The Blue Jackets, Blues, Hurricanes and Wild are turning to the NHL’s newly created centralized production arm for their local telecasts beginning in 2026-27 following the closure of the Main Street Sports Group-operated regional networks that previously carried their games. Additional teams could join before the start of the season, with the Ducks a potential candidate after informing local streaming partner Victory+ of their intent to terminate the relationship.

The move is supported by a high-seven- to low-eight-figure investment in the league’s in-house content and media arm, NHL Productions, over the next three seasons. The expansion of the production unit will enable the league to provide clubs with comprehensive services including live game production, studio and shoulder programming, advanced graphics and replay capabilities and technical and engineering support.

The league-wide effort has been led by President of Events and Content Steve Mayer and Chief Media Officer David Proper. The NHL has also hired former MLB Network President Rob McGlarry as GM of Local Media to help oversee the new local-production operation.

Though the NHL’s centralized production initiative was prompted by the erosion of a traditional local broadcast model that delivered annual eight-figure rights fees to some clubs, league executives believe it will improve the telecasts and help teams monetize them more effectively by giving clubs greater control over advertising inventory.

“When you control all of the different aspects of the production and the sales, what you have the ability to do — market, promote and sell — becomes infinitely better,” said NHL President of Business Keith Wachtel.

The NHL is following a precedent set by MLB, which began producing and distributing local Padres telecasts in 2023 and now handles local broadcasts for 14 teams. The NBA is also moving toward greater centralization, with Commissioner Adam Silver saying last week that he expects his league to launch an aggregated streaming hub for local broadcasts in time for the 2027-28 season.

The NHL, by contrast, is offering production support while allowing clubs to pursue market-specific distribution models.

“You hear the other leagues talking about doing national products and so on and so forth,” Proper said. “Our main goal right now is to maintain as much flexibility as we can so that as the market matures and we start to understand what the future really holds, then we can react very quickly.”

Under the NHL’s centralized production model, teams will pay the league to cover the baseline cost of producing their local telecasts while retaining all revenue from distribution and advertising inventory they control. The NHL will bear the cost of building out the shared production infrastructure, including personnel, technology and innovation that can be deployed across markets.

“Even teams that aren’t taking advantage of it have been very supportive of us building this out,” Proper said. “They understand the strategic value of having this capability existing within the league office.”

Distribution models: The NHL’s production support is not tied to any particular distribution model, meaning even teams that remain with their existing RSNs could potentially take advantage of the league’s production capabilities. In the case of the four former Main Street clubs, the NHL is helping them develop market-specific plans. That support includes negotiating direct distribution agreements with pay-TV providers to preserve linear availability, as well as pursuing streaming and over-the-air partnerships.

None of the four former Main Street teams have finalized distribution plans for 2026-27. The Blues, Hurricanes and Wild said they are prioritizing agreements with pay-TV providers as their primary means of distribution while also planning to offer a streaming option. Executives with the Blues and Wild said they expect to make a handful of games available over the air. A Hurricanes spokesperson said the club is hopeful for some over-the-air distribution, though that remains uncertain. A Blue Jackets spokesperson said the team is “exploring a number of options but aren’t ready to share specifics at this time.”

“There’s a lot of different factors that go into what decision a team ultimately makes, but we’re trying to make our products as accessible as possible while also trying to drive revenue so that we can compete and challenge for the Stanley Cup,” Blues Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer Steve Chapman said. He added that agreements with pay-TV providers currently appear more lucrative than an entirely over-the-air model.

Ad sales: In addition to supporting clubs on distribution, the league is helping them determine whether to build their ad-sales operations internally, use outside agencies or adopt a hybrid approach. Wild CRO Mitch Helgerson said the team has hired two dedicated representatives to sell advertising across its local television and radio broadcasts. The Blues are also adding personnel and evaluating outside sales partners.

“What we’re trying to accomplish is for agency buyers to know that if somebody wants to buy Wild hockey game advertising, they’re going to the club now in lieu of an RSN,” Helgerson said.

Playfly Sports, which packages and sells local sports advertising inventory across the NHL, NBA and MLB to national brands, is among the outside agencies being considered by the Blues and Wild.

While taking control of ad sales represents a major transition for clubs, it also gives them an opportunity to make better use of that inventory. Teams can now incorporate media assets from their local telecasts — whether they’re traditional commercial spots or branded broadcast integrations — directly into sponsorship packages, complementing the digitally enhanced dashboard inventory they already sell.

“The obvious thing, which you’ve never been able to do, is package very valuable media assets — enhancements, features, vignettes, whatever it may be — into your partnership deals,” Wachtel said. “That’s always something that is incredibly valuable that clients and media agencies are looking for: tangible media assets.”

As more clubs gain control of their local advertising inventory, the NHL could eventually aggregate that media into league-level sponsorship deals. Wachtel believes the NHL would need access to inventory from roughly 12 to 13 teams before seriously pursuing a broader national sales strategy.

Production capabilities: Mayer believes NHL-produced telecasts will improve the viewing experience for fans of participating clubs. Local broadcasts will more consistently incorporate technology used on national telecasts, including NHL Edge puck- and player-tracking data. The league-produced telecasts will also feature a uniform graphics package, new music and additional handheld, robotic and point-of-view cameras.

Mayer sees an opportunity to incorporate more league-wide coverage rather than maintaining a strictly local focus.

“We want to make sure that the Minnesota Wild are talking about the NHL, the stars of the league,” Mayer said. “Many times, we find that these broadcasts are local in nature. We’re going to try to nationalize them a bit.”

The NHL also intends to begin providing content and event production services to third parties, taking advantage of core competencies built up by Mayer over the past decade to generate additional revenue. Live production could be a part of that offering, particularly as streamers without in-house live production capabilities increasingly carry one-off sports and entertainment events.

“All those streamers except for Amazon probably do not have the capabilities to produce,” Mayer said. “So, if we’re ever in that situation, we’re ready to go. Put us in, coach. We’re willing and ready to produce for any of those entities as well.”