What is the annual revenue of the NHL? (plus, where it comes from)
Everybody is aware of how big a sports business is. Different countries have different national sports that are played there. No matter what type of sport is performed, organizations and players want to make money from their investments. If you like playing ice hockey, you might be interested in the NHL’s yearly profit.
What is the yearly revenue of the NHL? The NHL earns around $5.4 billion in profits annually. The majority of earnings come from licensing fees, ticket sales, gate receipts, and broadcast money. Leagues and players will get this money according to the agreement of collective bargaining.
What are the other expenses and what enhances the revenues are also considerable factors? Let’s discuss them in detail.
NHL Annual Revenue Chart
Below is the NHL annual revenue chart:
| Year | Revenue (USD Billions) |
| 2020-21 | 2.90 |
| 2019-20 | 4.40 |
| 2018-19 | 5.09 |
| 2017-18 | 4.86 |
| 2016-17 | 4.43 |
| 2015-16 | 4.1 |
| 2014-15 | 3.98 |
| 2013-14 | 3.7 |
| 2012-13 | 2.63 |
| 2011-12 | 3.37 |
| 2010-11 | 3.09 |
| 2009-10 | 2.93 |
You might have seen in the chart; the NHL’s earnings have risen greatly in the past ten years. The 2012–13 year only had 48 games because of an NHL strike. This strike caused the one drop.
You can read this article: What Is The Best Way To Buy NHL Tickets?
What makes up the NHL’s annual revenue?
Below are the sources of NHL yearly revenues:
1. Ticket Sales
As a percentage of total earnings, the NHL continues to rely more on ticket prices as compared to the other sports leagues. Also, ticket bookings provide a greater part of the NHL’s income.
The normal ticket costs $386 Canadian(300USD) in Toronto. The cheapest tickets in Edmonton are still available for around $30.
2. Luxury Boxes
Besides eating charges, the expense to reserve a container for a night is charged from $2500 to $25000! It is a significant source of in-game income for the squads and leagues.
3. Television Revenues
The NHL earns greatly from its television deal. It is among the great sources of NHL annual income. Besides having only 10% of the people of the US, Canada’s NHL international deal costs more. When compared to the $200 million nationwide deal in the United States, Rogers spent $600 million per year in Canada.
4. Merchandise and Concession Sales
This includes all the revenue generated by the sale of tickets, parking, snacks, and those $10–$12 beverages. This also enhances the overall yearly revenues of the NHL.
5. Royalties from Licensing
The NHL makes a lot of money by permitting the use of its trademarks, player photos, and brand affiliations.
If you have ever purchased an NHL item, you might know that they did not manufacture it. Instead of that, NHL buys a firm the license to manufacture an item under its trademark.
What growth of revenues is going to come from?
The growth of revenues going to come from the following bases:
- Expansion Fees
- Gambling
- TV Revenue Development
- Increased Game-Day Revenue
1. Expansion Fees
The growth of the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken contributed $500 million and $650 million respectively to the NHL’s budget. It has helped to lately improve their income.
The owner gained major earnings as they were free from sharing the income with the skaters. They cannot consider it as hockey-related earnings. With product sales, local television, and ticket prices, Vegas has improved NHL income each year after joining the team.
2. Gambling
Today, sports gambling is permissible in every state in the United States. The NHL is a member in the rolling out and some are still discussing their offerings. Also, everyone has adopted a unique strategy for this.
If the NHL tries to make money from individuals gambling on the matches, this will be a significant money maker. Even in-game gambling opportunities are going to be available at some NHL venues.
The Washington Capital was the initial state to do this. They generated a significant amount of cash and now, other teams are going to do the same.
3. TV Revenue Development
The renegotiating of the U.S. national broadcasting contract will result in the highest increase in NHL income. To the NFL, MLB, and NBA, the $200 million per year they get from NBC is a roundoff error.
The NHL will not receive money close to those league agreements. Instead of that, they will receive a big increase. Thus, the number of viewers for the tournament continues to go up.
Additionally, Game 7 of the Boston vs. Blues playoff had the most viewers ever at 9 million. The average wage of NHL fans who watch and attend matches is greater than the national average. On the other hand, sports television deals are on the rising. All of this indicates positive developments for the NHL when their television agreement with NBC Sports will expire.
4. Increased Game-Day Revenue
This implies an increase in the price of the tickets. NHL teams are constantly searching for methods to boost internal revenues. They can increase it through the addition of more expensive boxes, dining establishments, or unique game events like behind-the-scenes visits.
For instance, it will charge extra money for the tickets to get permission to take pictures on the field after a warm-up match with a few famous players.
You can read this article: What percentage of NHL players are American?
Main Expenses for Each NHL Team
The wages of the players are the NHL’s biggest expense. The standard NHL club pays its skaters between $75 and $80 million annually. The remaining funds will be used for constructing buildings, transportation, promotional tools, and front-desk personnel.
Nobody knows how much cash a team has made or lost. But the agreement on collective bargaining with the skaters has been set in a way that earnings are distributed 50/50. This implies that the expansion of the game will divide between both players and the owners.
You must be aware that the owners have some other income sources that aren’t included in the 50/50 division.
How does this compare with other leagues?
There is no denying that the NHL’s annual sales of 5 billion dollars are a large amount of money. The total yearly profits of other significant professional sports in the United States exceed this sum. The cash obtained from broadcast agreements is the primary distinction between the teams.
| League | Yearly Revenue |
| NBA | $8.76 Billion |
| NFL | $8.1 Billion |
| MLB | $9.9 Billion |
The number of broadcast agreements exceeds the NHL’s American agreement that the other three teams have reached. Because it managed to obtain a big broadcast deal with the hockey-obsessed Canadian tv industry, the NHL is protected.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the annual income of the NHL team?
The yearly revenue of the NHL team is around 5.4 billion dollars. The NHL team is still trying to increase revenues through different methods.
What are the main expenses of the NHL team?
The major expense among all expenses of the NHL team is to pay team players. They have to pay around 75 billion to 80 billion dollars every year. Other expenses are traveling, construction, and frond-desks personnel.
What is the major source of income of the NHL?
The major source of NHL annual revenues is television broadcasts. They earned a major part of their annual income from television transmissions. Also, the number of viewers is increasing day by day. This way, they will get an increased percentage of money until the agreement expires.
Conclusion: What is the annual revenue of the NHL?
I have clearly explained what is the yearly revenue of the NHL which is 5.4 billion dollars. They have earned greater money for the last few years from hockey matches. Not only that but also, they are trying to increase their yearly income through television broadcasts and other sources. You can say that it is the largest business of the NHL to earn money through hockey.
