Rogers Communications Inc. and the National Hockey League have announced a new 12-year agreement valued at $11 billion for the national media rights to NHL games on all platforms in Canada.
The agreement is worth more than double the current rights deal between Rogers and the NHL, which cost $5.2 billion over 12 years and is set to expire next season. The new deal runs through the 2037-38 season.
Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri said the company is proud to continue its partnership with the NHL.
“Hockey is Canada’s game and we’re proud to be the home of hockey,” Staffieri said in a statement Wednesday.
“Sports are core to our company, and these rights are the most valuable sports rights in Canada.”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league and Rogers have a shared commitment to best serving Canadian fans and the unmatched passion that they have for the game.
“For more than a decade, Rogers has done an incredible job of conveying what NHL hockey, our players, and our teams mean to hockey fans and their communities from coast to coast to coast,” Bettman said.
The deal includes national rights across all platforms, including TV, digital, and streaming, for all national regular-season games, in all languages, as well as out-of-market rights for all regional games.
It also includes national rights to all playoff games, the Stanley Cup Final and all special events and tentpole events, in all languages.
The agreement allows for strategic sub-licensing for a subset of the rights, including national French-language and a single-night exclusive national package.
