NHL broadcasting rights could be sold to another Canadian network

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Cooper Godin
April 4, 2024 (8:18)

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The National Hockey League's broadcasting deal with Canadian telecommunications company Rogers is set to expire in 2026 and it appears that games could be returning to another major network north of the border.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Rogers is considering selling Monday Night Hockey to Amazon, which would then be shown on the company's streaming platform, Prime Video. And now, once Rogers' deal with the NHL ends in 2026, another major network with deep hockey ties could be in the mix for the national rights in Canada.

According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Bell Media has held discussions about getting national broadcasting rights back for TSN starting in 2026.

"Lots of reported chatter this week over SN/Rogers possibly selling its Monday night broadcasts in Canada to Amazon. There's talk Bell (TSN) has also had discussions about jumping back in on the national side, in some form, too. Rogers' deal expires after the 2025-26 season." David Pagnotta said.

TSN has held the national rights to NHL games in Canada for a number of years including from 2002 to 2014, before the league and Rogers agreed to a monster 12-year, $5.2 billion deal to have games on Sportsnet.

Currently, Bell Media and TSN have the regional rights for four Canadian NHL franchises - Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets and for years now, fans have been wanting national broadcasts to return to the network. It'll be interesting to see if Bell Media is able to work out a deal with the National Hockey League in the coming months and into 2025, but before pen is put to paper, there will certainly be other parties in the mix, including from streaming platforms.