Toronto Maple Leafs right wing William Nylander (88) and New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech (3) at UBS Arena. Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
By Sean Keeley on

Prime Video and Rogers Communications announced a 12-year sublicensing agreement on Tuesday that will see the streamer become the new home of Wednesday night regular-season national NHL games in Canada.

Per the announcement, Prime Video will exclusively broadcast Wednesday night national NHL games in English and French, starting with the 2026-2027 season. The deal includes at least 26 national regular-season NHL games, beginning on Wednesday, September 30.

Amazon’s streaming arm will also have exclusive rights to select Stanley Cup Playoff series in Canada, including two First Round playoff series and one Second Round series each season.

Rogers, which operates Sportsnet, has an $11 billion media rights deal with the NHL through the 2037-38 season.

“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,” said Tony Staffieri, President and CEO, Rogers, in a statement. “As Canada’s home of hockey, Rogers is committed to connecting more fans to more NHL hockey and delivering more national games with fewer blackouts on Sportsnet, Canada’s #1 sports media brand.”

“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, Prime Video. “When combined with our hit original series, blockbuster movies, and fast, free shipping on millions of items, the Prime membership is more valuable than ever for Canadian customers.”

Canadian hockey fans are in the midst of a larger shift away from watching NHL games on public broadcasting institutions and network television towards streamers. In June, Sportsnet and the CBC announced that the public broadcaster will no longer carry NHL broadcasts after the current season, ending Hockey Night in Canada’s run there after over seven decades. Citytv, also owned by Rogers, will no longer showcase national game telecasts.

The conversation around sports viewership in Canada, like in the United States, has become driven by concerns that it will become harder and harder to find games and watch them without paying a fee. For their part, Rogers doesn’t seem fazed by those concerns. And given that they also own the Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, and Toronto Argonauts, it’s hard to imagine who has the power to make them consider otherwise.

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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