NHL streaming choices: Untangling the 2024-2025 mess

We’re lower than couple of weeks from the beginning of hockey season, and the streaming state of affairs appears just as complicated as baseball was over the summer season.

As pay TV subscriptions decline and the regional sports activities enterprise mannequin collapses, NHL groups are transferring in several instructions. Some are spinning up new regional sports activities streaming companies, whereas others are partnering with broadcasters to distribute native video games totally free over the air. Others are nonetheless clinging to the regional sports activities mannequin, requiring bloated pay TV packages with no cheaper standalone options.

It’s a multitude, and it doesn’t assist that the data you want could be scattered far and wide. Similar to throughout baseball season, I’ve put all of it again collectively once more. Listed here are all of the NHL streaming and over-the air choices for the 2024-2025 season:

NHL in-market streaming choices: An outline for 2024-2025

Beneath is a chart displaying each Nationwide Hockey League crew, its corresponding native channel or regional sports activities community, the live TV streaming services that carry these channels, and whether or not a standalone options exist. (You may as well view a version of this chart on Google Sheets.)

Word that these choices solely apply for locally-televised, in-market video games. They gained’t assist for video games that air on nationwide TV, together with most playoff protection.

What about nationally-televised video games?

For the past few years, NHL TV rights for nationally-televised video games—together with most playoff protection—have been carved up between Disney (ESPN, ABC) and Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT).

These channels are included with a number of live TV streaming services, together with YouTube TV, Hulu + Stay TV, and DirecTV Stream. Sling TV carries ESPN, however is lacking ABC in all however a handful of markets.

Alternatively, Warner’s sports activities protection is presently included with Max, which begins at $10 per thirty days with adverts or $17 per thirty days with out. Warner says it’ll ultimately charge an extra $10 per month for reside sports activities, however hasn’t turned on the paywall as of September 2024.

As for ESPN, most of this 12 months’s nationally-televised video games will stream on ESPN+, which prices $11 per thirty days, or $15 per thirty days as a part of the Disney Bundle. (These costs are growing to $12 per thirty days and $17 per thirty days, respectively, on October 17. Some video games will probably be reserved for ESPN’s cable channel, which isn’t included with ESPN+ and isn’t obtainable with out a reside TV streaming service, although a standalone streaming model of the channel is coming in 2025. You’ll be able to see ESPN’s hockey broadcast schedule here.

Out-of-market NHL video games

ESPN+ has streamed out-of-market NHL video games completely since 2021. Which means in case your favourite crew performs in a distinct market from the place you reside, you possibly can watch with out navigating the regional sports activities mess.

That mentioned, you’ll nonetheless run into blackouts for video games which are televised nationally, necessitating among the different choices talked about above. Even when streaming choices appear simple, issues have a means of arising.

For extra assist navigating the streaming sports activities panorama, check out these useful tools. And contemplate signing up for my Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter to get money-saving streaming recommendation each Friday.

Author: Jared Newman, Contributor