We’re about 15 games into the 2021-22 National Hockey League season, and I couldn’t be happier. As a consumer, my needs have been satisfied. Thanks to ESPN+, I am watching a lot of hockey for a lot less money. Winning!
It’s easy. All you need is a smart TV, tablet, or smartphone. Then download the ESPN App from the App Store. When watching sports, you don’t need to be sitting at home, or committed to watching on your television. You now have the NHL on the go.
Easy-peasy, right? If this is so easy, why do we see conversations like the one in the tweet below? If you’re committed solely to your current television package, you could be disappointed. Cable TV could slowly become a thing of the past. I am finding it less and less relevant.
It is what it is. ESPN paid so much money because they wanted to boost ESPN+. I had no trouble watching the game on my TV, my laptop or my phone. Every once in a while, a game will be ESPN+ only. Just a fact of modern life.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) November 13, 2021
This season, I haven’t had any trouble finding games on ESPN+. It’s never been inexpensively easier to watch the NHL. If you’re not convinced, read the breakdown below. This fall, my biggest problem, deciding which game that I want to watch.
The Breakdown
Here are just a few things that stuck out for me. From ESPN.
ESPN will hold rights to 25 exclusive national games per season, which can air on either ESPN or ABC. Games on ABC stream on ESPN+.
75 exclusive national games per season will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu.
ESPN+ will carry all out-of-market games.
ESPN and ABC will share in coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs, holding rights to “half” of the games in the first two rounds, and one conference final per-season. ESPN and ABC will have the first choice of which conference final series to air.
ABC will exclusively air the Stanley Cup Finals in even-numbered years. ESPN will have the ability to air simulcast coverage with alternate feeds on its other channels and platforms.
The Same For Less
Before the NHL moved back to ESPN, if I wanted to watch out of market games, (regular cable and DirecTV) I had to pay $140.00 a year to get NHL Center Ice. That package allowed me to watch hundreds of out-of-market games. Now, I can get the same package for $70.00 a year. For those that don’t like to pay upfront, that’s 6.99 a month.
ESPN Plus is a subscription streaming service that currently costs $6.99 per month or $69.99 with a full year commitment. As we said, the sports-centric streaming service provides a bevy of live sports as well as original programming from ESPN. ESPN Plus is also included in the Disney streaming bundle, which combines Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu for a single monthly fee of $13.99. (MSN.COM)
Finally, as a college sports fan, I watch my favorite college teams play on ESPN+. This fall, I’ve watched numerous Missouri Valley Football Conference games. This winter, I will watch the Fighting Hawks men’s and women’s basketball teams play some of their away games on ESPN+.
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