Rogers to Drop $11 Billion on NHL Rights in New 12-Year Deal: Report

The NHL is close to finalizing a massive new Canadian TV rights deal with Rogers, worth about $11 billion CAD ($7.7 billion USD), according to Sportico. The deal would more than double the league’s current agreement with Rogers.

If approved by NHL team owners in the coming days, the deal could be officially announced this week. It would start with the 2026-27 season and run for 12 years, say sources.

This new deal would replace the existing 12-year agreement signed in 2013, which was originally valued at $5.2 billion CAD. Due to exchange rate changes, that number has dropped in value over time, now sitting around $3.64 billion CAD.

The Associated Press also reports it is hearing about the same Rogers-NHL deal, citing an anonymous source.

The NHL’s Canadian TV rights are a major part of its revenue, and this deal highlights how much the value has grown. Rogers owns the Toronto Blue Jays and a stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which includes the Maple Leafs, Raptors, and Toronto FC. It’s also set to acquire more of the MLSE from Bell at a valuation of around $4.7 billion CAD.

In the U.S., the NHL’s TV deals with ESPN and Turner continue through 2027-28, bringing in over $600 million USD per year. The Rogers deal works out to about $917 million CAD per year, or about $637 million USD. That’s an increase and you can bet Gary Bettman is happy about that.

Rogers had an exclusive window earlier this year to negotiate this new deal. If it didn’t land a deal, the NHL would open up the negotiating window to other companies. Rogers is able to leverage its NHL rights across Canada as the game generates lots of advertising, while it has also helped grow the Sportsnet brand.

What do you think about Rogers retaining its NHL TV rights deal?