CBC ends – CBC and Sportsnet announced Tuesday they are ending their NHL broadcast partnership. CBC will stop carrying the league, while Sportsnet will air all Saturday games under a new 12-year NHL deal starting next season.
Tuesday brought a hard stop to a familiar Saturday ritual for many Canadian hockey fans: the NHL will no longer be broadcast on CBC.
Sportsnet and the public broadcaster confirmed the end of their partnership. a cross-licensing arrangement that had allowed certain games to appear on both networks over the past 12 years. The change means CBC is moving on from NHL coverage entirely as Sportsnet takes over a larger role in what viewers see each weekend.
In its statement, Sportsnet framed the decision around what hockey night in Canada has come to mean. “Watching hockey on Saturday night is a time-honoured tradition for Canadians, and Sportsnet is privileged to continue delivering that tradition. This has been a terrific partnership. and both parties look forward to continued opportunities to collaborate in the future. ” the network said.
CBC said it is moving forward with “a new sports programming strategy following the unprecedented success of the Milano/Cortina Olympic Games,” shifting its priorities after a run that included a long-running hockey presence.
That hockey presence goes back further than most modern broadcast deals. CBC began airing Hockey Night in Canada on television in 1952 and held exclusive Saturday night rights through the 2013-14 season. From there. the NHL games did not disappear so much as change hands and formats—CBC continued carrying games through the cross-licensing partnership with Sportsnet over the following 12 years.
Now, the weekend schedule will be rewritten. Sportsnet will air all Saturday games moving forward as part of a new 12-year broadcast deal with the NHL that begins next season.
For fans who associated CBC with that specific Saturday-night feel—lights. music. and the same long-standing broadcast identity—the announcement lands as more than a contract update. It marks the end of an era that started with Hockey Night in Canada in 1952 and carried through decades of Saturday rights. even when the NHL coverage later became shared. Next season, the tradition will continue, but on a different set of channels.
NHL CBC Sportsnet Hockey Night in Canada broadcasting partnership Saturday games media rights 12-year deal Milano/Cortina Olympic Games
So wait CBC is just… done? That sucks, Saturday nights won’t feel the same.
I’m confused, are they still showing some games or none at all? Sounds like Sportsnet gets everything, but CBC says a new sports plan so maybe it’s like ‘sort of’ the same.
It’s all about money. If CBC couldn’t renew because of the Milano/Cortina Olympics then just say that lol. Hockey Night in Canada died on purpose, mark my words.
Honestly I don’t even care, but I swear every time they change channels it makes it harder to watch. Like my dad will search ‘CBC hockey’ and it won’t be there. Also 12-year deal?? That’s forever, can they even do that without messing up the schedule?