The Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) media giant has agreed a long-term extension of its broadcast deal in Finland with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.
Under the new agreement, Finland national team matches and major tournaments (excluding men's World Championships) will continue to be broadcast through WBD’s distribution channels from 2026 to 2032.
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All national team matches will continue to be shown on WBD's free-to-air flagship channel TV5, as well as on the Max streaming service.
The agreement includes four key World Championship tournaments each season: Women, U20 men, U18 girls, and U18 boys. In addition, the deal covers the men's and women's Euro Hockey Tour tournaments and individual international matches.
Antti Haajanen, Warner Bros. Discovery vice president of sports in the Nordics, has said: “The Lions is Finland’s most significant sports brand, and Lions hockey has played a significant role in WBD’s growth to Finland’s second most-watched commercial TV company in commercial target groups aged 25–54 and 25–64.
“It has been a pleasure to increase the visibility of the sport, especially of the youth and women’s hockey teams, and to help boost their popularity. We remain committed to providing a comprehensive hockey package on the FTA channel TV5 and even more content for fans via Max.”
Sami Kauhanen, CEO of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, added: “It's great to be able to continue our partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery. The role of a media partner is significant in developing the multifaceted visibility of the sport, and we will be able to continue this work together in the coming years.”
During the upcoming spring season, WBD will air the women's World Cup, the men's Nordic Cup and Latvia matches, the U18 World Cup, and the Czech Euro Hockey Tour on its distribution channels.
In addition to the agreement with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, WBD will continue to broadcast Olympic ice hockey in the coming years, with the European media rights for the 2026–2032 games being awarded to WBD and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
WBD will act as the “digital home” for the Olympic Games across Europe through its streaming and pay-TV services Max and Eurosport.
