NHL Pushes for Olympic Highlight Rights and Better Start Times

ST. LOUIS — NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman praised the 2026 men’s Olympic hockey tournament as an outstanding event, especially highlighting the U.S. team capturing its first gold medal since 1980. As the league evaluates the event’s impact, Bettman is focused on exploring ways to collaborate with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), and NBC, the Olympic broadcaster, to elevate the profile of hockey in future Winter Games. Central to these efforts is securing better access to NHL Olympic highlight rights and improving game start times to maximize viewer engagement.

Challenges with Highlight Rights for NHL and Clubs

The NHL faces restrictions imposed by the IOC designed to protect its major broadcast partners, including NBC, which prevent the league and its teams from using Olympic highlights across social media and other platforms. These limitations have been a source of frustration since the NHL paused participation in the Olympics for 12 years. The absence of highlight-sharing rights has become increasingly problematic as real-time social media content has grown into a key tool for fan engagement during the regular season.

“There are things we can do based on this experience and our relationship with the IIHF and the IOC that can make it an even more impactful event for hockey,”

Bettman stated ahead of his appearance at the Sports Business Journal’s National Sports Forum in St. Louis.

“And that’s something we’ll be talking about as we focus on the next one four years from now in France.”

“If you go back to ’98, when we first [sent players to the Olympics] … there weren’t the social media platforms, all of which we feed daily during the regular season,”

Bettman explained during his session.

“But when we go to the Olympics, there are limitations on what we can do. And as good as it is for hockey, it isn’t good if the NHL disappears for two and a half weeks, and we’ve got to strike a balance.”

Advocating for More Viewer-Friendly Game Times

Bettman also emphasized the importance of scheduling, noting that the 8 a.m. ET start for the U.S.-Canada gold medal game at the 2026 Olympics likely suppressed potential viewership. The game attracted an impressive 18.6 million viewers on NBC, marking the second-highest Olympic hockey rating ever on the network. However, this figure fell short compared to the 27.6 million viewers for the 2010 gold medal game held in Vancouver, which started in mid-afternoon at 3:15 p.m. ET.

“While we did a terrific rating, I’ve been told by reliable sources in the broadcasting business that the rating could’ve been twice as high,”

Bettman remarked.

Discussions with IOC for Future Olympic Collaboration

Following his dialogue with Kirsty Coventry, the newly appointed IOC President, in Milan, Bettman expressed optimism about creating changes that would benefit hockey’s exposure during upcoming Winter Games. Both the NHL and the Players’ Association are actively involved in these discussions, aiming to loosen current broadcast and usage restrictions while promoting the Olympics as advantageous for the sport.

“I’m hoping that as we and the Players’ Association work together and demonstrate that this is good for hockey for us to be promoting the Olympics, hopefully the chains with which we are tied will loosen,”

Bettman said.

Looking Ahead to Olympic Hockey in France 2030

With the 2030 Winter Olympics scheduled to be held in France, the NHL is already planning to leverage lessons from 2026 to deliver a more engaging and widely accessible hockey experience. Adjustments in highlight rights and scheduling are viewed as critical to maintaining the league’s visibility and growing its fan base during these international competitions. The NHL’s proactive stance signals a commitment to integrating Olympic hockey more seamlessly into its broader season and media strategies.