ESPN Player to Feature Hockey World League Coverage Across EMEA

ESPN Player has struck a deal with the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to feature live and exclusive streaming coverage of FIH events in 50 European countries.

Under the agreement, ESPN Player will stream more than 130 games from the Hockey World League Semi Finals, which take place in London, Brussels and Johannesburg, starting on June 15 and running until July 23. The men’s and women’s Finals (totaling 44 games) will be available from November 2017, and ESPN and FIH continue to explore more opportunities for future events. The deal spans EMEA, including in France, Italy, Spain, Norway and Portugal.

Andrew Oram, TV and broadcast director for FIH, said: “To partner with one of the world’s biggest broadcasters is a huge step for hockey. Having the backing of ESPN will take coverage of our sport to the next level—into new territories, giving fans greater access to world-class hockey action. We look forward to working closely with ESPN to promote our sport.”

Charly Classen, the VP and general manager at ESPN EMEA, said: “We are thrilled to work with FIH to bring the world’s best hockey action to sports fans in dozens of countries. The exclusive agreement for ESPN Player to cover the World Hockey League Semi Finals and the Finals is a great start to our partnership with the FIH, and we look forward to working with them closely in the future on other events.”