Viasat Hockey to Launch in Sweden

STOCKHOLM: Viasat Broadcasting is to launch Sweden’s only channel dedicated solely to ice hockey at the start of the new season this fall.

Viasat Hockey will be available on the Viasat satellite platform as part of its premium sports package, and for distribution via third-party networks. The channel will feature exclusive and extensive coverage of Sweden’s HockeyAllsvenskan league, as well as the annual IIHF World Championship, the Kontinental Hockey League, the KHL and Europe’s Champions Hockey League.

Viasat also extended its hold on the exclusive broadcasting rights to the KHL for another three years. The KHL international ice hockey league brings together 21 teams from Russia and one team each from Latvia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. At least 64 KHL games will be broadcast on Viasat Hockey each season, including the 18 playoff games and the all-star game.

Hans-Holger Albrecht, the president and CEO of Modern Times Group, commented: “This launch is the latest in a series of launches of highly popular localized sports channels, and reflects our strategy to provide the very best in local and international sports content to viewers. Viasat Hockey will sit alongside our Viasat Sport, Viasat Fotboll and Viasat Motor thematic pay-TV channels in Sweden, and we now have 12 local market sports channels in 16 countries across Europe."