One of sports broadcasting’s longest traditions, the NHL on Canada’s CBC, is coming to an end.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation will no longer air NHL games starting next season, ending its 12-year partnership with Rogers Sportsnet and 74-year run carrying NHL games, the companies said in a joint announcement on Tuesday. CBC has been airing NHL games under a sublicensing agreement with Rogers, which had its own media rights deal with the league that expired after last season. While Rogers reached a new 12-year media rights deal that begins next season, CBC is stepping aside as it alters its strategy for sports programming.
“Watching hockey on Saturday night is a time-honoured tradition for Canadians, and Sportsnet is privileged to continue delivering that tradition,” Sportsnet and CBC said in a joint statement on Tuesday. “This has been a terrific partnership, and both parties look forward to continued opportunities to collaborate in the future.”
“Saturday night NHL hockey is woven into the fabric of Canada and our partners at Sportsnet will continue this great tradition, as they have for the last 12 years,” NHL chief communications officer Jon Weinstein told Sports Media Watch on Tuesday.
CBC has been airing “Hockey Night in Canada” since the 1952-53 season, but it ceased producing the telecasts 12 years ago when Rogers Sportsnet landed the rights. The final CBC-produced NHL matchup was Game 5 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final when the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New York Rangers. As a result, next season will mark the first time in 74 years that CBC does not air NHL games, ending its stretch with the most recent Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights.
The public broadcasting company is introducing a new Saturday night prime time program spotlighting Canadian athletes competing domestically and abroad ahead of the LA 2028 Summer Olympics. CBC holds broadcast rights to the Olympic Games in Canada through 2032 under an agreement with the International Olympic Committee.
In addition to the new show, CBC/Radio-Canada will also present more coverage of events prior to the next Olympics, including the World Aquatic Championships, PWHL Hockey, the Northern Super League and U Sports Championships. The outlet is also airing the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which are taking place in Scotland starting in the end of July.
“As the proud home of Team Canada, we’re already investing in the LA Games in 2028 and setting a course for the French Alps in 2030,” CBC EVP Doug Smith said in a statement. “At the same time, our commitment doesn’t pause following the closing ceremony; we will be there between the Games – in every community, every arena, every early morning practice and every late night training session.”
Rogers is still able to sublicense NHL rights under its new deal, including French-language telecasts and one night of exclusive national games. While CBC is available on broadcast television in Canada, Rogers Sportsnet is exclusive to cable services and streaming providers. CBC will also continue to use the “Hockey Night in Canada” brand, which it owns, “in different ways going forward,” CBC head of public affairs Chuck Thompson said, per a report by Julian McKenzie of The Athletic.
At the moment, next year’s Stanley Cup Final is currently slated to be exclusive to cable networks in both the United States in Canada for the first time ever. The league’s U.S. media rights deal with The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Discovery expires at the end of the 2027-28 season.
