Rogers will sublicence rights to NHL games in French to Quebecor in a 12-year deal beginning this season.
Quebecor’s TVA Sports will broadcast up to 350 regular seasons games, including 32 Montreal Canadiens games and the exclusive rights to playoff games in French. It’s an extension of rights it held in the past.
“Premium sports content such as NHL hockey and Montréal Canadiens games is a unique vehicle for bringing together mass live audiences,” Quebecor President and CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau said in a press release. “It is a strategic asset that continues to grow in value in a rapidly changing media landscape. Thanks to TVA Sports’ stronger financial position, largely due to the rebalancing of carriage fees, as well as the growth of TVA Sports Direct, the Montréal Canadiens’ on-ice performance and Videotron’s involvement through illico+, we are entering this new broadcast cycle with confidence, stability and ambition.
“This agreement is fully aligned with our long-term vision for sports content, which is steadily growing in appeal to advertisers. We are privileged to be a partner of our national sport and to offer our subscribers even more Habs games, in French, on domestic platforms. We also wish to acknowledge the outstanding collaboration of the Montréal Canadiens organization.”
Quebecor said NHL hockey and the Montreal Canadiens attracted 97 per cent live viewership last season.
“Through this new agreement securing the French-language broadcast rights to NHL games, Quebecor is preserving jobs for sports journalism and television production professionals, while keeping advertising and subscription revenues in Canada’s economy,” a Quebecor press release said.
The new season begins later this month.
Last year, Rogers and the NHL inked a 12-year, $11-billion agreement for the national media rights to NHL games on all platforms in the country.
Earlier this summer, the cable giant sublicensed Wednesday night NHL games in Canada to Amazon Prime Video for 12 years. In June, Rogers and the CBC failed to reach an agreement on rights to broadcast NHL games, meaning the public broadcaster will no longer host its iconic Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts on Saturday that have been a tradition for decades.
Photo via Rogers
