5. TSN is not going away
TSN has been the major hockey network for the the majority of the last decade. They slowly shoved aside the CBC, even stealing the historic song for their broadcast. Although TSN was consulted during the negotiations, they’re now left scrambling, while their rivals make off like bandits. But this doesn’t mean the end of TSN as we know it.
TSN has the exclusive rights to broadcast the Canadian Football League all across Canada, and if you look at the ratings, CFL fares nearly as well as the NHL does on TSN. I am expecting more coverage of the CFL and many more hockey speciality shows revolving around the NHL draft and hockey- talk panels.
4. Better hockey coverage from Sportsnet
This may sound a bit redundant considering the deal they just scored, but the fact is TSN has been the go-to hockey place for Canadians in recent years. Sportsnet’s coverage of hockey isn’t terrible at the moment, but the trio of Doug Maclean, Nick Kypreos, and Daren Millard can be annoying at times, with Kypreos loudly and obnoxiously sticking up for the players’ perspective, and Maclean being a contrarian for the sake of it.
They are not terrible at what they do, but when you compare them to the hockey talents TSN has, like Bob McKenzie or Darren Dreger, a fan is more likely to tune into TSN for some serious hockey news or analysis over Sportsnet. I expect Sportsnet to give a serious jolt to their hockey production to try and draw fans’ interest with the new deal.
3. Change of scenery for some sports personalities
As mentioned before, Sportsnet is going to have to boost their hockey content in some way to attract viewers to their network. The easiest and most efficient way to do this would be for them to bring in some of TSN’s and the CBC’s analysts to add new life to the product.
Without the deal, TSN can try all they want to keep their team together, but as Rogers has already shown, they have a lot of money to attract these personalities to their channels. It is a very strange limbo period for the hockey guys working on CBC and TSN. I expect a lot of shuffling to take place over the next year with some big name analysts changing over to Sportsnet.
2. Hockey Night in Canada may be on a ticking clock
A largely unknown fact: Rogers will be licensing regular-season games to the CBC, and TSN still holds regional rights to broadcast the Winnipeg Jets, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. There has been a lot of talk about what Don Cherry is going to do, but I think the bigger concern is what is going to happen to Hockey Night in Canada as a whole.
The Saturday night broadcasts have become a staple of Canadian society and now Rogers has complete editorial control. While Hockey Night in Canada may still exist today, and probably will
still exist in some form five years from now, I expect it to be vastly different than the Hockey Night in Canada we all grew up with. This might mark the end of Bob Cole’s career who has blessed hockey fans with his voice for the almost 50 years—and Grapes may not be too far behind.
1. You will have to pay more money
It’s simple in business. The new deal is worth $5.2 billion, which is an investment for Rogers. While I think they are going to lose their shirt on the new deal, Rogers is a massive company that will find any way they can to recoup that $5.2 billion and then some.
While it’s still unclear how they’ll incorporate the deal into their TV programming, one thing that’s almost guaranteed is that you’ll be paying much more to watch hockey than you ever did before. Fans will be presented
with more ways to consume the national game — on phones and online, as well as on TV, which Rogers will use to justify getting us to cough up more money straight out of our pockets.
Ryan McCabe
Sports and Health Editor
2. Hockey Night in Canada may be on a ticking clock
A largely unknown fact: Rogers will be licensing regular-season games to the CBC, and TSN still holds regional rights to broadcast the Winnipeg Jets, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. There has been a lot of talk about what Don Cherry is going to do, but I think the bigger concern is what is going to happen to Hockey Night in Canada as a whole.
The Saturday night broadcasts have become a staple of Canadian society and now Rogers has complete editorial control. While Hockey Night in Canada may still exist today, and probably will
still exist in some form five years from now, I expect it to be vastly different than the Hockey Night in Canada we all grew up with. This might mark the end of Bob Cole’s career who has blessed hockey fans with his voice for the almost 50 years—and Grapes may not be too far behind.
1. You will have to pay more money
It’s simple in business. The new deal is worth $5.2 billion, which is an investment for Rogers. While I think they are going to lose their shirt on the new deal, Rogers is a massive company that will find any way they can to recoup that $5.2 billion and then some.
While it’s still unclear how they’ll incorporate the deal into their TV programming, one thing that’s almost guaranteed is that you’ll be paying much more to watch hockey than you ever did before. Fans will be presented
with more ways to consume the national game — on phones and online, as well as on TV, which Rogers will use to justify getting us to cough up more money straight out of our pockets.
Ryan McCabe
Sports and Health Editor
