Rogers Sportsnet and CBC announced Tuesday that Canada’s national public broadcaster will no longer carry NHL broadcasts.
As the national media rightsholder for NHL games, Rogers had been sub-licensing to CBC the rights to nationally televised regular season games on Saturday nights as well as playoff games, up until the end of the current season. That sub-licensing deal was initially signed in November 2013, as part of Rogers’s exclusive 12-year, $5.2-billion broadcast agreement with the NHL, which gave Rogers all of the national rights to NHL games starting with the 2014-15 season through the 2025-26 season.
With Rogers’s costlier renewed agreement with the NHL — an $11-billion, 12-year agreement announced in April 2025 — set to begin with the 2026-27 season this fall, CBC is no longer part of the equation.
“After a successful 12-year partnership, Sportsnet and CBC today announced the public broadcaster will no longer carry NHL broadcasts after the current season as it moves forward with a new direction for its sports programming following the unprecedented success of the Milano/Cortina Olympic Games,” reads a joint statement from Sportsnet and CBC.
“Watching hockey on Saturday night is a time-honoured tradition for Canadians, and Sportsnet is privileged to continue delivering that tradition. This has been a terrific partnership and both parties look forward to continued opportunities to collaborate in the future,” the statement added.
In a separate announcement, CBC said it will launch later this year a new Saturday night primetime show on CBC and CBC Gem, featuring the best performances by Canadian athletes competing at home and at the biggest events around the world. In addition, Radio-Canada will introduce a new Sunday afternoon sports show on ICI TÉLÉ and ICI TOU.TV, Rendez-vous Podium, combining athletic performances with human stories, hosted by Roseline Filion and Jacinthe Taillon.
