With the playoffs approaching and the NHL season in full swing, the league is offering some view-worthy crazy moments to its fans and viewers. And all that is left to matter now is proper broadcasting. In the latest ball drop from an insider, Rogers Communications has just hit the jackpot and an all-hand sweep of NHL broadcasting rights in Canada. A massive 12-year, $7.7 billion media rights deal with Rogers Communications. Does it look like monopoly to you guys? Because that’s exactly what this looks like.

The news was broken by Allan Walsh on X, who shared, “Breaking! 12 years, $7.7 Billion.” And fans took no time to vent their frustration! Well, for Canadian viewers, it’s a step taken to reshape their experiences in cheering for favorite teams. This gives Sportsnet (which is also Rogers) complete control over national broadcasts. So, does that mean the CBC and TSN would also see their coverage getting slashed? Perhaps, with the league celebrating the news (we can expect a green flag to the deal by the end of the week), fans have expressed their answers with an underlying theme of disappointment.

Why, you may ask? Because Rogers Communications isn’t exactly riding a positive wave with their viewers. Plagued by broadcasting blackouts and a rather mundane rendition of hockey with a panel so fatigued, Rogers doesn’t exactly have a stellar image with the Canadian audience. However, this blockbuster play that is all set to take effect from the 2026 season, Rogers is extending its grip on the Canadian hockey scene!

Albeit, some Canadian NHL teams will see through their deals with either Sportsnet or TSN to broadcast their games. The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames both agreed to 11-year broadcasting deals with Sportsnet in 2024. The Vancouver Canucks’ current deal with Rogers expires in 2033. Bell recently acquired content rights for the Toronto Maple Leafs last September in a 20-year deal. The Winnipeg Jets, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators each have broadcasting deals with Bell and TSN that run through 2026.

Previously, it had a $5.2 billion CAD deal signed in 2013, but then again, 12 years later, the deal has doubled in value, what with factors like currency fluctuation, trade wars on the horizon, and the value of the NHL games after Amazon Prime entered the scene with their own version of hockey night. Even the growing economic tensions between the two nations now draw a financial landscape that’s pretty much more unpredictable than ever.

After all, being a major player in Canadian sports ownership, it is already expanding its hold on the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and on the Toronto Blue Jays. However Yet with the league counting in billions, fans are hardly stepping their foot into celebrations. Probably with rising costs and the loss of some familiar broadcasters, they are in a major shake-up!

NHL fans are letting the league know it! 

 “Great. 12 more years of pain,” one fan openly confessed as soon as the news broke! Well, if that’s a pain, 12 years is a long time to bear the consequences! But Rogers Communications has already maintained control, leaving many worried about the blackout restrictions. This made another one point out–“Does that mean I will actually be able to watch hockey games? Or will every game still be blacked out?” Probably yes, because why make it easy to watch the game that is loved, right?

But for some, it was more than just watching the games. “This just ruined my day,” one fan vented in ire as if their whole life is going to be a mess now! And they didn’t stop there but added, “Please can we get sportsnet a new panel if they are spending all of this money. If I have to listen to Nick Kypreos, Jen Botteril, and Kelly Hurdey for the next 12 years idk what I will do #LeafsForever.” A good job on the analysis of the panel, though!

Then comes another who compared the deal to that of Marc-André Fleury’s contract! “I am disappointed you couldn’t get Flower that deal. 12 x 641.67M aav. smh,” now that’s funny! Meanwhile, the Leafs fans mentioned their inability to watch games of their team. One of them wrote, “And 80% of the Leafs games will continue to be blacked out. Yay!!! 😞” While the NHL and Rogers continue to chase, will the NHL fans actually get a better viewing experience—or just more of the same? Let us know your thoughts!