National Hockey League Unveils Official NHL Ice Time™ 2010 App for Fans in Europe

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Hockey League today announced that NHL Ice Time 2010, the first official NHL™ app for iPhone and iPod touch, is available exclusively in Europe on the App Store.

“The NHL Ice Time 2010 App for iPhone and iPod touch shrinks the distance between our game, our players and our great European fans. Our fans have an insatiable appetite for NHL content and our digital development is all about serving our fans wherever they are.”

The app, available in more than 70 countries outside of North America, was co-developed by the NHL and its strategic partner NeuLion. The basic NHL Ice Time 2010 App is free, but includes an In-App purchase premium upgrade that enables NHL fans across Europe to wake up each morning and access a complete complement of video from the prior night’s games, through both condensed games and highlight packages.

Twenty-six percent of NHL players hail from outside of North America and nearly 20 percent of NHL.com unique visitors originate from Europe, with nearly one-third of European mobile visitors to NHL.com coming from an iPhone or iPod touch. In addition, European visitors to NHL.com consume more video per visitor, on average, than their North American counterparts, demonstrating significant demand to keep up with the NHL game.

NHL Ice Time 2010 has been specifically designed and developed to meet this significant demand with a suite of video, audio, statistics, content and more, all in one convenient app for iPhone and iPod touch.

“The NHL is the most international league in professional sport, and with so many of our players having European origins, the demand in Europe for the NHL has never been greater,” said John Collins, the NHL’s chief operating officer. “The NHL Ice Time 2010 App for iPhone and iPod touch shrinks the distance between our game, our players and our great European fans. Our fans have an insatiable appetite for NHL content and our digital development is all about serving our fans wherever they are.”

The free version of NHL Ice Time 2010 delivers live scores; live in-game stats for every team and player; a live ice tracker that shows the locations of goals, hits and saves on a virtual hockey rink; game photos; a full-season schedule; NHL standings; NHL player profiles; archived results and stats for the current season; searchable content; and a personalized experience.

Fans can upgrade using In-App purchase to the premium version of NHL Ice Time 2010 to receive all of the functionality of the free version, plus:

Condensed (12-minute) versions of every NHL game;
Video highlights after each period played;
Video highlight reels at the conclusion of each game;
Live game radio of every game;
A virtual ice tracker to see where action took place and then view highlights;
Extensive player profiles with video highlights & detailed in-game stats;
A video archive with thousands of current-season highlights.

NHL Ice Time 2010 is the latest product in the NHL’s expanding digital portfolio designed to meet the demands of pro sports fans with the most mobile devices, HDTVs and broadband connections. With an emphasis on ease-of-use and access to exclusive content, including live and feature broadband video, the NHL is leveraging digital media as a primary platform to drive audience growth, partner activation and licensee/rightsholder business. In 2009, the NHL was the only sports league nominated for a prestigious Webby Award for Web site design, and the League has been recognized as one of the 10 most innovative companies in sports by Fast Company Magazine.

NHL Ice Time 2010 is available today for free from the App Store in 73 countries outside of North America on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. To download, the fan must have a billing address outside of North America. The premium download pricing is as follows: