Universal Sports agreed a new partnership with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for the exclusive rights to broadcast the 2008-09 Champions Hockey League (CHL).
Under the deal, Universal Sports will show coverage of the inaugural season of Europe’s premiere club hockey tournament on TV and online every Wednesday from October 8 until January 2009. The Universal Sports Network will feature exclusive CHL event video, often available live, athlete interviews and play-by-play game commentary online and on TV.
Universal Sports Chairman and CEO, Claude Ruibal, said: “Universal Sports is committed to providing year round coverage of Olympic-style sports including hockey, and our longstanding relationship with IIHF has allowed us to become the only place where US fans can tune in to see the inaugural Champions Hockey League. We look forward to growing the exposure and excitement around hockey in the U.S. leading into the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. CHL on Wednesdays will be a great opportunity for American hockey fans to follow top-ranked European clubs and elite players on Universal Sports.”
CHL is an IIHF organised ice hockey league comprised of the best club teams in Europe, all competing for league prestige and a piece of the €10 million prize purse, the largest amount ever involved in a European club competition. The CHL will feature 12 top teams from seven countries (Sweden, Finland, Russia, Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland) competing in a round-robin format to earn playoff spots in January.
