Rogers Communications went top shelf in scoring a multi-billion-dollar, 12-year carriage agreement with the National Hockey League “on all platforms in all languages.”
Rogers said the new media rights deal, which starts in the 2014-2015 season and runs through the 2025-2026 season, was the largest in league history. It also marked the first time a premium North American-wide sports league had granted all of its national (Canadian) rights to one company on a long-term basis.
Under the terms of the deal, Rogers will pay the NHL 5.2 billion Canadian dollars over the 12 years.
“Sports content is a key strategic asset and we’ve been investing significantly to strengthen our sports offering to Canadians,” said Rogers president and CEO Nadir Mohamed. “Canadians are passionate about hockey, and through this landmark partnership with the NHL we’ll be able to bring hockey fans more games and more content on their platform of choice.”
The agreement is subject to approval by the NHL’s board of governors, which is meeting on Dec. 9-10.
Rogers also announced today that it had picked CBC and TVA for separate sub-licensing deals for English-language broadcasts of Hockey Night in Canada and all national French-language multimedia rights, respectively.
Rogers has tied up the rights to all of the NHL’s TV broadcasts, TV Everywhere, wireless and mobile tablets, Internet streaming, terrestrial and satellite radio, and out-of-home offerings.
“Our fans always want to explore deeper and more emotional connections to NHL hockey, and that is precisely what Rogers has promised to deliver over the next 12 years – channeling the reach of its platforms and the intensity of its passion for the game into an unparalleled viewing experience,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. “The NHL is extremely excited about the power and potential of this groundbreaking partnership.”
