A new streaming home for midweek hockey
Canadian hockey fans are about to add another app to their streaming rotation. Amazon's Prime Video will become the exclusive broadcaster of Wednesday night national NHL regular-season games across Canada starting next season, under a new 12-year sub-licensing agreement with Rogers Communications Inc.
Rogers holds the NHL's national broadcast rights in Canada through a long-term agreement with the league, and this deal carves out one night a week to hand exclusively to Amazon. The games will be available in both English and French, meaning francophone hockey fans won't be left out of the new streaming arrangement.
Why this matters for how Canadians watch hockey
For over a century, hockey broadcasts in Canada have lived primarily on conventional TV — from Hockey Night in Canada to Sportsnet's cable coverage. This deal is part of a broader shift where streaming platforms are becoming primary destinations for live sports rather than just secondary options.
Amazon has already made inroads into live sports streaming in other markets, including NFL Thursday Night Football in the United States. Landing a weekly NHL package in Canada — one of the most hockey-obsessed countries on Earth — is a significant get for Prime Video as it continues building out its live sports catalogue.
For fans, the practical impact is straightforward: if you want to catch the Wednesday night national game, you'll need a Prime Video subscription in addition to whatever cable or streaming package already gets you Sportsnet or CBC's hockey coverage. It's another example of sports viewing becoming increasingly fragmented across platforms, a trend that's frustrated fans even as it's been lucrative for leagues and broadcasters alike.
What we don't know yet
Details on which specific matchups will air on Prime Video, how the broadcast teams will be staffed, and whether there will be any bundling options with existing Rogers or Sportsnet packages haven't been announced yet. The 12-year length of the agreement suggests both companies are betting on streaming remaining the dominant way Canadians consume live sports for the next decade-plus.
With the NHL season still months away, more specifics on the Prime Video hockey package are expected to roll out as the league gets closer to puck drop.
Source: CBC News
