ONE World Sports Secures Multiplatform KHL Rights

ONE World Sports, which offers coverage of world-class sports events from around the globe, has secured exclusive, multiplatform rights to carry games from the Kontinental Hockey League.

The high-definition coverage starts with four regular-season games in February, immediately following the Olympic Winter Games, and continues in April with live or same-day coverage of the league’s two conference finals and championship series. KHL content will be distributed across all the network’s platforms, spanning the linear channel and broadband and mobile via the network’s “Watch ONE World Sports” app.

“The addition of the KHLprovides some of the best hockey the world has to offer to the ONE World Sports’ line-up” says Alexander “Sandy” Brown, president and CEO of ONE World Sports. “With a significant number of NHL alumni in the KHL, we anticipate that our coverage will attract hockey fans across North America. Additionally, our multiplatform rights give those fans the opportunity to watch the games and highlights on the screen of their choice.”

The KHL has 28 teams — 21 based in Russia and the rest in Belarus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, and Ukraine. Teams play in all eight nations, spanning nine time zones from Central Europe to Asia. Sixteen teams make the playoffs with the winner awarded the Gagarin Cup, the KHL’s equivalent of the Stanley Cup.

Dozens of former NHL players have played in the KHL — including NHL stars Ilya Kovalchuk, Nik Antropov, and Alex Burmistrov.

The addition of the KHL adds top hockey action to the ONE World Sports schedule featuring more than 2,400 unique hours annually of sports from around the globe.