Gary Bettman Says the NHL May Move Away From Cable Television Broadcasts

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Liam McCormick
October 15, 2024 (4:23 PM)

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Amazon Prime Video hosted their first NHL Broadcast last night, and at the event, commissioner Gary Bettman said there will be more to come.

Bettman appeared in Montreal, and told reporters that the next Canadian Broadcast Deal for hockey rights will reflect a new reality that there's more viewers on streaming rather than television.

The current deal between Sportsnet and the NHL for the broadcast rights to national games is set to expire after the 2025-26 season, and judging by Bettman's comments, it's unlikely Sportsnet can even compete with the potential viewers on a platform like Amazon Prime.

That said, Sportsnet and the NHL announced an extension of regional broadcast rights for a number of Canadian teams, including the Edmonton Oilers. While the regional games may still be on Sportsnet, Bettman's comments hint that prime time games could be moved away from television in the near future.

Bettman's comments come just as the NHL received incredibly disappointing rating results for their opening night, seeing a 39% drop in viewership from just last year.

More and more people on households are cutting their cable cords and opting just for streaming services now, and the NHL needs to meet viewers where they are. Hopefully it doesn't create a situation where fans need to create multiple subscriptions to watch their favourite teams, but if one streaming service can host more NHL games than ever before, and without blackouts - perhaps it turns out to be a positive change for fans.

It certainly sounds like hockey fans will be in for a major adjustment when the current deal expires in 2025-26, and the future of sports broadcasts will entirely change.