DIRECTV adds four NHL team channels in multiyear deal, extending its local sports consolidation push

DIRECTV announced a new multiyear distribution agreement with the National Hockey League on October 24, 2026, adding four team-run channels: Hurricanes Hockey Network, Blue Jackets Hockey Network, Wild+ and Blue Note+. The channels carry pregame, postgame and in-game live sports services for the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. The announcement came jointly from DIRECTV and the league, with the Hurricanes separately confirming the deal on the team's own site the same day.

Availability is tied to geography and package tier. Streaming and satellite customers must live in each team's NHL-designated home territory and subscribe to Choice or higher packages. U-verse customers in those same regions need U200 or above. The agreement also grants each team distribution rights across DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS venues, including sports bars, restaurants and fitness clubs, within the team's region.

Channel assignments were laid out in the announcement. Hurricanes games air on channel 650 for streaming and satellite and 1726/726 on U-verse. The Blue Jackets are on 660 (streaming), 660-1 (satellite) and 1735/735 (U-verse). The Wild are on 668 (streaming), 668-1 (satellite) and 1745/745 (U-verse). The Blues are on 673 for streaming and satellite and 1747/747 on U-verse. The Hurricanes release notes the network went live in time for the team's game against the Blues on the night of the announcement.

The deal is the latest step in a broader consolidation play. According to the announcement, DIRECTV has recently obtained regional or local rights to provide 76 of the 81 U.S.-based NHL, NBA and MLB franchises to their local fans, including multiyear agreements covering 23 U.S.-based hockey teams. The release includes a full table of U.S.-based NHL teams and their current local distribution paths, which now mix team channels, regional sports networks and over-the-air local broadcasts.

The Hurricanes release adds useful context on how fragmented one team's distribution has become. Alongside DIRECTV, Hurricanes games are available as a direct-to-consumer subscription on Prime Video, and Spectrum and Fubo also carry Hurricanes Hockey Network. The team's television territory covers all of North Carolina and South Carolina, most of Georgia and parts of Alabama. Fans outside that territory can use NHL Power Play on the ESPN App or NHL Center Ice.

Both sides framed the deal in fan-friendly terms. Rob Thun, chief content officer at DIRECTV, said the company is committed to keeping fans connected to their favorite teams and giving them more choice and flexibility in how they watch and what they pay. David Proper, the NHL's chief media officer, said the agreement puts clubs in four passionate hockey markets in front of more of their fans. Hurricanes vice president of communications Mike Sundheim said the team was thrilled to add DIRECTV as a distribution partner.

The announcement also acknowledges the friction in this transition. As teams move to different forms of local distribution, it has become more complex for providers like DIRECTV to ensure that all fans who previously enjoyed games can still receive them. That admission matters, because the table of team availability shows a patchwork: some clubs sit on regional sports networks, some on team channels, and others on scattered local broadcast stations across multiple states.

For fans in the four affected markets, the practical takeaway is simple: check your package tier and your territory. Choice and above on streaming or satellite, or U200 and above on U-verse, unlocks the new channels if you live in the right region. Everyone else is back to national out-of-market packages or whatever local broadcast deal their team has struck.