The National Hockey League, DirecTV, Comcast, Madison Square Garden Co. and eight NHL franchises proposed a settlement to an antitrust class-action lawsuit. If the class-action lawsuit settlement is accepted by the judge, the NHL will be forced to offer the Center Ice/GameCenter package in an unbundled format online.
Emails were sent out to past subscribers notifying them of the class-action lawsuit and the details within the process. This may affect hockey fans and may not if it is thrown out by the judge. If the judge accepts the class-action lawsuit the NHL will be forced to allow fans to buy specific team subscriptions. Fans will no longer have to purchase the complete NHL GameCenter Live package.
Laumann v. National Hockey League, et al.
PERSONS WHO PURCHASED GAME CENTER LIVE FROM THE NHL OR PURCHASED NHL CENTER ICE FROM COMCAST OR DIRECTV
You Have an Opportunity to Subscribe to Discounted Individual Team Packages through NHL GameCenter LIVE and You May Have Access to Free NHL Center Ice Programming through Comcast or DIRECTV
- A proposed settlement (the “Settlement”) has been reached in a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of consumers who purchased NHL GameCenter LIVE from the NHL or purchased NHL Center Ice from Comcast or DIRECTV between March 12, 2008, and June 10, 2015. The proposed settlement is between the individuals who brought that lawsuit and the defendants. The defendants are the National Hockey League (“NHL”), NHL Enterprises L.P., NHL Interactive Cyberenterprises LLC, New York Rangers Hockey Club, New Jersey Devils LLC, New York Islanders Hockey Club L.P., Comcast-Spectacor L.P., Lincoln Hockey LLC, Lemieux Group, L.P., Hockey Western New York LLC, Chicago Blackhawks Hockey Team Inc., San Jose Sharks LLC, DIRECTV, LLC, DIRECTV Sports Networks LLC, DIRECTV Sports Net Pittsburgh, LLC d/b/a Root Sports Pittsburgh, Comcast Corp., Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia, L.P, Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic, L.P., Comcast Sportsnet California, LLC, Comcast Sportsnet Chicago, LLC, and The Madison Square Garden Company (“Defendants”). The lawsuit alleges that the NHL’s rules establishing the local broadcast territories and associated blackouts violated federal antitrust laws. If you purchased NHL GameCenter LIVE or NHL Center Ice from Comcast or DIRECTV between March 12, 2008 and June 10, 2015, your legal rights are affected whether you act or do not act. Please read the notice carefully.
- The lawsuit alleges that the territorial allocation of broadcast rights within the NHL assigned to each of its member clubs and thereafter sold to regional sporting networks violated federal antitrust laws, provides out of market consumers with fewer choices, and inflates prices charged to view broadcasts of live professional hockey games. Defendants dispute Plaintiffs ’factual and legal claims and deny any wrongdoing and liability, as well as any adverse effect on consumer choices and that prices charged have been inflated. The parties have concluded that it is in their best interests to settle the litigation to avoid the expense, inconvenience, and uncertainty of litigation.
- In May 2015, the Court granted in part and denied in part Plaintiffs’ motion for class certification. The court held that the individuals who filed this suit could represent a class for the purposes of seeking injunctive relief, but not damages.
- Under the Settlement and subject to the NHL’s continued delineation of its clubs’ local broadcast territorial rights, and associated blackout practices, the NHL has agreed to provide seasonal packages of single team’s out-of-market games through NHL GameCenter LIVE for each and every NHL Club (e.g., a stream of just the Chicago Blackhawks’ out-of-market games). These individual team bundles will be priced at 20% below the cost of the full GameCenter LIVE package. The NHL has also agreed to make this option available to Comcast and DIRECTV so that they may offer unbundled seasonal packages of single team games for each and every NHL Club available through NHL Center Ice, although Comcast and DIRECTV are not obligated to offer such packages.
- The NHL has also agreed to provide a 17.25% discount to the retail prices for the early bird, renewal, and full-season packages of GameCenter LIVE for the 2015-2016 season. This discount will also apply to any unbundled single team package, meaning that the price for a single team package will be discounted by 17.25% thereby maintaining the 20% discount set forth above.
- Comcast and DIRECTV have further agreed to provide the first three weeks of the 2015- 2016 and 2016-2017 Center Ice seasons for free, comprising a 12.5% discount off of the price of a full-season Center Ice package for those customers who subscribe to Center Ice, provided that Comcast and DIRECTV each respectively carries Center Ice for the applicable season.
- The Court in charge of this case still needs to decide whether or not to approve the Settlement. If the Court approves the Settlement, and after any appeals are resolved, the benefits will be provided automatically to class members.
Your Legal Rights and Options in This Settlement
Automatic Benefits:
You do NOT need to submit a claim form to obtain these benefits. They will be provided automatically.
To Exclude Yourself by August 21, 2015:
You may exclude yourself from the Settlement in the case and retain your rights to commence a lawsuit against Defendants for damages caused by the conduct challenged in this case. Because the Court certified an injunctive class only and Defendants have agreed to change the ways in which the packages are sold to all consumers as part of this Settlement, you cannot opt out of the injunctive claims.
To exclude yourself from the damages release, send a letter by mail clearly stating that you want to be excluded from the Settlement in Laumann v. National Hockey League, et al., Case No. 12-cv-1817. Include your name, address, telephone number, signature, and date, and mail your request for exclusion to:
Laumann v. National Hockey League
c/o Heffler Claims Group
P.O. Box 58547
Philadelphia, PA 19102-8547
All requests must be completed or postmarked by August 21, 2015. If you do not follow these procedures, you will lose any opportunity to exclude yourself from the Settlement for all claims, including claims for past damages.
Object by August 21, 2015:
Submit a written statement to the Court about why you don’t like the Settlement. If you submit an objection, you may also ask to be heard by the Court at the final Fairness Hearing.
Go to the Fairness Hearing:
You may attend the Fairness Hearing on August 31, 2015, whether or not you object or intend to speak.
Do Nothing:
You will receive the full benefits of the Settlement, and will give up your rights to initiate any lawsuit against Defendants regarding the NHL’s territorial broadcast limitations on its clubs and related blackout practices, including a lawsuit for alternative or additional relief to that provided here.
**These rights and options – and the deadlines to exercise them – are explained in the Notice.**
Laumann v. National Hockey League
c/o Heffler Claims Group
P.O. Box 58547
Philadelphia, PA 19102-8547
OR
1-(800)-481-7948
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