Gary Bettman has officially cost the NHL millions of dollars

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Julien Trekker
August 28, 2023 (11:45)

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is once again under the spotlight for the wrong reasons.

Bettman Loses Millions

The renowned player agent Allan Walsh wrote on Twitter:

"The NHL is going into its 3rd year of its 7-year media rights deal with ESPN. Since that time, ESPN's subscriber base has fallen from 80 million to 45 million. Disney (parent company of ESPN) is now actively searching for a «strategic partner» for the network."

This means that the NHL potentially lost millions of viewers because of a deal made by Gary Bettman.

After the fiasco with Bally Sports, another hit to the NHL's viewership partners could be devastating.

"Also, Bally Sports just announced pending bankruptcy which will apparently affect 12 NHL teams. With Bally owning $55M in media rights, it's likely that this affects the salary cap.

Another Mistake

Since being named commissioner in 1993, Bettman has made the team owners a lot of money.

However, he continues to make poor decisions that show his style doesn't align with today's NHL.

He aims to generate revenue, but instead, he loses millions due to poor decisions.

There are four years left on the contract with ESPN, and let's hope someone else will be in place to make the decisions while Bettman enjoys the pleasures of retirement.

As seen on Blade of Steel - Gary Bettman's most recent failed deal has cost the NHL 35 million potential viewers