FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 10th, 2018

NHL, NHLPA AND HULU ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP

Hulu Becomes Strategic Partner of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs and Final; Includes Integration in All Broadcast and Digital Media, Including On-Air Presenting Sponsorship of NBC Sports’ NHL Live Pre-Game Show for the Stanley Cup Playoffs

NEW YORK / TORONTO (April 10, 2018) – Hulu, the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL®) today announced a new partnership in which Hulu becomes an official sponsor of the NHLPA and the NHL for the entirety of the 2018 Stanley Cup® Playoffs and Final.

The comprehensive partnership features a national marketing campaign for Hulu across all League touchpoints including NBC Sports, the NHL’s digital and social channels, as well as camera-visible, in-stadium inventory within all U.S. venues. To celebrate opening night of the 2018 Stanley Cup® Playoffs, Hulu will also be sponsoring the NHL’s 2018 Stanley Cup® Playoffs Party held in Las Vegas on April 11. The “2018 Stanley Cup® Playoffs Party featuring Logic and presented by Hulu” will be free and open to fans outside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 5 p.m. PT.

“Tomorrow we’ll be embarking on the most exciting and unpredictable time in sports with the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs,” said Keith Wachtel, NHL Chief Revenue Officer and Executive Vice President. “Our main goal is to bring these memorable moments to the broadest possible audience, and partnering with a powerful brand like Hulu will allow us to drive deeper engagement with our fans. We’re thrilled to partner with Hulu and work together to showcase the road to the Stanley Cup.”

Hulu will also create a custom hockey collection within the Hulu experience throughout the Playoffs helping drive tune-in for the Stanley Cup® Playoffs. In addition, Hulu will serve as the presenting partner of NHL.com during the Playoffs.

“Since we launched our live TV package, we’ve seen live sports drive a very large part of our growth, so we are especially excited to team up with the NHL to celebrate the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs – an event we know our viewers will be watching,” said Patrizio Spagnoletto, Head of Media and Subscriber Growth at Hulu. “With sports serving as the centerpiece for many of our live TV viewers, we are always looking for new, innovative ways to engage fans and make sure they never miss a single moment of their favorite games.”

As part of the agreement, Hulu has also partnered with the National Hockey League Players’ Association to create a number of video vignettes that will showcase some NHL stars and help drive awareness for Hulu as a streaming option for the 2018 Stanley Cup® Playoffs.

“The players are at their best, the games at their most intense and fans as passionate as ever each spring when the Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway”, said Sandra Monteiro, NHLPA Chief of Global Business Strategies. “Through this exciting partnership with Hulu, the players will not only be the focal point on the ice as they battle for the Stanley Cup, but they will also drive fans to the action with these exclusive video vignettes.”

The video vignettes, featuring Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings, Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks, John Carlson of the Washington Capitals, Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils, Ryan Johansen of the Nashville Predators, William Karlsson of the Vegas Golden Knights, Phil Kessel of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins, and Blake Wheeler of the Winnipeg Jets, will celebrate the excitement of the 2018 Stanley Cup® Playoffs.

The collaboration with Hulu also includes integration within all NBC broadcasts with on-air presenting sponsorship of NBC Sports’ NHL Live pre-game show for the Stanley Cup® Playoffs as well as integration within the broadcast opening.

“We believe that there is a tangible multiplier effect when the League and rights holder can collaborate on behalf of an advertising and sponsorship partner,” said Dan Lovinger, EVP, Advertising Sales & Sales Marketing, NBC Sports Group. “Adding a great partner like Hulu to this mix in such a high-profile environment as the Stanley Cup Playoffs is very exciting.”

The 2018 Stanley Cup® Playoffs get underway on Wednesday, April 11. For the seventh consecutive year, every Stanley Cup® Playoffs game will be presented nationally across the platforms of NBC Sports Group and select NBCUniversal networks. During April, May, and June, NBC Sports Group will televise as many as 105 Playoff games and possibly more than 260 hours of programming.

 

# # # (4/10/18)

 

NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. All Rights Reserved.

NHLPA and the NHLPA logo are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League Players’ Association. All Rights Reserved.

 

About the NHL:

The National Hockey League (NHL®), founded in 1917, consists of 31 Member Clubs, each reflecting the League’s international makeup with players from more than 20 countries represented on team rosters, vying for the most cherished and historic trophy in professional sports – the Stanley Cup®. Every year, the NHL entertains more than 250 million fans in-arena and through its partners on national television and radio and more than 151 million followers – league, team and player accounts combined – across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. The NHL reaches fans worldwide with games available online in every country including via its live and on-demand streaming service NHL.TV™. For more information, visit NHL.com.

 

About the National Hockey League Players’ Association:

The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), established in 1967, is a labour organization whose members are the players in the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHLPA works on behalf of the players in varied disciplines such as labour relations, product licensing, marketing, international hockey and community relations, all in furtherance of its efforts to promote its members and the game of hockey. In 1999, the NHLPA launched the Goals & Dreams fund as a way for the players to give something back to the game they love. Over the past 15 years, more than 70,000 deserving children in 33 countries have benefited from the players’ donations of hockey equipment. NHLPA Goals & Dreams has donated more than $22-million to grassroots hockey programs, making it the largest program of its kind. For more information on the NHLPA, please visit www.nhlpa.com.

 

About Hulu:

Hulu is a leading premium streaming service that offers instant access to live and on demand channels, original series and films, and a premium library of TV and movies to more than 17 million subscribers in the U.S. Since its launch in 2008, Hulu has consistently been at the forefront of entertainment and technology. Hulu is the only streaming service that offers both ad-supported and commercial-free current season shows from the largest U.S. broadcast networks; libraries of hit TV series and films; and acclaimed Hulu Originals including Emmy® and Golden Globe Award-winning series The Handmaid’s Tale, The Looming Tower, Future Man, Marvel’s Runaways, The Path, 11.22.63, and Golden Globe nominated comedy Casual, as well as upcoming series Castle Rock and The First. In 2017, Hulu added live news, entertainment and sports from 21st Century Fox, The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal, CBS Corporation, The CW, Turner Networks, A+E Networks and Scripps Networks Interactive to its offerings – making it the only TV service that brings together live, on-demand, originals, and library content all in one place, across living room and mobile devices.