Rogers in talks to sell Monday night NHL game package in Canada to Amazon

[MMC]

Click to read more...

 

[joestevens29]

Interesting that it includes playoffs. Would've thought Sportsnet would've liked to keep that.

Also heck of a trial run for Amazon to dip their toes into the NHL broadcasting in Canada before potentially going all in when the current contract expires.

 

[GordonGraham]

I had no idea than the NHL in their tv contracts allowed the broadcaster to resell the rights to somone else

 

[IU Hawks fan]

I had no idea than the NHL in their tv contracts allowed the broadcaster to resell the rights to somone else

The Canadian deal does. Rogers has been reselling the French rights to TVA the whole time they've had the contract.

 

[DaGap]

Guess im going to have to pirate those games then

 

[Reaser]

Simulcast makes more sense for remaining years:

 

[ORRFForever]

As I wrote elsewhere...

An interesting situation for all the posters who said for YEARS that the Rogers deal was a win/win - they wouldn't budge saying Rogers did NOT overpay. Such ignorance / arrogance.

BCE (CTV/TSN) is cutting costs (the stock is tanking and analysts are worried about their sky high dividend) and Rogers wants out of their NHL deal. The CBC won't be intereste - if Pierre Poilievre wins the next election, the CBC may cease to exist. Global TV - don't make me laugh. Amazon won't get many eyes in Canada.

Rogers stock is where it was 10 years ago. Poor leadership. Bad decisions. The NHL deal Rogers made 10 years ago was shameful - Bettman and the NHL took Rogers to the cleaners.

It will be a buyer's market for hockey rights in Canada in 2025. I hope Canadian TV returns the favour and grinds the NHL into dust.

 

[joestevens29]

As I wrote elsewhere...

An interesting situation for all the posters who said for YEARS that the Rogers deal was a win/win - they wouldn't budge saying Rogers did NOT overpay. Such ignorance / arrogance.

BCE (CTV/TSN) is cutting costs (the stock is tanking and analysts are worried about their sky high dividend) and Rogers wants out of their NHL deal. The CBC won't be intereste - if Pierre Poilievre wins the next election, the CBC may cease to exist. Global TV - don't make me laugh. Amazon won't get many eyes in Canada.

Rogers stock is where it was 10 years ago. Poor leadership. Bad decisions. The NHL deal Rogers made 10 years ago was shameful - Bettman and the NHL took Rogers to the cleaners.

It will be a buyer's market for hockey rights in Canada in 2025. I hope Canadian TV returns the favour and grinds the NHL into dust.

I'd like to know who these people are, because it's been nothing but bitching pretty much the whole time.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Streaming-only games are the bane of my existence.

 

[Ciao]

Streaming-only games are the bane of my existence.

Better get used to it.

I'm on the same side of the generation gap as you on this, but TV is going the way of the dodo.

Stream, stream, stream.

 

[Ciao]

Interesting that it includes playoffs. Would've thought Sportsnet would've liked to keep that.

Also heck of a trial run for Amazon to dip their toes into the NHL broadcasting in Canada before potentially going all in when the current contract expires.

I know Rogers is in a tough spot on this, but it could be shortsighted to give an intro to the medium that could very well take their place in the market.

 

[joestevens29]

I know Rogers is in a tough spot on this, but it could be shortsighted to give an intro to the medium that could very well take their place in the market.

I don't know that they care all that much to be honest. Seems like they have realized they are out of contention other than maybe getting the local broadcasting rights going forward.

They are losing money as it is and I highly doubt they are going to get the rights for much cheaper to make it worth while.

 

[Masked]

I just wish Amazon could take over all the games from Rogers.

Sportsnet's app is horrid with subpar streaming quality. Terrible interface. Unreliable.

While the production of games on Sportsnet is horrible too. They spend more time talking about gambling and women's hockey than any NHL team that isn't the Leafs. They've hired people who shouldn't be on the air like Sam Costentino and other jabronis whose names I can't be bothered to remember. Ron MacLean should have been gone a decade ago.

 

[MSZ]

I had no idea than the NHL in their tv contracts allowed the broadcaster to resell the rights to somone else

Yes it is allowed. In Bell's final year of the TV contract they actually sold one playoff game to Rogers because they didn't have enough channels at the time to show all major events. Rogers showed that game on SN360.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

As I wrote elsewhere...

An interesting situation for all the posters who said for YEARS that the Rogers deal was a win/win - they wouldn't budge saying Rogers did NOT overpay. Such ignorance / arrogance.

BCE (CTV/TSN) is cutting costs (the stock is tanking and analysts are worried about their sky high dividend) and Rogers wants out of their NHL deal. The CBC won't be intereste - if Pierre Poilievre wins the next election, the CBC may cease to exist. Global TV - don't make me laugh. Amazon won't get many eyes in Canada.

Rogers stock is where it was 10 years ago. Poor leadership. Bad decisions. The NHL deal Rogers made 10 years ago was shameful - Bettman and the NHL took Rogers to the cleaners.

It will be a buyer's market for hockey rights in Canada in 2025. I hope Canadian TV returns the favour and grinds the NHL into dust.

I still feel that the next Canadian deal with be worth more annually than the current one. We will likely see rights for national games split between Bell (TSN), Rogers (Sportsnet, CBC (we will see what happens with them post-2025)), Rogers and TSN's streaming services, and other streaming sites like Amazon, Netflix, Apple.

Factor in inflation as well. The annual amount - $430 million per year - is not as much today as it will have been 12 years ago.

With the next national contract, I really don't see how it won't exceed that number with it being split up between multiple suiters. ie) maybe $200 million per year from Rogers, $200 million per year from Bell, $150 - $200 million per year from various streaming services.

 

[DaveG]

Streaming-only games are the bane of my existence.

As much as I'm with you on this, being a Big 12 and NCAA Hockey fan really forced the issue for me on this. A lot of the best matchups in both you can only get on ESPN+ so while it was an adjustment, it wasn't an overly painful one since I have pretty good connectivity.

 

[ORRFForever]

I still feel that the next Canadian deal with be worth more annually than the current one. We will likely see rights for national games split between Bell (TSN), Rogers (Sportsnet, CBC (we will see what happens with them post-2025)), Rogers and TSN's streaming services, and other streaming sites like Amazon, Netflix, Apple.

Factor in inflation as well. The annual amount - $430 million per year - is not as much today as it will have been 12 years ago.

With the next national contract, I really don't see how it won't exceed that number with it being split up between multiple suiters. ie) maybe $200 million per year from Rogers, $200 million per year from Bell, $150 - $200 million per year from various streaming services.

Interesting take. ^^ Nice to see a post like this. ^^

I don't believe the Canadian rights are worth those numbers. The fact that Rogers has cut to the bone and they still can not make the package profitable, speaks volumes.

If you look at other TV packages (sports or otherwise), the Canadian market is NOT a lucrative one.

Just like with anything in life, something is worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. As for the cable / TV rights, if TSN and Rogers were smart, they could get these rights for a song - where else can the NHL go?

The CBC? No. They are out of the sports game unless they get it for next to nothing. Plus, the CBC may not exist in 2 years.

Global TV is minor league and cannot afford the NHL.

CTV is TSN's older brother and not in the sports business.

If the only 2 suitors (TSN and Rogers) stand strong, Bettman will have NO options.

As for streaming, if Amazon / Apple / Netflix want to pay a ton of money to sell streaming to Canadians, that's on them, but I don't like their odds of it being profitable. Canada is a small market - hockey or no hockey.

 

[varsaku]

I still feel that the next Canadian deal with be worth more annually than the current one. We will likely see rights for national games split between Bell (TSN), Rogers (Sportsnet, CBC (we will see what happens with them post-2025)), Rogers and TSN's streaming services, and other streaming sites like Amazon, Netflix, Apple.

Factor in inflation as well. The annual amount - $430 million per year - is not as much today as it will have been 12 years ago.

With the next national contract, I really don't see how it won't exceed that number with it being split up between multiple suiters. ie) maybe $200 million per year from Rogers, $200 million per year from Bell, $150 - $200 million per year from various streaming services.

I still can't believe Rogers was willing to pay so much for the Canada rights. Canada has about the same population as California with a smaller GDP.

 

[CorbeauNoir]

The CBC? No. They are out of the sports game unless they get it for next to nothing. Plus, the CBC may not exist in 2 years.

The CBC isn't getting touched, as much as that overbloated monstrosity deserves to be. Even Pollievre speaks out of both sides of his mouth about the CBC depending on if it's French or English, this country's politics are terminally allergic to the uniparty boat getting rocked. Rest assured the CBC will continue to find ways to cut even more public cheques for even more do-nothing jobs even without a sports broadcasting wing.

 

[MMC]

 

[KevFu]

I had no idea than the NHL in their tv contracts allowed the broadcaster to resell the rights to somone else

I'm sure the pro leagues have considered it in their contract language.

In college sports, it's been happening for decades. Most of what CBS Sports Network carries for college basketball is actually overflow from ESPN/Fox.

 

[Chileiceman]

The reason the NHL rights won't got for a song as suggested above is that Bell/Rogers will have more competition this time around than just themselves. Amazon has been buying up sports rights around the world. They broadcast Ligue 1 in France, select EPL games in England, of course the big NFL deal. If they are interested in Monday night NHL package, you can bet your butt they will be interested in a larger package when the next deal is up for bidding. DAZN has deep pockets and a strong foundation in Canada and they would be interested. I can see Apple and possibly Youtube (Google) being interested too. These companies (except for maybe DAZN) have WAY more money than Rogers or Bell.

Ultimately the NHL will go for the biggest bidder. They will probably push whoever wins to have some kind of side-deal with CBC like Rogers does now to carry on HNIC brand and to ensure a degree of accessibility, lest there is some kind of national outcry.

 

[edog37]

As I wrote elsewhere...

An interesting situation for all the posters who said for YEARS that the Rogers deal was a win/win - they wouldn't budge saying Rogers did NOT overpay. Such ignorance / arrogance.

BCE (CTV/TSN) is cutting costs (the stock is tanking and analysts are worried about their sky high dividend) and Rogers wants out of their NHL deal. The CBC won't be intereste - if Pierre Poilievre wins the next election, the CBC may cease to exist. Global TV - don't make me laugh. Amazon won't get many eyes in Canada.

Rogers stock is where it was 10 years ago. Poor leadership. Bad decisions. The NHL deal Rogers made 10 years ago was shameful - Bettman and the NHL took Rogers to the cleaners.

It will be a buyer's market for hockey rights in Canada in 2025. I hope Canadian TV returns the favour and grinds the NHL into dust.

What an odd thing to be pissed about. Why do you care if a media conglomerate feels some pain?

 

[gattaca]

I still feel that the next Canadian deal with be worth more annually than the current one. We will likely see rights for national games split between Bell (TSN), Rogers (Sportsnet, CBC (we will see what happens with them post-2025)), Rogers and TSN's streaming services, and other streaming sites like Amazon, Netflix, Apple.

Factor in inflation as well. The annual amount - $430 million per year - is not as much today as it will have been 12 years ago.

With the next national contract, I really don't see how it won't exceed that number with it being split up between multiple suiters. ie) maybe $200 million per year from Rogers, $200 million per year from Bell, $150 - $200 million per year from various streaming services.

Probability is low. Inflation will help given deal was 12 years ago. But this is offset by the Canadian dollar being at 90 cents US$ a decade ago.

CBC was out of picture in 2014 when they said they're out of pro sports also carried by TSN/SN. Their public budget hasn't changed in 30 years and falling viewership for CBC English tv means ad dollars have also fallen.

Rogers overpaid for the deal. Now given cord cutting/never corders, less tv viewing hours, majority demo still watching linear tv being over 55 in Canada and too much debt load but can't cut the dividend has meant Rogers has basically eliminated everything media wise they launched in the first year of the deal. Same scenario applies for Bell ex not having lost money on their NHL deal.

Streaming platforms will pay up a bit but not enough unless the NHL is willing to give them premier packages like the Leafs regional rights, Saturday night games and/or a chunk of the playoffs. And right now only Amazon is in the game. Netflix & Apple also prefer all inclusive global rights which the NHL is unlikely/can't offer.

 

[Yukon Joe]

CBC just no longer has the internal infrastructure for sports.

20 years ago they regularly broadcast both CFL and HNIC games. But now CFL has been a TSN property for years, and while HNIC is shown in CBC it s a 100% Sportsnet production. Ut was actually kind of short-sighted of the NHL - sure Rogers/Sportsnet bid huge, but eliminated CBC as a future partner.