Notice To Persons Who Purchased GameCenter LIVE From The NHL Or Purchased NHL Center Ice From Comcast Or DIRECTV

PHILADELPHIA, July 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement is being issued by Heffler Claims Group regarding the NHL Broadcasting Settlement.

NOTICE TO PERSONS WHO PURCHASED GAMECENTER LIVE FROM THE NHL OR PURCHASED NHL CENTER ICE FROM COMCAST OR DIRECTV

A federal court authorized this notice. This is not a solicitation from a lawyer.

A proposed 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 lawsuit alleges that the NHL's rules establishing local broadcast territories for NHL teams and associated black-outs violated federal antitrust laws.  The defendants deny any wrongdoing or liability.  In May 2015, the court held that the individuals who filed the lawsuit could represent a class to seek injunctive relief but not to seek money damages.

The parties have agreed to settle to avoid the uncertainty, expense and burden of litigation.  Under the settlement, the NHL will sell seasonal packages of each team's out-of-market games through NHL GameCenter LIVE at 20% below the cost of the full GameCenter LIVE package, subject to its teams' local broadcast territories and associated black-outs.  The NHL also will provide Comcast and DIRECTV with the option of selling single-team seasonal packages through NHL Center Ice on the same terms.

Under the settlement, the NHL will sell NHL GameCenter LIVE for the 2015-16 season at a 17.25% discount from the 2014-15 price, and also will sell single-team packages at a 17.25% discount.  Comcast and DIRECTV have agreed to provide the first three weeks of the 2015-16 and 2016-17 Center Ice seasons for free to all of their residential subscribers (for DIRECTV) and interactive digital subscribers (for Comcast), comprising a 12.5% discount off of the price of a full-season Center Ice package for those consumers who subscribe to Center Ice, provided that Comcast and DIRECTV each respectively carries Center Ice for the applicable season.

The settlement also provides for the defendants' payment of the plaintiffs' attorneys fees and the costs of the suit.

The settlement is subject to court approval.  If the settlement is approved, then class members who do not exclude themselves from the class will be bound by the release of claims, including any right to seek money damages, as fully explained in the detailed notice referenced below.

This is just a summary of the settlement. A detailed notice describing the settlement and your rights affected by the settlement is available at www.NHLbroadcastingsettlement.com.

SOURCE Heffler Claims Group