Hockey Night in Canada is leaving the CBC, marking the end of an era.
Rogers-owned Sportsnet and the CBC have officially announced that the public broadcaster will air its final NHL games at the end of the current season, wrapping up a 12-year sub-licensing partnership between the two networks.
In a joint statement on Tuesday morning, the two broadcasters said, “After a successful 12-year partnership, Sportsnet and CBC today announced the public broadcaster will no longer carry NHL broadcasts after the current season as it moves forward with a new direction for its sports programming following the unprecedented success of the Milano/Cortina Olympic Games,” the statement read.
Hockey Night in Canada Tradition
“Watching hockey on Saturday night is a time-honoured tradition for Canadians, and Sportsnet is privileged to continue delivering that tradition. This has been a terrific partnership and both parties look forward to continued opportunities to collaborate in the future,” said the statement. Well, you now need to pay for it no matter what.
For most Canadians, the CBC and hockey are basically inseparable. Hockey Night in Canada started on radio in 1931 before moving to CBC television in 1952, and for over six decades it was a Saturday night institution from coast to coast. It wasn’t just a sports broadcast, it was a weekly ritual for millions of Canadian households.
Rogers Enters Stage Left
That all shifted in November 2013 when Rogers signed a massive 12-year, $5.2 billion exclusive national broadcast deal with the NHL, the first time a major North American sports league handed all national rights to a single private company. Rogers and its Sportsnet channels became the new home of hockey, but recognizing the cultural weight of Saturday nights on CBC, Rogers sub-licensed that window back to the public broadcaster so games could still air over the air for free.
The catch was that Sportsnet controlled everything. This meant the production, the talent, and all the ad revenue. The CBC essentially provided the airtime in exchange for the audiences it delivered.
With Rogers signing an $11 billion extension last year keeping it as the exclusive home of the NHL through 2038, the CBC has decided this is the right moment to walk away, ending one of the longest runs in Canadian broadcasting history.
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Giving a monopoly to any company is a terrible idea. SportsNet is to the NHL what TSN has been to the CFL. The beginning of the end. Hockey (gambling) and it’s WWF model was the end of a great Canadian game. It’s all about the almighty American buck now. The ex-TSN head leading the American-ization of the CFL is equally as repugnant.
Hockey Night in Canada was what, two or three games a week?
I guess I won’t watch a game again. I’m not getting a subscription service to watch Saturday night hockey. If they think more people will go to the games in reaction they are wrong!
What do you do for the rest of the week to watch hockey?
CBC officially has no more worth. Defund it. They burn our tax dollars and lose viewers.