CBC has announced that National Hockey League (NHL) games will no longer be broadcast on its platforms after its sublicensing deal with Rogers Sportsnet expired.
The sublicensing deal allowed the public broadcaster to air games through its long-running Saturday night program Hockey Night in Canada.
CBC, which began broadcasting NHL games in 1952, had operated under this sublicensing deal since 2013, when Rogers Sportsnet bought the rights for $5.2 billion. Rogers Sportsnet recently renewed its rights with the NHL, agreeing to a 12-year, $11.2 billion deal that will begin in October.
What is replacing the legendary program? Well, in the same statement, CBC announced it will launch a new Olympics-focused show featuring Canadian athletes competing both on home soil and at events around the world.
CBC already carries international sporting events, and you can find many streams of them on Gem. The public broadcaster notes that it holds the Canadian Olympic broadcasting rights, which are set to expire in 2032 (though I imagine they will be extended at some point).
Also, as a reminder, CBC still has broadcast rights for the PWHL, so there will still be some professional hockey on its platforms.
Source: CBC
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