With the NBA and NHL playoffs unfolding at the same time, ESPN navigates one of the busiest stretches of its sports calendar — juggling overlapping game windows, shared arenas and multiple league obligations to keep both postseasons moving.
We spoke with ESPN’s NHL Director of Programming, Eric Loh, and Dan Ochs, ESPN’s NBA Director of Programming, to explore how their teams work during one of the biggest moments of the playoff calendar.
Dan Ochs, NBA
This marks the first year of the new ESPN-NBA rights deal — how does that added investment and partnership shape your approach to programming during the Conference Finals?
Our NBA rights have always been — and will continue to be — a hallmark of our programming strategy. The new deal has introduced additional complexity to the process, primarily in the first two rounds, largely driven by the new three-partner paradigm.
Moving deeper into the NBA playoffs, how does your programming approach evolve?
We’re fully committed to elevating the NBA Playoffs from Game 1 of the First Round through the final buzzer of the NBA Finals. As we move into the Conference Finals, we enhance our surround coverage in a few notable ways. For example:
- NBA Today expands to two hours on all game days for the remainder of the Playoffs.
- NBA Tip-Off extends to 90 minutes for all NBA Finals games.
- Both shows will be on-site throughout the Finals.
- And of course, as has been the case all postseason, Inside the NBA caps each night of coverage in a way only Ernie, Chuck, Shaq, and Kenny can.
What excites you most about ESPN’s NBA coverage during this stretch of the sports calendar?
The NBA Finals. There are very few truly premium sports properties, and the Finals are firmly on that short list. Being able to crown an NBA champion on our platforms is something everyone involved in our season-long coverage is incredibly proud of.
Eric Loh, NHL
With multiple leagues vying for attention, how do you make sure ESPN’s NHL storytelling stands out?
We’re always trying to carve out as much time as possible on our networks to tell the story of the NHL postseason. Our studio show, The Point, The Drop on our digital channels and our social feeds promote and identify huge storylines to encourage casual fans to tune in for our Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage — that’s what we’re always striving to achieve.
As we get closer to the Stanley Cup Final in June, those windows for studio will continue to increase, and our storytelling and coverage within non-NHL programming windows will increase too.
What excites you most about ESPN’s NHL coverage during this stretch of the sports calendar?
Honestly, it’s embracing the challenge of putting together the jigsaw puzzle. It can be challenging at times, but knowing there is a path where it all snaps into place, and knowing we’re putting our teams in the best position possible to set viewership records is very fulfilling. That moment, once the Cup gets presented, that’s why you follow the sport, and nothing’s better than that.
Ronce Rajan, ESPN Communications Manager, also contributed to this post.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs Western Conference Final coverage continues Friday with Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche (Game 2) at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN), with pregame coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN+).
The NBA Eastern Conference Finals presented by Dunkin’ continues Thursday at 8 p.m. with Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks (Game 2) on ESPN. Pregame coverage tips off with NBA Tip-Off presented by AT&T at 7 p.m.
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