Launch of NHL Network Online Breaks New Ground in Multimedia, Immersing Fans in the NHL Experience with Seven Channels of Programming

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Hockey League (NHL) today launched the NHL Network Online, the premier Web destination for NHL multimedia. Available for free at NHL.com and delivered through a sleek new broadband media player, NHL Network Online gives fans a completely new experience for interacting with the League’s digital content.

The difference in the NHL Network Online is how it is programmed. Fans will now enjoy seven dedicated channels of NHL multimedia, all programmed around distinct themes, such as exclusive studio shows, live events, news, video features, Podcasts, NHL Radio and much more.

One centerpiece of the NHL Network Online channel lineup is “The Hockey Show.” Presented by Bud Light and conceived and produced exclusively for the Web, “The Hockey Show” is a fun, edgy, all-access look at the NHL. A new episode of “The Hockey Show” will be produced each weekday during the season, giving it 24x7 relevance. “The Hockey Show” also will offer Video-On-Demand, enabling fans to find and view archived shows and clips.

To increase fan access to players and teams, the NHL Network Online also will feature, “NHL:LiveWire,” a channel presented by Cisco and dedicated to bringing fans live events and original programming from around the NHL. Whether it’s a morning skate, a news conference, or live coverage of special events such as the NHL All-Star Game or AMP Energy/NHL Winter Classic, “NHL:LiveWire” will carry it as it happens.

“With the unveiling of the NHL Network Online, NHL.com is now the premier multimedia destination for all things hockey,” said Andre Mika, the NHL’s Vice President of Broadband and New Media Production. “More than any other sports fans, NHL fans use the Internet to stay connected to their sport. The NHL Network Online delivers all-access content along with the user experience our fans are demanding.”

Other channels in the NHL Network Online lineup include:

• Stanley Cup Playoffs Channel─ Presented by Dodge, a seasonal channel dedicated to playoff news, highlights, features and analysis.
• NHL Game Highlights ─ Presented by Verizon Wireless and billed as “every goal and every save from every game,” highlights allow fans to look at box scores, click on a player’s name and see all of his goals, saves and hits dating back nearly three seasons.

• NHL Productions Presents ─ Includes features, retrospectives and other special programs from NHL Productions. Programs generally will follow the League’s current events, such as player milestones.
• NHL Radio ─ NHL programming from XM Radio and Westwood One, including select video simulcasts.
• NHL Podcast Central ─ All of the NHL’s Podcast content, all in one place for subscription, download or play.

Powered By New Broadband Media Player

The NHL Network Online experience is delivered via a new broadband media player which was designed and developed in coordination with NeuLion, Inc.

NeuLion builds and manages broadcasting networks and offers its customers a complete end-to-end broadcasting and billing service. The service delivers video, live events, radio and other content over the Internet directly to consumers. NeuLion’s service also supports consumer devices such as TV and Mobile.

The new NHL broadband media player is a revolution from the NHL Integrated Video Portal that debuted in July 2007 and became highly popular with NHL fans. The NHL and NeuLion have worked together to provide a solution that gives consumers a unique television experience directly from their computers. The partnership also allows the NHL to integrate corporate sponsors into the player without compromising the consumer experience, such as with customized skins for the player, or rotating panel advertisements.

NHL fans will find the NHL’s broadband media player to be the best in its class, allowing them to easily navigate the NHL Network Online, find and save their favorite programming, publish content to other destinations, preview content, socialize and much more.

About the NHL

The National Hockey League, founded in 1917, is the second-oldest of the four major professional team sports leagues in North America. Today, the NHL consists of 30 Member Clubs, each reflecting the League’s international makeup, with players from more than 20 countries represented on team rosters. According to a Simmons Market Research study, NHL fans are younger, more educated, more affluent, and access content through digital means more than any other sport. The NHL entertains more than 100 million fans each season in-arena and through its partners in national television (VERSUS, NBC, TSN, CBC, RDS, RIS, NASN, NHL Network and HDNet) and radio (Westwood One and XM Radio). Through the NHL Foundation, the League’s charitable arm, the NHL raises money and awareness for Hockey Fights Cancer, Hockey’s All-Star Kids and NHL Diversity, and supports the charitable efforts of all NHL players. For more information on the NHL, log on to NHL.com.

NHL is a registered trademark and the NHL Shield, NHL Network, NHL Network Online, NHL Radio, The Hockey Show, NHL Livewire and NHL Winter Classic are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.