ins, real-time scores, team press conferences, expert analysis and on-location access” to such events as the Bridgestone Winter Classic, NHL All-Star Weekend and Stanley Cup Final, according to the league. 

Verizon said that 4G LTE Smartphone and tablet customers would be able to get the NHL GameCenter Premium experience for free while all other Verizon customers can access to the app for $9.99. (Other charges may apply according to a customer’s data plan.)

“With more fans using mobile phones and tablets to access NHL content, we are focused on growing this area to provide the best customer experience possible.”

In addition, all NHL games that air on NBC are now available to all Verizon Wireless customers using the Verizon editions of the NHL GameCenter App, Basic and Premium.

The Verizon NHL GameCenter Premium App has been enhanced to include Star Cam feed, with NBC broadcast bonus camera angles; NBC Sports’ “Inside the Glass” analysis from the national network broadcasts: key in-game replays not available during the live on-air broadcast on NBC; NHL On the Fly, the NHL Network’s signature show;  and weekly “NHL Plays of the Week” VOD.

“With more fans using mobile phones and tablets to access NHL content, we are focused on growing this area to provide the best customer experience possible,” Keith Wachtel, svp-integrated sales at the NHL, said in a statement. “An important step in accomplishing this is to extend our partnership with Verizon, a leader in the wireless category, to bring our tech-savvy fans the premium NHL content they demand through the medium of their choice.”

by Ismail Uddin