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Three TV distributors are claiming that Rogers Communications Inc. has broken anti-trust regulations and raised costs for Canadian sports viewers by transferring Monday evening NHL games solely to its Sportsnet Plus streaming application for this year’s hockey season.
In a formal submission sent Tuesday to the Canadian television regulator, the firms—comprising Cogeco Inc., Eastlink, and SaskTel—assert that Rogers obliges hockey supporters to shell out an extra $12.99 each month for Monday broadcasts unless they are existing subscribers to Sportsnet through Rogers TV or Sportsnet Plus.
These competing distributors are urging the CRTC to direct Rogers to promptly make the broadcasts available to third-party telecommunications companies at no cost for their subscriber bases, thereby “ensuring parity” relative to what Rogers provides.
“Unless the commission provides rapid, firm, and mandatory oversight, this aggressive stripping away of essential live sporting broadcasts will cause prompt and permanent structural injury to Canada’s media landscape,” the filing asserted, noting further that failing to act would set “a dangerous precedent.”
“If allowed to continue, this approach weakens consumer options, compels families across Canada into compulsory fee-stacking, and skews equitable market competition.”
Back in September, Rogers made public that Monday evening NHL matchups would be exclusively streamed via its proprietary platform for the first time this season. The firm noted that users of Rogers, Rogers West, and Shaw Direct who currently retain Sportsnet within their television bundles would get access to the broadcasts without paying extra.
Additionally, the telecommunications operator introduced three supplementary digital feeds displaying this exclusive programming to Rogers Xfinity television tiers that incorporate Sportsnet.
Conversely, subscribers receiving Sportsnet via alternative television providers must pay an extra monthly fee of $12.99 to secure the add-on package.
The competing TV firms contended that this setup is “deliberately degrading the user experience on other distributors’ platforms” while contributing to the “erosion of sports on television,” given that these providers cannot build a coherent sports offering for their subscriber bases.
They characterized the practice as a “predatory rate squeeze” compelling non-affiliated operators to either “absorb severe content devaluation” or shift the elevated expenses to everyday viewers.
“As a result, the regulatory body must step in immediately to permanently halt Rogers’ anti-competitive behavior, safeguarding the stability of Canada’s broadcasting framework and safeguarding the rights of domestic consumers nationwide,” the group stated.
Responding in a statement, Sportsnet representative Jason Jackson mentioned that the organization plans to respond to every point brought forward in the CRTC process, “including Sportsnet’s right to distribute content exclusively on Sportsnet Plus.”
“Rogers Cable provided fair market compensation to Sportsnet in order to offer Sportsnet Plus exclusive programming to its cable subscribers, choosing to include it at zero additional charge,” Jackson remarked.
“Every television distributor, Cogeco, Eastlink, and SaskTel included, holds an identical chance to include this programming in their channel line-ups, yet they have opted against it up to now. Viewers are encouraged to reach out to their TV provider regarding this possibility.”
Furthermore, the submission to the CRTC claimed that Rogers’ actions breach obligations established during its 2023 acquisition of Shaw. That $26-billion deal received regulatory blessing under specific conditions ensuring Rogers would uphold healthy market competition.
Specifically, the telecom corporation pledged to “refrain from entering into any agreement for exclusive or referential distribution of any online programming service or rights necessary for its distribution.”
However, opposing firms argued that Rogers is leveraging its nationwide multiplatform NHL broadcast rights “to grant preferential access to its own distribution network while effectively withholding full linear carriage from independent (distributors).”
This ongoing NHL campaign represents the inaugural year under Rogers’ 12-year, $11-billion agreement securing national English-language broadcasting rights.
Reassigning Monday games strictly to Rogers’ streaming application is merely one among several major developments for hockey enthusiasts this year.
These alterations also involve the conclusion of a sublicensing arrangement that previously permitted Saturday evening NHL games to broadcast on CBC under the “Hockey Night in Canada” banner. Those matchups are now carried exclusively on Sportsnet using the new “Saturday Night Hockey” title.
This is the very first time since the 1952 television premiere of Hockey Night in Canada that NHL action is unavailable to Canadian audiences through the public network. Instead, CBC intends to air Professional Women’s Hockey League matches under the Hockey Night in Canada moniker this term.
Rogers additionally elevated the yearly subscription fee for Sportsnet Plus premium members to $344.99. This $20 increase follows a prior $75 price jump applied to annual streaming packages during the previous season.
At the same time, Rogers revealed a 12-year partnership with Amazon, enabling Prime Video in Canada to serve as the sole broadcaster for Wednesday night regular-season national games starting this year.
An earlier sublicensing contract between Rogers and Amazon had previously placed Monday night regular-season matches on Prime Video throughout the past two seasons.
