The Amazon Prime Video streaming service has unveiled a partnership with Box to Box Films and NHL Productions (the content production wing of the North American ice hockey league) through which a docuseries around some of the league’s best teams and players is being created.
The series, as yet untitled, will air in the last few months of 2024, worldwide (having filmed during the 2023-24 season), and comes as an addition in Canada to Prime Video’s agreement for live coverage of the 32-team league (featuring seven Canadian sides) in 2024-25 and 2025-26. Through that tie-up, Monday night NHL games will be covered in that market exclusively by Prime Video.
Box to Box Films, meanwhile, is renowned for producing behind-the-scenes sports documentaries. Its roster of productions airing on Netflix, for example, includes Formula 1: Drive to Survive (motor racing), Tour de France: Unchained (cycling), Break Point (tennis), and Six Nations: Full Contact (rugby union). It has also produced feature-length sports-centric films, such as Diego Maradona, and Senna.
The collaboration marks the fourth original program Prime Video has partnered with NHL Productions for, after an edition of the All or Nothing documentary series followed the Toronto Maple Leafs through 2020-21, followed by two other documentaries (Chosen One: Alexandre Daigle, and Saving Sakic) this season.
The NHL series is being executive-produced by James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin (Box to Box Films’ co-founders), Steve Mayer and Ross Bernard for NHL Productions, and Daniel Amigone.
The series will “focus on the NHL’s biggest teams and most compelling characters, all at different stages of their careers, as they embark throughout the season on the ultimate pursuit of glory.”
This will include in-depth interviews with key players and their coaches and family members, as well as looking at their life off-ice.
The series is continuing to film now, as two of the players, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, are set to compete in the (best-of-seven) Stanley Cup Final between June 9 and 25. Crews will remain with those two players for the duration of the 2024 Stanley Cup.
Steve Meyer, chief content officer and senior executive vice president at the NHL, said: “This is so meaningful for our league. Box To Box has revolutionized modern storytelling for Formula 1, golf, and tennis. With the full support of the league, players, coaches, and owners, we welcome the opportunity to showcase our stars and the greatest season and postseason in sports.”
The two-year deal through which Prime Video will cover Monday night NHL action exclusively in Canada was announced in late April, through the NHL’s main Canadian broadcast rights partner, Rogers Communications.
The deal is the NHL’s first exclusive national broadcast agreement with a digital-only streaming service in Canada and will see 26 regular season games move from a traditional TV broadcaster - Rogers’ Sportsnet network - to Prime.
The deal has expanded Prime Video's portfolio of premium sports rights, which includes covering American football's NFL in the US and English soccer's Premier League in the UK.
The league also has previously worked with Amazon Web Services to deliver in-game analytics and video highlights.
In addition, Prime Video has a multi-year local market deal with the Seattle Kraken NHL team.
