This Year’s NHL.TV Promises More Shoulder Programming, Fewer Spoilers

Flagship NHL app to make Apple Watch debut

With the NHL set to drop the puck on a new season on Wednesday, Disney Streaming Services today unveiled a stash of new features for this year’s suite of products for NHL.TV, the league’s direct-to-consumer, out-of-market streaming service.

The NHL’s Arena app will be incorporated in the NHL app.

Perhaps the biggest growth area for NHL.TV this season is in the sheer amount of content available to subscribers. According to the league, there will be a nearly 50% increase in the number of local broadcast pre/postgame and intermission shows added to the live coverage of the games.

The service also adds practical features to the flagship NHL app, including a “no spoiler” notifications option on Android and iOS phones. The app will also be available on Apple Watch for the first time.

“This season, we’re focused on continuing to enhance the hockey fan’s digital experience, including expanded distribution of the NHL app, new fan-driven features, and a design overhaul that prioritizes video viewing, getting fans faster into the action,” says Barry Tishgart, SVP/GM, hockey, Disney Streaming Services. “We’re excited about the opportunities with the ESPN+ service, also operated by Disney Streaming Services, to reach broader sports fans with 180 NHL games going into the base tier of the premium service.”

Disney Streaming Services focuses on putting video front and center in its digital products. Team pages have been redesigned inside the NHL app, putting VOD upfront and improving the discoverability of live game coverage by pushing the live stream right on the team page during game action.

NHL.TV will continue to be streamlined with the main NHL app this season. In previous years, the league had offered a separate Arena app for fans’ in-venue use. That information and those features will now be available in the single NHL app.