NHL expands free-to-air coverage partnership with RTL Deutschland, adding ‘NHL Monday Night Hockey’ starting Nov. 30

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The NHL announced a renewed and expanded media-rights agreement with RTL Deutschland that will broaden its free-to-air presence in Germany starting November 30. Under the arrangement, “NHL Monday Night Hockey” will be shown regularly in European prime time on NITRO, with additional live coverage also available through Sky Sport and RTL+.

The NHL said the Monday-night package is designed to give German fans more opportunities to watch live NHL games beyond the weekend slate. For the 2026–27 season, the league outlined 11 “NHL Monday Night Hockey” broadcasts, with Sky Sport handling a larger presentation footprint while NITRO provides the free-to-air prime-time window.

NITRO viewers will have access to the full set of 11 Monday-night broadcasts this season, and the NHL said those games will also stream via RTL+. The league’s schedule begins on November 30 with Ottawa Senators at Nashville Predators at 6:45 p.m., led by Ottawa’s Tim Stützle, followed by additional matchups across December, January, February, March and early April.

The NHL said RTL Deutschland will also deliver live coverage of the NHL’s return to Germany with the 2026 NHL Global Series Germany presented by Kaufland. That series will feature the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks at PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf, with games scheduled for December 18 and December 20.

According to the NHL, both Global Series Germany games in Düsseldorf will be broadcast live on NITRO, Sky Sport and RTL+. The league also stated that the renewed agreement includes live coverage of four NHL games slated for Munich and Cologne during the 2027–28 season.

RTL Deutschland leadership tied the expansion to the value of live sports in a fragmented media environment. Inga Leschek, Chief Content Officer at RTL Deutschland, said live sports create “shared moments” and described Germany as a strategic growth market for the NHL, adding that the partnership will bring the league to free-to-air TV more regularly and turn the Global Series Games into “celebrations of the game of ice hockey.”

Frank Robens, Executive Vice President of Sports at RTL Deutschland, said RTL Deutschland and the NHL will bring more German stars to German free-to-air television through “NHL Monday Night Hockey” and Global Series coverage, and referenced Leon Draisaitl as a German player in the league. Robens also characterized Sky Sport as the long-term home of the NHL in Germany while positioning the combined coverage as a way to pair “sports coverage” with broader reach.

From the NHL’s side, David Proper, the league’s Chief Media Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, said German fan demand continues to grow and that German players’ on-ice impact across the NHL has helped drive interest. Proper said expanding the partnership with RTL Deutschland to showcase “NHL Monday Night Hockey” in prime time is intended to reach more households and strengthen connections with fans across the country.

For Monday-night broadcasts on NITRO and Sky Sport Mix, the NHL said Sky Sport will provide the primetime presentation from its main studio in Unterföhring. Presenter Michael Leopold and pundit Patrick Köppchen will host starting 20 minutes before the start of each match on NITRO and Sky Sport Mix as well as on RTL+. The NHL also specified that commentary will rotate among Olivier Zwartyes, Franz Büchner and Christoph Stadtler, with former international and NHL professionals Korbinian Holzer or Frank Mauer joining as co-commentators depending on the broadcast.

The NHL also provided the complete list of “NHL Monday Night Hockey” games for the 2026–27 season on NITRO and Sky Sport Mix, running from November 30 through April 5. The matchups listed by the league include Colorado Avalanche at New York Islanders on December 7; Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators on December 14; Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs on December 21; Vegas Golden Knights at Minnesota Wild on December 28; Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres on January 18; New York Islanders at Florida Panthers on February 1; Anaheim Ducks at Boston Bruins on February 15; Montreal Canadiens at Philadelphia Flyers on February 22; Tampa Bay Lightning at Washington Capitals on March 15; and Philadelphia Flyers at Carolina Hurricanes on April 5.

In its announcement, the NHL further outlined Sky Sport’s role as the exclusive broadcaster for a large portion of the league’s live schedule in Germany. The league said Sky Sport broadcasts approximately 300 NHL games live each season and typically airs at least one game live per day across the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs, with NHL broadcasts available via Sky and WOW (subscription required for the Sky Sport package). The NHL also noted that WOW Live Sport allows fans to watch Sky Sport live sports broadcasts with “complete flexibility.”