XM Follows the Puck, Also Details Baseball Plans for Fall

Hockey’s coming back and XM has jumped on it.
The satellite company said it signed a 10-year, $100-million agreement. XM will begin carrying NHL games this fall but becomes the exclusive satellite radio network of the NHL beginning with the 2007-08 season. XM will also set up a dedicated NHL radio channel. The sport will also be heard in Canada through Canadian Satellite Radio, which is helping to pay for the deal and recently won a license to distribute satellite radio in Canada.
Separately, XM said it will offer fans a choice of three play-by-play broadcasts for each game during its coverage of the 2005 Major League Baseball League Championship Series and World Series. It will carry the home and visiting team broadcasts for each postseason game as well as the national ESPN Radio feed.