For almost 74 years, Canadian families had a simple weekend tradition: turning on CBC to watch free Saturday night hockey. Now, that tradition has come to an end.
After the 2025–2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Rogers Communications and CBC could not agree on a new sub-licensing deal.
Because of this, starting in September for the 2026–2027 season, live NHL games will no longer be on public TV. The high cost of the new Rogers NHL broadcast rights deal is the main reason.
Why has CBC lost NHL games?
This major change happened because of huge corporate spending. Rogers recently signed an exclusive 12-year extension with the NHL worth $11.2 billion.
Since the cost to broadcast professional hockey has nearly doubled, Rogers decided it could not let a public network air the games for free anymore.
In the old partnership, CBC aired the games so as many people as possible could watch. However, Rogers kept all the advertising money. Now, Rogers wants to earn money directly from viewers at home.
What does this mean to viewers?
For regular viewers, this change means extra costs right away. Without a paid cable package or a Sportsnet streaming subscription, you will not be able to watch the games.
Millions of households that previously relied on a basic TV antenna or the free CBC Gem streaming app to watch their favorite players are left out in the cold. To see a single regular-season game, ordinary consumers must now sign up for a monthly premium sports tier, turning a shared cultural pastime into an expensive luxury.
This sudden change has also started a strange branding fight over Saturday night sports. Rogers owns the NHL broadcast rights. However, CBC still has the legal trademark for the famous name “Hockey Night in Canada.”
Because the two companies have completely parted ways, Sportsnet cannot legally use the historic name for its Saturday evening broadcasts next fall. It will simply be branded as standard Sportsnet hockey, effectively erasing a piece of broadcasting history from the airwaves.
Will the CBC broadcast free Saturday night hockey?
At the same time, CBC has to try a new approach. CBC Sports says it will fill Saturday nights with a new primetime lineup focused on amateur Canadian athletes, Olympic sports, big world championships, and women’s professional leagues like the PWHL.
Network executives say this change is a chance to highlight sports that do not usually get attention. But media experts warn that losing the country’s most-watched sport is a serious and lasting setback for public broadcasting.
In the end, corporate paywalls have won over public access. Everyday people now have to face the fact that community traditions can disappear when big money is involved.
If you want to watch hockey next season, the message from the telecom industry is clear: get your credit card ready, because free hockey is gone for good.