Amazon gets exclusive rights to Wednesday NHL games, three playoff series in both languages
Amazon Prime Video announced Tuesday it has secured exclusive rights to Wednesday night National Hockey League games, two first-round playoff series and one second-round playoff series through a sublicensing agreement with Rogers.
The 12-year deal matches the one Rogers announced with the NHL that begins this coming season and will include at least 26 regular-season NHL games, with several Canadiens games among them.
The Canadiens are scheduled to play seven Wednesday evening games next season with 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. starts, plus an additional three Wednesday late-night games against western opponents. La Presse reported last week that seven Canadiens regular-season games would be part of Amazon’s deal.
Financial terms of the deal between Rogers and Amazon were not disclosed.
With the 45 regional games broadcast on RDS under a multi-year deal announced last year, this leaves 32 Canadiens games unaccounted for in French next season, the first with an 84-game schedule. La Presse reported TVA would carry all 32 of them and that announcement of a deal was imminent.
Amazon carried Monday evening games in English for the past two seasons through a previous sublicensing deal with Rogers.
Canadiens English-language regional TV rights are held by TSN, with 50 regular-season games per season. The remaining 34 national games will be split between Rogers and Amazon, as will the playoffs.
