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NBC Extends NHL Deal

The Hollywood Reporter, Thursday, April 24, 2008 10:30 AM

The National Hockey League will remain on NBC as the peacock network has extended its two-year revenue-sharing deal with the NHL through the 2008-09 season. The move comes on the heels of the last one-year extension announced in 2007. It includes NBC's "Game of the Week" and flexible scheduling that allows it to pick the best match-up, including three games on Sundays -- along with the Stanley Cup finals.

The NHL has had a tough time since NBC Sports bought the broadcast TV rights deal in 2004 with a lockout that canceled a season, followed by low ratings on NBC and cable net Versus. However, it has lately been showing some signs of improvement with regular-season household ratings up 11% this year, or 33% among men 18-49, according to Nielsen Media Research.

NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol says ad sales aren't bad either: "We believe this is a sport that will continue to grow."

Read the whole story at The Hollywood Reporter »

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