NHL Center Ice
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NHL Center Ice is an Out-of-Market Sports Package distributed by most cable and satellite providers in North America. The package allows its subscribers to see up to forty out-of-market National Hockey League games a week using local and national television networks.
The American version of Center Ice features premiere Canadian broadcasts, such as TSN and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Hockey Night in Canada. It also features out of region games broadcast on NBC. Occasionally, French-language feeds from RDS may be used if no English-language broadcast is available. Broadcasts from Rogers SportsNet are also shown. Pay-per-view games (e.g. Edmonton Oilers) are included as well. For viewers subscribing via the Dish Network or DirecTV, both teams' feeds are available for most games; digital cable subscribers are limited to one feed and also have a smaller selection of high-definition games.
The Canadian version (spelled NHL Centre Ice due to Canadian English spelling) features select broadcasts by FSN (Fox Sports Network), other Fox owned Sports Networks like Sun Sports, Versus, and NBC.
On August 8, 2007, Shaw Communications announced that NHL Center Ice would be available on Shaw Cable and Star Choice beginning with the 2007/2008 season. [1]
Some providers offer high definition broadcasts when available. A number of providers put Center Ice on the same channels as MLB Extra Innings; hockey often gets priority because the conflict occurs during April, at the end of the regular season and beginning of the playoffs.
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[edit] Availability
NHL Center Ice is available with these cable and satellite providers:
- United States:
- Canada:
[edit] Blackout restrictions
NHL Center Ice does not black out any game based on attendance or mileage to said arena. All home team(s) are blacked out in their designated TV markets. For example, if you live in Los Angeles, you cannot see Anaheim Ducks or Los Angeles Kings games on Center Ice. These local games are available on your local sports broadcasting station.
This, however, creates a significant problem in areas that lie within the blackout zone but are not served by the NHL team's regional sports network. Erie, Pennsylvania is an example of this; Erie is in the Buffalo Sabres' blackout zone, but MSG Network is not carried in that section of Pennsylvania, thus resulting in a total blackout of all Sabres games not carried on a national provider. (When Empire Sports Network existed, that station did serve Erie.)
However, the black out can be lifted if one team is not televising the game and the other is, provided the non-broadcasting team grants permission.
[edit] See also
- NFL Sunday Ticket
- MLB Extra Innings
- NBA League Pass
- NASCAR Hot Pass
- ESPN GamePlan
- ESPN Full Court
- MLS Direct Kick
[edit] External links
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