By Canadian Press

Rogers CEO touts Amazon NHL deal, says company will pursue rights renewal in 2026

May 1, 2024 | 12:06 PM

TORONTO — The chief executive of Rogers Communications Inc. says the company plans to pursue a renewal of its rights to broadcast NHL games when its current agreement expires in two years, but offered no hints on whether it will go it alone or seek out a partner.

Speaking Wednesday at a lunch hosted by Canadian Club Toronto, Rogers president and CEO Tony Staffieri called the $5.2-billion, 12-year rights agreement a “terrific deal for us” that has helped grow audiences on its Sportsnet channels.

The remark comes after Rogers announced last week that the company and NHL reached an exclusive agreement with Amazon’s Prime Video to carry Monday regular-season games in Canada for the next two seasons.

Asked why it decided to offload content to a streaming service competitor, Staffieri noted Rogers also owns professional sports teams and is seeking to increase viewership.

Rogers is the owner of the Toronto Blue Jays and has a 37.5 per cent stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which counts the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC and Toronto Argonauts among its properties.

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Staffieri says the agreement with Amazon is just “one more example of us moving with the way Canadians actually want to experience and view content.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:RCI.B)

The Canadian Press