NEW YORK – Nine and the National Hockey League (NHL) today announced a groundbreaking media partnership that will bring the world’s premier professional ice hockey league to Australian audiences for free.
From Saturday October 18, 9GO! will broadcast a live NHL game every Saturday morning during the 2025-26 regular season. The partnership will deliver 21 regular season games, giving Australian sports fans unprecedented access to the NHL’s fast-paced, high-stakes action. The action starts at 10am AEDT on 9GO! and 9Now with an exciting match-up between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Detroit Red Wings. The broadcast schedule is available here.
In a unique collaboration, Nine and the NHL have specially developed a bespoke broadcast feed
for the Australian market. Produced by NHL Productions in its state-of-the-art studio in New York City, the feed offers viewers a customized experience, featuring:
● Dedicated commentators providing play-by-play commentary and analysis tailored for Australian audiences.
● Custom intermission coverage with in-depth analysis, player profiles and rules explanations to engage both new and existing fans.
The 2025-26 NHL season is particularly important as the League will pause from February 6 to 24 while the world’s best NHL players compete at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Nine’s commentary team will highlight this exciting storyline, connecting fans to the players who will represent their country on the world stage and anticipating Nine’s exclusive coverage of the Winter Olympics Olympic Games.
Brent Williams, Nine’s sporting directorsaid: “We’re incredibly excited to be working with the NHL to bring the fastest game on ice to Australian homes, free-to-air. This isn’t just a broadcast – it’s a customized viewing experience. By creating a dedicated feed with local commentary and specialist content, we want to grow the sport in Australia and give fans the best possible coverage. The Link to Winter Olympic Games provides a fantastic story that will create excitement for what is a huge event on the Nine calendar.”
“We’re pleased that Nine shares our commitment to bringing live games to more fans across Australia,” said Daniel KimNHL Executive Vice President, Media and International Strategy. “The overwhelming success of the NHL Global series Melbourne, combined with the growing enthusiasm for our grassroots, learn-to-play hockey initiatives and increasing social media engagement through our dedicated channels underline the impact of our investment in Australia.”
In 2023, Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes faced each other in the NHL Global series-Melbourne, the very first NHL games in the Southern Hemisphere with a few sold-out games in the preseason. The weeklong celebration also included three days of the NHL Global Fan Tour, the League’s traveling fan festival, and coaching, refereeing and youth hockey clinics.
St. Louis Blues forward Nathan Walker is the first player with Australian nationality to play in the League. He is currently in his eighth NHL season.
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