NHL Wednesday Night Exclusive
Prime Video and Rogers Announce 12-Year NHL Deal for Exclusive Wednesday Night Hockey
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Key Points
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Sportsnet will retain exclusive English-language rights to more than 500 national NHL games per season, including Monday and Saturday night games and most Stanley Cup Playoff series, with exceptions for games sublicensed to Prime Video.
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Prime Video rights will be offered in both English and French, delivering bilingual Wednesday Night Hockey coverage across Canada.
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The first Wednesday Night Hockey broadcast on Prime Video is scheduled for September 30, marking the start of the 2026-27 season.
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NHL on Prime will continue to deliver world-class production and innovation with an on-air team, reinforcing premium live sports presentation for Canadian viewers.
Amazon's Prime Video and Rogers Communications have struck a 12-year sublicensing deal that makes Prime Video the exclusive home of Wednesday Night Hockey in Canada, starting with the 2026-27 NHL season, according to The Score and Market Screener. The agreement also hands Prime Video rights to two First Round and one Second Round Stanley Cup Playoff series each year — at no extra cost to Prime members.
The first Wednesday Night Hockey broadcast on Prime Video is set for September 30, kicking off the new season. The deal covers at least 26 national regular-season games per year, offered in both English and French, according to Daily Faceoff.
What Rogers Keeps and What Prime Video Gets
Rogers' Sportsnet is not walking away from hockey. It will keep exclusive English-language rights to more than 500 national NHL games per season, Market Screener reported. That includes Monday and Saturday night games, plus the majority of Stanley Cup Playoff series.
Prime Video carves out a smaller but meaningful slice. It gets Wednesday nights during the regular season and three playoff series per year — two in the First Round and one in the Second Round. Think of it as Rogers subletting a premium package to Amazon rather than giving up the keys entirely, according to The Score.
Bilingual Coverage and a New Era for French Hockey Fans
One standout feature of the deal is bilingual delivery. Prime Video will broadcast Wednesday Night Hockey in both English and French across Canada. That means French-speaking fans get national NHL coverage through a major streaming platform for the first time at this scale.
Executives Tony Staffieri of Rogers, Jay Marine of Amazon, and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman all framed the deal as a win for Canada's hockey ecosystem, according to Daily Faceoff. Bettman called it a move that reinforces Canada's place at the center of the hockey world. Prime Video has pledged a dedicated on-air team and top-tier production for every broadcast.
A 12-Year Bet on Streaming Live Sports
The length of this deal stands out. Twelve years is a long runway — and a big commitment from both sides. It signals that Rogers sees streaming as a lasting partner, not a short-term experiment. It also shows Amazon is serious about live sports as a driver of Prime memberships in Canada, according to Seeking Alpha.
Prime Video already holds NHL rights in the United States through a separate deal. Adding Canada locks in a major North American sports footprint. Fans with an existing Prime membership get access at no extra charge — a key selling point as streaming services compete for subscribers.
When Fans Will Feel the Change
Nothing changes until the 2026-27 season. Fans watching on Sportsnet today won't see any disruption this year. The September 30 launch date gives both sides more than a year to build their broadcast teams and production pipelines, according to The Score.
After that date, Wednesday nights belong to Prime Video. Canadian hockey fans who want full national coverage will likely need both a Sportsnet subscription and an Amazon Prime membership. The days of one network holding all the pucks appear to be over.
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