New York Rangers & MSG Start Broadband Video Site "MSG Hockey Night Live"

MSG Network is moving forward with its aggressive broadband plans this hockey season, even as its lawsuit questioning the NHL’s digital strategy moves through federal court. The New York area regional sports network is trying to replicate the success of the CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada” by coordinating the heavy amount of hockey programming it produces for MSG and FSNY with the Rangers, Islanders, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres under one brand. All this season, MSG and FSNY are branding their hockey content on TV as “MSG Hockey Night Live.” MSG and FSNY hold the rights to the Rangers, Islanders, Devils and Sabres. A big part of that branding strategy will be a broadband video site, also called “MSG Hockey Night Live,” that can be accessed through MSG’s Web site, MSG.com, and the Rangers’ Web site, nyrangers.com. The site goes live Thursday. FSNY does not have a Web site. Because of the pending lawsuit, the video-driven site will not have any game action or game highlights. Instead, it will focus on video blogs, player profiles and team features. Eventually, it will carry footage from skate arounds and clips from MSG’s TV content. Footage is all free to consumers, as MSG is following an ad-driven model.