The rights agreement, made with Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, comes as NHL Network is in the midst of its coverage of the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, with live quarterfinal matchups scheduled for Thursday, May 18 with Russia vs. Czech Republic at 10:00 a.m. ET and Canada vs. Germany at 2:00 p.m. ET.
The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is one of ice hockey's highest-profile annual international tournaments, featuring 16 teams in preliminary rounds followed by a quarterfinal round, semi-final round and medal-round matchups. The 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship will take place from May 4-20 in Denmark at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen and at the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning. Qualified teams for the 2018 tournament include Austria, Belarus, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.
In addition to this rights agreement, NHL Network provides comprehensive coverage of international ice hockey events year-round. To date in the 2016-17 season, NHL Network has exclusively televised in the U.S. over 150 hours and more than 60 games of international ice hockey competition, including the IIHF World Junior Championship, the IIHF Women's World Championship and IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship, and NHL Network's current coverage of the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship,
which is detailed here
. Programming details and scheduling for the 2018 event will be announced at a later date.
About NHL Network: As the TV home for the National Hockey League, NHL Network™ gives viewers an all-access pass to complete hockey coverage both on and off the ice, including live NHL games and special on-site coverage of NHL events, plus three signature studio shows, interviews, highlights and expert analysis from a variety of hockey insiders and former players. Additional programming includes behind-the-scenes features, player profiles and international and amateur hockey competitions. For more information on NHL Network, log on to
nhlnetwork.com
or follow @NHLNetwork on Twitter.
About Infront Sports & Media: Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, is one of the most respected sports marketing companies in the world, managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events - including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions - and has won a reputation for its high standards of delivery. As the number one player in winter sport and with a leading role in football, summer and endurance sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with close to 170 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 900 experienced staff working from over 35 offices across more than 15 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In November 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Holding, part of the Chinese conglomerate the Dalian Wanda Group.
