It wasn’t like the Panthers had a stroll in the park with their Stanley Cup triumph in 2025. In fact, the challenges they faced make their record-making win only more impressive, isn’t it? And it’s not just the Panthers. The 2024-25 NHL season had it all, from historic records being made to absolute thrill, excitement, and full-on chaos hitting the ice. Yet, if the fans aren’t there, what’s the point?

That was exactly how it was in the 2024-25 season. The viewership and the TV ratings took a massive dive. It didn’t matter how exciting the buildup was, because the fans stayed away. Well, the NHL has been trying its best to bring back the people who breathe life into the sport. And yet, the league has only managed to make things worse for itself. Until now, that is. The latest move might just be the masterstroke that makes the fans smile.

There has been one consistent complaint from the fans over the course of the last season. That the multiple subscriptions and platforms are really complicated to keep up with. And that’s exactly what the League has addressed. As of July 30, the NHL has entered into a deal with DAZN to bring all the games to the fans from one platform. This includes the regular season games, the play-offs, and also the Stanley Cup Finals. Perfect, isn’t it? And there’s more good news.

DAZN’s NHL coverage will span more than 200 countries worldwide. This is excluding the USA, Canada, and the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The multi-year partnership will make DAZN the exclusive home for the NHL.TV, and it will begin with the 2025-26 season. You can avail NHL.TV on DAZN as a standalone subscription or as an add-on to the existing DAZN package you have. Either way, you will be able to access the games from any device – smart TVs, tablets, mobile sets, etc.

DAZN’s rise to popularity as a sports streaming service provider will make the NHL a bigger prospect in terms of a sporting brand. Truth be told, the hockey league has been doing well in terms of quality and entertainment value on the ice. It’s just that they had failed to market it because of their decisions. Speaking about the historic deal, the NHL Chief Operating Officer, Steve McArdle, said, “The NHL is a global League, and with 30 percent of our Players born outside of North America, engaging our international fans is a significant priority.”

The NHL COO added, “Our shared commitment to innovation, gold standard technology and providing an exceptional content delivery service will allow us to deliver NHL content to hockey fans around the world on the platforms they prefer.” As for the team on the side, the DAZN CEO, Shay Segev, shared why this was a partnership they wanted to happen. Because DAZN prides on delivering “the most exciting sports action to fans across the globe.” And NHL’s sporting package of skill and thrill coupled with DAZN’s “global platform and best-in-class technology” makes this a win for everyone – the NHL, DAZN, and the fans.

Maybe a change in fan sentiment is on the cards. Well, it did get quite bad in the recently concluded season.

DAZN hopefully does for the NHL what TNT and truTV failed to do

The numbers actually speak for themselves. The 2024-25 regular season was the least-watched regular season in the US since at least 2009-10 if you take the ESPN & TNT Sports coverage into consideration. While the ABC broadcast in 2023-24 took the Stanley Cup Finals to the fans free of cost, the TNT and truTV channels created a financial barrier for the fans. And it showed the drop in numbers.

The early playoff figures in 2024-25 are hovering around 27% lower than the previous year. And it continued deep into the postseason, even having a massive impact on the Stanley Cup itself. Even Canada’s passionate supporters couldn’t amp up the numbers to make it a splash. The first 3 games of the Stanley Cup Finals had an average TV rating of 6.73 million, trailing the 2024 figures of 6.80M.

If this didn’t get the attention of the NHL, the Game 6 numbers surely sent the League officials into emergency mode. The Stanley Cup Finals saw a 33% drop from the 2024-25 Game 6 numbers (4.2M). The 2.8M viewers recorded this year is also the least-watched Game 6 since 1994. It was time to go for the panic button, wasn’t it?

The fact that the traditional biggies like the New York Rangers, Boston, etc., didn’t make it to the Play-offs obviously had its bearing on this ordeal. But the NHL had played its own part in this debacle. Confusing game blackouts, low-quality production, and scattered coverage meant it has been a hassle for the fans – both mentally and financially. Hopefully, the DAZN deal ushers in a new era for the sport that deserves more.