KHL games coming to ESPN

The KHL is coming to ESPN. According to the site KHL.ru, ESPN has reached an agreement with the KHL to bring Russian hockey games to audiences within the United States. The new deal will place KHL games on ESPN3, a channel available within the United States, its territories and Great Britain. The move is believed to make KHL games available to roughly 73 million homes. 

The interest is there. The NHL has gone missing. Chalk this up as a wise move by ESPN.

Interest in the KHL has never been higher. As more and more NHL players flock overseas, NHL fans are left scrambling to find ways to follow their favorite players. Twitter is typically the best source as finding online streams of KHL games can prove tiresome and frustrating. It might even prove impossible depending on your Internet connection. 

It's no secret ESPN wanted to get back to covering hockey. When the NHL's rights were on the bidding table, ESPN made a big push but were outbid by NBC/NBC Sports. This left ESPN on the sidelines for the game of hockey, creating a big hole in their claim that they are the lone hub for sports coverage.

Now, with the help of the NHL lockout, ESPN is getting back into the game of hockey. Their coverage begins immediately, with the first game being the clash between Dynamo Moscow and Ak Bars on October 3rd. They will cover five games in the first 10 days of October. 

Smart move, ESPN. You gain some easy positive PR in the hockey world by giving NHL fans an easy way to follow their stars abroad. You also tap into the hockey market, allowing you to once again back up your claim as being the leader in sports coverage. Finally, you really put the screws to NBC, a network that will be out millions of dollars if the lockout endures. 

About David Rogers

Editor for The Comeback and Contributing Editor for Awful Announcing. Lover of hockey, soccer and all things pop culture.

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