With eight months to go until the puck drops on the 2014-15 NHL season, Rogers today unveiled its high-level NHL programming strategy which will see the company deliver more than 500 regular season games across 13 networks, up to 7 games every Saturday night, expanded NHL content on 7 platforms, exclusive windows for national broadcasts, “Hometown Hockey” every Sunday hosted from communities across Canada, and every game of the NHL Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final.
The announcement was made by Scott Moore, President of Sportsnet and NHL, Rogers Media, at the Rogers NHL Upfront at Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. In November 2013, Rogers Communications secured a 12-year deal with the NHL for exclusive national broadcast and multimedia rights in Canada, beginning with the 2014-15 season.
“We are working together with the NHL on a strategic game schedule, which allows us to deliver the games that matter most to Canadians. We are going where the fans are,” said Moore. “Our vision is to transform the fan experience. There will be two conventional networks to deliver increased game coverage on Saturday nights, we have created a new national night for hockey on Sundays, we will be in hockey communities across the country every week, and we are leveraging all the Rogers networks and platforms to deliver expanded NHL content. There will be more games, more content, and more choice than ever before.”
Rogers’s NHL programming strategy for the 2014-15 season
* See “By The Numbers” addendum
* Additional details will be announced over the coming weeks and months
Saturdays – Hockey Night in Canada
- More than 130 regular season games airing nationally on Saturday nights
- Up to 7 games each Saturday, airing on CBC, City, Sportsnet, Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, and FX Canada:
o 7 p.m. ET: 3 – 5 games
o 10 p.m. ET: 1 – 2 games
o Tripleheaders on occasion
- More hockey on over-the-air television on Saturdays than ever before with CBC and City
- Exclusive night; no other NHL games airing on Saturday night
- A total of 13 networks will be airing hockey games in English and French on Saturdays:
o CBC, City, Sportsnet (East, Ontario, West, Pacific), Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet Radio Network, FX Canada, TVA, TVA Sports, TVA Sports 2
Sundays – Hometown Hockey
- Nationally-televised game every Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on City (including half-hour pre-game), marking a new night for hockey in Canada
o Games to feature a Canadian team
o Doubleheaders on occasion
- Every Sunday broadcast will be “Hometown Hockey”. Each game broadcast will be hosted from a different community rink across Canada, and will feature local NHL player profiles, grassroots stories told by our hockey broadcast team, and local entertainment features
- Additional match-ups to air on Sundays on Sportsnet and Sportsnet ONE
- Exclusive window; no other NHL games airing in that window
Wednesdays – NHL on Sportsnet
- Nationally-televised games every Wednesday night on Sportsnet
o Games to feature superstar match-ups, with emphasis on storytelling
o Doubleheaders on occasion
- Complemented by US vs. US match-up on Sportsnet ONE
- Exclusive window; no other NHL games airing during Sportsnet’s live game coverage
More Game Broadcasts
- More than 100 US vs. US match-ups to air nationally on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet ONE
o Regular Thursday night home position on Sportsnet 360
- Rogers to air all 82 regular season games for Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Edmonton Oilers
o Includes regional broadcast rights
- Rogers to air minimum of 53 Toronto Maple Leafs games
o 40 national; minimum of 13 regional
Specials, Features, Storytelling, and News
- Seven platforms to deliver Rogers NHL content: TV, Digital, Radio, Publishing, Wireless, Cable, Social (additional details to come)
- Expanded pre-game every Saturday and Sunday on Sportsnet, beginning at 5 p.m. ET
- Sportsnet to showcase the NHL every night of the week, with live games, Hockey Central, and Connected
o Hockey Central to air every night; expanded to one hour
o Hockey Central at Noon continues on Sportsnet Radio Network and simulcast on TV
- 50 features to be produced, profiling the NHL’s top stars
- Hundreds of grassroots and community features to air during Hometown Hockey
By The Numbers
Rogers and the NHL – 2014-15 Season
1250+ Hours of nationally-televised live NHL game coverage on Rogers during the regular season
500+ Regular season games airing nationally on Rogers/CBC
300 Per cent increase of nationally-televised Canadian games on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday nights
130+ Regular season games airing nationally on Saturday nights on Rogers/CBC
105 Maximum number of playoff games, including the Stanley Cup Final, on Rogers/CBC
100 Per cent of Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and Calgary Flames games offered on Rogers
100 U.S. vs. U.S. match-ups airing on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet ONE during the regular season
62 Years of tradition for Hockey Night in Canada brand
50 Profiles of NHL superstars through specials and storytelling throughout the season
30 NHL games airing Wednesday nights on Sportsnet throughout the regular season (including doubleheaders)
26 NHL games airing Sunday nights on City throughout the regular season
13 Networks airing hockey games every Saturday night CBC, City, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet Radio Network, FX Canada, TVA, TVA Sports, TVA Sports 2
13 Thousand square feet – the size of Rogers’s new NHL studio set
12 Length in years of the multimedia deal between Rogers and the NHL
7 Number of platforms that will deliver Rogers NHL content to Canadians: TV, Digital, Radio, Publishing, Wireless, Cable, Social
7 Nights of the week there will be hockey on Sportsnet, with live games, Hockey Central, and Connected
7 Maximum number of games airing every Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada during regular season
5 Start time (ET) of the expanded pre-game show each Saturday and Sunday during the regular season
1 The position we envision for Sportsnet, as the leading sports media brand in Canada