The NHL and Rogers Communications Locked In $7.7 Billion Over 12 Years. Canadian Hockey Fans Won’t Have to Go Anywhere New to Watch.
- $7.7B USD total value of the deal — $11 billion CAD paid to the NHL over 12 years in escalating annual payments — NHL.com / Sportico
- 12 years term of the agreement — runs through the 2037-38 NHL season, beginning with 2026-27 — NHL.com
- 2× the value of the previous deal — the prior 12-year agreement was worth $5.2 billion CAD ($4.3B USD) — Sportico
- Sportsnet retains exclusive Canadian national rights across all platforms — TV, streaming, and digital — NHL.com
The NHL and Rogers Communications announced a landmark 12-year media rights agreement in April 2025, locking in Canadian broadcast rights through the 2037-38 season. The $11 billion CAD deal — approximately $7.7 billion USD — more than doubles the value of their previous 12-year partnership and gives Rogers’s Sportsnet continued exclusive hold on hockey in Canada for another generation.
The agreement takes effect with the 2026-27 NHL season — the first after their current 12-year deal expires — and runs through 2037-38. Financial terms include escalating annual payments totaling $11 billion CAD. Rogers’s Sportsnet retains the exclusive national rights to broadcast NHL games on all platforms in Canada: linear TV, streaming, and digital.
The prior deal — signed in November 2013 — was worth $5.2 billion CAD over 12 years. The new agreement at $11 billion CAD represents a 111% increase. Commissioner Gary Bettman said the new deal “will allow fans in Canada to view even more games, with the agreement bringing more live games to more fans across the country than ever before.”
Rights holder: Rogers Communications (Sportsnet) — all Canadian national platforms.
Term: 12 years — 2026-27 through 2037-38.
Total value: $11B CAD (~$7.7B USD) in escalating annual payments.
Previous deal: $5.2B CAD (2013–2026) — new deal is 2.1× larger.
Fan impact: More live games promised on more platforms; Canadians don’t need to change subscriptions to watch hockey.
In a sports media landscape rapidly fragmenting across streaming platforms — Amazon, Apple, YouTube, Peacock — the NHL-Rogers deal represents a consolidation play. Rather than splitting Canadian rights across multiple streaming services (as the NFL has done in the U.S.), the NHL is doubling down on a single partner with proven distribution and subscriber reach.
Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri called the deal “accretive to Rogers shareholders” from the outset. That’s the other side of the $7.7 billion: Rogers is betting that exclusive national hockey rights are worth paying double the previous rate, and that the advertising and subscription revenue will cover it. Given hockey’s cultural position in Canada — and the consistent ratings — it’s a reasonable bet.