Amazon’s Prime Video will exclusively broadcast Wednesday night national NHL regular-season games in Canada in English and French beginning next season as part of a new 12-year sub-licensing agreement with Rogers Communications Inc.
The streaming service will also carry select Stanley Cup playoff series, including two first-round series and one second-round matchup annually, under the deal announced Tuesday.
A Rogers spokesperson said the playoff allocation will follow a draft format. Prime Video will receive the fourth and fifth selections among the eight first-round series and the third choice among the four second-round matchups.
Prime Video’s lineup will include at least 26 national regular-season games, starting Sept. 30, and will be available to Prime subscribers in Canada at no additional cost, while Rogers-owned Sportsnet retains the majority of national NHL games.
The agreement spans the full length of Rogers’ $11-billion, 12-year deal with the NHL for national media rights on all platforms in Canada through the 2037-38 season.
“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with the NHL and Rogers in this landmark agreement, which brings even more premium live sports to Prime members in Canada,” said Jay Marine, head of global sports at Prime Video, in a statement.
The deal follows last month’s announcement that Rogers and the CBC would not renew their sub-licensing agreement, ending “Hockey Night in Canada” on the public broadcaster after the 2025-26 season. Rogers-owned Citytv will also no longer carry national games, ending NHL broadcasts on free-to-air television.
The CBC previously aired national games on Saturdays, along with all four rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“Our partnership with Prime Video builds on the strong foundation we have established together and reinforces NHL hockey as the most valuable sports content in Canada,” Rogers president and CEO Tony Staffieri said in a statement.
The agreement continues the NHL’s move toward streaming platforms after Prime Video began carrying Monday night games in Canada over the past two NHL seasons. That deal did not include playoff games or French-language broadcasts.
Financial terms of the new agreement were not disclosed.
“Over the past two years, Prime Video has been a valuable addition to the NHL’s media lineup in Canada, joining Rogers in bringing marquee NHL games to Canadian fans,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said.
“We’re excited that Prime Video and Rogers are deepening their relationship through this long-term agreement, reflecting our shared commitment to serving English and French-language hockey fans across Canada with premium NHL content for years to come.”
Rogers has not officially announced a sub-licensing agreement for the remainder of the national French-language broadcast rights in Canada.
La Presse reported last week that TVA Sports would continue as the French-language national rights holder and air 32 Montreal Canadiens regular-season games, up from 22 last season, while retaining exclusive rights to Canadiens playoff games.
A Rogers spokesperson said the company had nothing to share at this time.
The telecommunications giant first purchased the Canadian NHL broadcast rights in 2013 on a 12-year, $5.2 billion that expired last season.
