12/21/24
November 26, 2013
Rogers reaches 12-year broadcast deal with NHL worth $5.2-billion : Rogers Communications Inc. will be the exclusive national rights holder for the NHL for the next 12 years in a $5.2-billion deal that fundamentally reshapes the sports broadcasting landscape in Canada. Rogers will make annual payments of $300-million to the NHL, which will incrementally increase until they reach $500-million in the final year of the deal. There is also an upfront payment of $150-million. In addition to the Rogers deal, the NHL gets about $300-million (U.S.) a year from U.S. network NBC, which is also shared among the 30 teams. In total, each team will get about $25-million a season in television revenue, not including fees for local broadcast.
posted by tommytrump to hockey at 12:01 PM - 8 comments
I remember TSN buying the HNIC song ... really PO'd Canadians.
The question now is: will TSN attempt to purchase games from Rogers, as per the example you gave.
posted by jjzucal at 03:14 PM on November 26, 2013
will TSN attempt to purchase games from Rogers
Their only hope is getting some of the Toronto Maple Leafs games because TSN is owned by Bell, who co-owns Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (the owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs) with Rogers Communication.
They have a history of playing nicely and sharing, but this is the goose that lays Canadian broadcasting golden eggs, so that might not happen.
posted by grum@work at 09:16 PM on November 26, 2013
Here's hoping Rogers figures out Canada extends beyond the 416 area code. The deal with CBC indicates they are placing value on quality product. No network anywhere can top CBC's hockey coverage.
How the heck is TSN going to survive as a network televising only Leafs and Raptors games?
.. wait, those 2 teams have been TSN's sole focus since it's inception. What I meant is when the public actually knows the situation and has another choice they are doomed.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:54 PM on November 26, 2013
How the heck is TSN going to survive as a network televising only Leafs and Raptors games?
Well, TSN owns the rights to the World Junior Hockey Championship. It's their biggest money maker right now. I suspect they'll try to snap up all the junior hockey that is available, and try to turn it into "see the stars of tomorrow" feature. Junior hockey isn't very popular in Toronto, but does quite well outside it.
They are also the sole rights holders for the CFL, and that product easily more popular outside the 416 area code than in it.
The biggest part of this deal was what I heard explained later, where instead of just two games on TV every Saturday night and there being blackout restrictions, there will be as many as 10 different games on TV on Saturday nights, with all the Sportsnet channels (One, Ontario, East, West, Pacific), CBC, and CityTV broadcasting one or two games that night.
As well, there will be a lifting of blackout restrictions. I have all of the Sportsnet channels, but I can't watch any Vancouver (Pacific), Calgary or Edmonton or Winnipeg (West), Ottawa or Montreal (East) games because they blackout the channels in south-west Ontario during that time.
posted by grum@work at 08:39 AM on November 27, 2013
No network anywhere can top CBC's hockey coverage.
CBC is the best technically but I've more than one friend who won't be sorry to see the back of the current HNIC people and format.
Yeah there is some Canucks bias in there but it seems like you get a better quality of play-by-play and colour guys on the TSN/Sportsnet broadcasts. CBC/HNIC seems to be getting more like ESPN every year - personality focused, controversial rather than incisive, everyone loves Don Cherry, etc.
posted by deflated at 06:01 PM on November 27, 2013
As long as Jim Hughson continues to broadcast games, I'm happy with that.
TSN has a solid roster of NHL analysis guys that will suddenly have a lot of free time to kill if they don't get to do pre-game/intermission chatter.
James Duthie is easily the best studio host in Canadian sports television right now.
Darren Dreger and Bob McKenzie are better analysts than the bozos at Sportsnet.
Gord Miller and Chris Cuthbert are also fantastic play-by-play voices for hockey, so I hope they'll get more work than just the junior tournament.
posted by grum@work at 11:05 AM on November 28, 2013
Opening for Hockey Night in Canada this evening
posted by tommybiden at 10:35 PM on November 30, 2013
For our American friends, imagine if Comcast/NBC purchased the exclusive broadcast rights for all NFL games, shutting out ABC/ESPN, FOX, and CBS. Then, Comcast/NBC sold some of those rights to FOX for specific games.
(Rogers will be reselling some of the rights to CBC for the iconic Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts.)
Side note: TSN had snuck in and purchased the rights to the "second national anthem" (HNIC theme song) back in 2008. Without any games to broadcast for the next 12 years, I wonder if they'll try to sell it back to CBC.