Rogers and the National Hockey League announced Wednesday an $11-billion, 12-year agreement for the national media rights to NHL games on all platforms in Canada through the 2037-38 season.
Worth more than double the current $5.2-billion, 12-year media rights deal the two organizations signed in 2013, the new agreement will start with the 2026-27 NHL season.
The deal was first reported on Monday by Sportico.com, based on information from sources familiar with the details, the sports news website said.
Under the new agreement, NHL fans in Canada will have access to more live national games than before and fewer regional blackouts, according to a Rogers press release.
Other highlights of the deal include:
- National rights across all platforms, including TV, digital and streaming, for all national regular season games, in all languages
- National rights to all playoff games, the Stanley Cup Final and all special events and tentpole events, in all languages
- Out-of-market rights for all regional games
- The exclusive category sponsor for the NHL and all NHL tentpole events held in Canada
“The agreement allows for the possibility of strategic sub-licensing for a subset of these rights, including national French-language and a single-night exclusive national package,” the Rogers press release says.
Rogers did not announce if any such sub-licensing deals have been struck or are in the works. When the previous 12-year NHL rights deal was revealed in 2013, Rogers also announced at that time it had chosen national public broadcaster CBC and Quebecor’s TVA for separate deals for English-language broadcasts of Hockey Night in Canada and all national French-language multimedia rights, respectively.
Speaking about the new NHL rights deal, Rogers president and CEO Tony Staffieri is quoted in the press release as saying: “The NHL has been a terrific partner for over a decade, and we’re proud to continue our partnership and bring more great fan experiences and best in-class broadcasts to Canadians. Hockey is Canada’s game and we’re proud to be the home of hockey. Sports are core to our company, and these rights are the most valuable sports rights in Canada.”
“Hockey is part of the fabric of Canadian culture and our long-term relationship with the NHL helped make Sportsnet Canada’s #1 sports media brand,” Colette Watson, president of Rogers Sports and Media, said in the release. “Canadians overwhelmingly choose Sportsnet, and we are investing in this partnership, so fans have access to more games, more content and more choice from their favourite teams across the league.”
“For more than a decade, Rogers has done an incredible job of conveying what NHL hockey, our players and our teams mean to hockey fans and their communities from coast to coast to coast,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. “We’re thrilled to continue our landmark partnership for an additional 12 years. The NHL and Rogers have a shared commitment to best serving Canadian fans and the unmatched passion that they have for our game, and we are particularly excited that through this agreement, we’ll bring more live games to more fans across Canada.”
Rogers said the financial terms of the agreement are comprised of escalating annual payments totalling $11 billion paid to the NHL over the 12-year term.
“This agreement is expected to be accretive to Rogers shareholders and continue to drive profitability for Rogers Sports & Media from the outset,” Rogers said.
Photo of Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, via Rogers
