Despite commissioner Gary Bettman’s denials, rumors are surfacing once again that the NHL is planning to expand.

“There continues to be a number of people, entities, and cities expressing interest in having an NHL franchise where they don’t have one — places like Atlanta, like Houston, like Quebec City — but we’re not in expansion mode right now,” Bettman said. 

But some, like longtime ESPN anchor John Buccigross, have reported that Atlanta is indeed getting a team. The Georgia city has had two NHL expansion teams before — the Flames and the Thrashers — but lost both within 31 years. The Thrashers played their last game in Atlanta in 2011.

“We haven’t studied it, but to the extent that we’re getting expressions of interest from the general Atlanta region, it’s in locations for arenas that are different than where they’ve been,” Bettman said. 

Houston, the fourth-largest city in the U.S. by population, is also thought to be a top contender. 

The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek recently suggested Toronto, Quebec City, Kansas City, and Halifax as cities that would be a viable option for NHL expansion. 

The last time the league expanded was in 2016 with the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights, the league’s 31st team.

Steps are being taken to make the new Buffalo Bills stadium a reality.

The Erie Stadium Corp., a state-controlled corporation, will disburse the first $300 million in state benefits with an eye toward beginning construction in June. 

New York will offer up $600 million in total funding, while Erie County will chip in another $250 million, meaning that public funds will cover more than half the expected cost of the $1.4 billion stadium. 

The team and NFL will cover the remaining $550 million and any cost overruns. The Bills will enter into a new 30-year lease as part of the deal.

The Stadium Corp. will also spend $2.6 million on administrative staff to manage the building of the stadium. Part of that process is having the state purchase land owned by Erie County where the new stadium will be built.

The Bills hope to have their new venue ready for the start of the 2026 season. 

The stadium designs call for a 60,000-63,000 capacity stadium with no roof. The facility will have stacked seating and a canopy to offer some protection from the elements. Buffalo’s average temperatures are regularly below freezing during the winter months.

The Stadium Corp. has noted that the stadium would have been significantly more expensive if it included a roof or was located in downtown Buffalo.

A countermovement by sports teams to take back media rights is picking up steam in the wake of Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy filing.  

For decades, pro sports teams outsourced their television rights to regional sports networks for big bucks in rights fees.  

But cord-cutting drives RSNs like AT&T SportsNet and Diamond Sports Group’s Bally-branded networks into serious financial difficulties. If these middlemen can’t or won’t televise games anymore, then pro teams and leagues will. 

• MLB’s Houston Astros and the NBA’s Houston Rockets are in talks to take over their cable TV partner AT&T SportsNet Southwest. 
• With Warner Bros. Discovery Sports informing teams it wants out of the RSN business, look for possible solo strategies for teams serviced by AT&T SportsNet’s channels in Pittsburgh and Denver.
• Madison Square Garden is inviting fans of the NBA’s New York Knicks and NHL’s New York Rangers to buy and stream games annually, monthly, or game-by-game.  
• Ted Leonsis’ Monumental Sports & Entertainment bought the NBC Sports Washington RSN last year. 

If Bally’s 19 RSNs back out of their media rights deals amid the bankruptcy, then MLB promises to enter the breach. 

“If any of the RSNs are no longer able to produce local games, we will be in a position to step in to produce and distribute those games with linear and direct-to-consumer options,” said Noah Garden, MLB’s chief revenue officer.

The crumbling RSN model could produce some strange bedfellows. Because the Fenway Sports Group principally owns the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, The Athletic said Fenway’s New England Sports Network could step up.

Serie A is reportedly considering a takeover of Sky Italia.

Italy’s top-flight soccer league is interested in utilizing the Comcast-owned broadcaster’s infrastructure, organization, and customer base to build its own TV channel, according to La Stampa.

The reports surfaced as the league’s top 20 clubs met with Serie A on Monday to discuss outside investment in the league’s media business, but didn’t come to a decision.

“The proposals received from funds and banks were set out to the clubs, who have given themselves time to evaluate the serious options,” said Lorenzo Casini, Serie A chairman.

JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Barclays, and Citi are all reportedly interested in partnering with the league to bid for Sky. 

The clubs will meet again at the end of the month.

Casini said “there is nothing concrete on the table at the moment” for a possible investment in Sky Italia, which is estimated to have roughly 4.2 million customers in Italy. 

Reuters reported that Serie A made a “preliminary analysis of a potential transaction,” including taking a majority stake in Sky Italia or part of its operations.

The league is expected to invite applications for domestic broadcasting rights starting with the 2024-25 season later this year. Sky Italia currently shows three matches per week, and the league’s main rights holder DAZN is available on the platform.