NBC puts Marty Walsh’s Winter Classic viewing plan on ice
A power play by NBC over the broadcasting rights to this year’s Winter Classic has ended Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s goal of hosting a public viewing of the outdoor hockey game.
Walsh announced Monday that the New Year’s Day Gillette Stadium contest between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens would be live streamed in Copley Square, thanks to a partnership reached between the city and the NHL.
But according to The Boston Globe, officials from TD Garden have informed City Hall that NBC will not grant the broadcast license needed to stream the game.
In a one-sentence joint statement in response to inquiries from the Globe, the NHL and NBC said that “public viewing gatherings for nationally televised regular-season games are not permissible under NHL media-rights policies.’’
A Walsh spokesperson told the Globe that city officials still hope to be able to find a resolution.
Read the full Boston Globe story here.
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