Devils and Prudential Center to Launch One Jersey Sports and Entertainment Network

The Devils are set to embark on a creative new venture. The team today announced the creation of The One Jersey Sports and Entertainment Network.

The One Jersey Network will be “a first-of-its-kind digital platform featuring all live regular season Devils hockey games and original Devils and New Jersey entertainment programming” according to the press release on the Devils’ website.

The One Jersey Network will be accessed through the Devils App and iHeartRadio (this is also a venture with iHeartMedia, iHeartRadio’s corporate parent). According to the press release, iHeartRadio is an “all-in-one digital music and live streaming radio service, available across 90 unique device platforms spanning in-home entertainment, wearables, gaming, mobile and auto.”

The Network will simulcast all Devils games beginning November 6 versus the Carolina Hurricanes with radio partner WFAN. However, a few games will be exclusive to The One Jersey Network. These are rivalry games with the Rangers (December 11 and 18), the Flyers (December 22, January 21, March 16 and April 4) and the Islanders (April 8).

The press release talks about the kind of programming that will be available on the Network in addition to the simulcast Devils games: “exclusive live and on-demand content form the Devils and Prudential Center featuring Devils coaches, players, alumni and fans; Devils, sports, entertainment, community and cultural podcasts; and diverse, world-class New Jersey-focused entertainment content from The Rock… The network will showcase prominent New Jersey personalities, journalists and up-and-coming talent from around the Garden State.”

The Devils and Prudential Center will be working with iHeartMedia New York in this venture. They are targeting New Jersey listeners for more than just the Devils too. The platform wants to be an all-encompassing media outlet for New Jersey. As Hugh Weber, President of the Devils and the Prudential Center said, “we believe The One Jersey Network will be a must-listen-to provider for New Jersey consumers.”

For anyone who has listened to a Devils game on WFAN and their ten minute pregame show and lackluster coverage of the team (the Devils in particular and hockey in general are rarely mentioned on other programming on WFAN and Devils games are frequently bumped for coverage of other teams), this is great news. The Devils have never gotten the best of coverage in the New York-based media and have struggled for market share because of it. Making their own outlet will allow the Devils the media coverage that fans have always wanted.

Plus, should WFAN drop the Devils at any time, the Devils have a fall back place to have their news and games reported on. This is basically a radio version of the Yankees’ YES Network or the Mets’ SNY, a team owned platform that allows them the freedom to control their own content, aside from the games themselves, which for now will still be produce by WFAN (as I understand it).