KHL vice-president: Apart from Hockey Milano, we’re in talks with several other teams in Europe

Ilya Kochevrin, the KHL vice-president for commerce and communications, revealed that the league is getting more and more popular abroad and some clubs even have plans to join the KHL.

«Is the interest to the KHL growing overseas?»

«Yes, it is. Both the number of countries and the number of matches broadcasted are growing and, accordingly, the proceeds from the TV rights also grow. The cost of the KHL rights has increased manyfold, we see a particular interest among the North European audience. In North America they are also interested in the broadcasts from the KHL, but only if we provide a ready-to-watch version. Now we are solving the issue of English-language commentary, as soon as they are ready we’ll enter this market. The transatlantic audience won’t buy a bad product, it is very well-versed.»

«At the end of the season the KHL’s contract with its broadcasting partners Viasat expires. What happens to the new contract?»

«We expect it to be very attractive and profitable for the league. By the way, the attractiveness of our championship has increased dramatically with the accession of Slovakia’s Lev Poprad, among other factors. Their debut made the interest of foreign business and the audience grow. In other European countries they are already asking themselves: «What steps have we taken to join the KHL?» Сo-operation offers have been arriving from a variety of foreign bodies.

«Are there any potential newcomers able to join the league in the nearest future?»

«The most probable candidate are, of course, Italy’s Hockey Milano. The Italians have signed a contract with us to join the league and to play several test seasons, which will let them understand their viability in terms of sport and finance. By March, we will be one hundred percent sure if our partners are ready for this step.»

«In addition to Milano several other teams from Europe are involved in negotiations. There is no single leader among them – some have an arena, others have money, some have good players, and others have permission from their national association to join the KHL. We are trying to convey a clear requirement to all of them: the league doesn’t need newcomers for one season, you should have the capabilities to go on for many years and be a decent participant of the tournament. At the beginning of 2012 we will look closed at the candidates,» Kochevrin said to Sport-Express.