Report: NHL, Rogers reach 12-year Canadian TV rights deal worth USD $7.7 billion
The National Hockey League and Rogers Communications have reached a new 12-year Canadian television rights deal worth about USD $7.7 billion ($11 billion Canadian), reports Sportico’s Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams.
Earlier this year, Rogers’ exclusive window to negotiate a new deal opened as part of its existing 12-year agreement that was reached in 2013. The 2024-25 season marks the second-to-last year of the NHL’s current Canadian television rights deal that is worth about USD $4.9 billion. The new agreement would begin for the 2026-27 NHL season.
Per Sportico, the NHL’s media and executive committees have recommended approval of the new agreement to the NHL’s Board of Governors, with a vote on the deal expected in the coming days. A formal announcement could come as early as this week.
Beyond its media assets, Rogers is also a shareholder in the Toronto Maple Leafs as well as the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, MLS’s Toronto FC, CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, plus the principal owner of the MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays.
In the United States, the NHL has two separate television rights agreements to reach American-based audiences with ESPN and Turner Network Television worth about USD $600 million per year, according to Sportico. The American television rights agreements run through the 2027-28 season.
As the 2024-25 campaign nears the postseason, five Canadian-based clubs are currently positioned to compete in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including the Atlantic Division-leading Maple Leafs as well as the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, both in Eastern Conference wildcard positions. In the Western Conference, the Winnipeg Jets headline the Central Division while the Edmonton Oilers sit third place in the Pacific Division. Both the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames continue to battle for wildcard seeding in in the Western Conference. Last season, the Oilers advanced to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Florida Panthers.