Live broadcasts of the PWHL can be found in various outlets in North America but a change in channel for viewers outside Canada occurred last night without explanation.
Live broadcasts of the PWHL can be found in various outlets in North America but a change in channel for viewers outside Canada occurred last night without explanation.
The PWHL had announced at the start of the season that games would be streamed live on YouTube for viewers outside of Canada, but last night’s game between the Ottawa Charge and Montreal Victoire was not available on the platform. The game Saturday in Toronto where the Frost visit the Sceptres will not be streamed on YouTube, nor will Sunday’s game between New York and Boston.
Instead, those searching can find the games live on the league’s own website via the streaming platform Twitch.
“Viewers can participate in the game chat on the PWHL website with a Twitch account,” the site reads.
It caused some consternation among fans who were searching online to find the game at the Canadian Tire Centre. The PWHL YouTube channel showed nothing.
A click over to the league’s website showed that a live stream was available on its home page via Twitch (which requires a free account).
PWHL's senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer had said during a call prior to the start of the second season that they were exploring broadcast partners in the U.S. but nothing materialized before puck drop.
Live chat on the Twitch stream (which attracted roughly 1000 viewers) included some asking why the change had occurred, and comparisons/complaints that the YouTube streams were convenient and had gained numbers in the 7000-9000 range.
The league gave no explanation to The Hockey News when asked about the change in direction.