DIRECTV Signs Multi-Year NHL Deal for Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Wild and Blues Channels

DIRECTV announced a multi-year distribution agreement with the National Hockey League for four team channels: Hurricanes Hockey Network, Blue Jackets Hockey Network, Wild+ and Blue Note+. The El Segundo-based company said the channels carry pregame, postgame and in-game live sports services. PR Newswire published the announcement on October 24, 2026.

How the Four NHL Channels Reach Fans

Each of the four channels is available to DIRECTV streaming and satellite customers who live in the team's NHL-designated home territory and subscribe to Choice and higher packages, according to the company. U-verse customers in those same regions who subscribe to U200 and above also receive the channels. The agreement additionally provides each NHL team distribution rights to DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS venues, including sports bars, restaurants and fitness clubs located within the team's region.

Carolina Hurricanes local games air on channel 650 for streaming and satellite and on 1726/726 for U-verse. Columbus Blue Jackets games air on channel 660 for streaming, 660-1 for satellite and 1735/735 for U-verse. Minnesota Wild games air on channel 668 for streaming, 668-1 for satellite and 1745/745 for U-verse. St. Louis Blues games air on channel 673 for streaming and satellite and 1747/747 for U-verse.

"We are committed to keeping fans connected to their favorite teams and giving them more choice and flexibility in how they watch and what they pay," said Rob Thun, Chief Content Officer at DIRECTV. David Proper, NHL Chief Media Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, said the agreement puts the four clubs "in front of more of their fans."

DIRECTV's Regional Rights Reach 76 Franchises

DIRECTV has recently obtained regional or local rights to provide 76 of the 81 U.S.-based NHL, NBA or MLB franchises to their local fans, the company said, including multi-year agreements for 23 U.S.-based hockey teams. According to akta.pro company records, DIRECTV partnered with United Airlines in June 2026 to stream free live TV on Starlink-enabled seatbacks across up to 150 aircraft, expanding to about 1,000. The same records list a June 2026 multi-year distribution deal with DAZN to carry DSPORTS across Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay.

Earlier DIRECTV Sports Rollouts

On October 21, 2026, DirecTV added four sports channels to its MyFree service through C15 Studio, bringing the total to 43 sports channels, Telecompaper reported. DirecTV launched a Build Your Own Multiview feature on October 14, 2026, letting subscribers select up to four eligible sports channels on one screen, with a rollout to Gemini and Roku, TVTechnology reported. On October 23, 2026, TVTechnology reported that DirecTV will showcase a curated Multiview of four games on October 26, one each from the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL.

DIRECTV's October 26 Multiview

The October 26 Multiview campaign includes a free-to-play DraftKings contest with up to $5,000 in prizes and digital ads, TVTechnology reported.