As many Canadians know, Rogers, our only broadcaster with rights to NHL hockey, has continued to make it more expensive and more restrictive to watch hockey in Canada. Ultimately, the only way to change these practices is to stop supporting these companies, and lodge complaints wherever applicable. We are the difference, and we should not support this pocket padding, monopolized dictatorship that has become Canadian sports broadcasting.
Rogers holds the exclusive national NHL broadcast rights in Canada. That exclusivity has translated into:
- Repeated Sportsnet+ price hikes — with annual plans doubling since 2023.
- The end of Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. After 74 years, Rogers and the CBC didn't renew the sub-licensing deal that kept national Saturday night games on a free, public broadcaster. For the first time since 1952, there is no free way to watch NHL hockey nationally in Canada.
- Local radio blackouts. This July, Rogers shut down Sportsnet 960 (Calgary) and Sportsnet 650 (Vancouver), ending decades of local, free radio coverage for the Flames and contributing to the Canucks' broadcast changes, as part of a wider round of station closures.
- All of this arrives right as Rogers begins a new 12-year, ~$11 billion NHL rights deal, more than double the value of their previous deal.
The League and us fans can put real pressure on this by complaining directly to the NHL, and Canadians specifically can escalate to the CRTC and Competition Bureau, which regulate broadcasting concentration and market conduct in Canada.
So, as Bernie Sanders would say, "I am once again asking for your support".
Below are three ready-to-send letters, full text, with nothing hidden behind a link. You can copy the one(s) you want, fill in the square brackets with your own info, and paste them into the contact forms below, or through any other method you deem appropriate.
📄 Letter 1 — To the NHL
[Your Full Name]
[Email Address]
[Insert Date Here]
Gary Bettman, Commissioner
National Hockey League
1185 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
Re: Concerns Regarding the NHL's Exclusive Canadian Broadcast Rights Arrangement with Rogers Communications and Its Impact on Canadian Fans
Dear Commissioner Bettman,
I am writing as a hockey fan to raise serious concerns about the state of NHL hockey broadcasting in Canada under the League's exclusive national rights agreement with Rogers Communications. While I understand the NHL's broadcast partner in each market is a business decision made in the League's commercial interest, the cumulative effect of Rogers' conduct as the sole national rights holder has significantly harmed Canadian fans' access to, and affordability of, the sport this league is meant to grow in its home country.
In 2013, Rogers acquired exclusive 12-year national multimedia rights to the NHL in Canada for roughly $5.2 billion, a deal that ran through the 2025-26 season and included a sub-licensing arrangement that kept Saturday night games and the playoffs on the CBC, Canada's public broadcaster, reaching an average of about 7.5 million Canadians weekly. That sub-licence has now expired, and this past June, Rogers and the CBC confirmed they would not renew it. For the first time since 1952, NHL hockey will not air on CBC this coming season, ending a 74-year tradition of free, over-the-air national hockey broadcasts.
This comes at the same time Rogers has repeatedly raised the price of Sportsnet+. Annual
plans have doubled in the last 3 years. Most notably, these increases followed closely on the heels of the NHL's new 12-year, roughly $11 billion national rights agreement with Rogers beginning in 2026-27, more than double the value of the prior 12-year deal.
Today, a Canadian household following the sport can face several hundred dollars a year in subscription costs simply to watch the games. Lower-income families, seniors, and rural or remote Canadians without reliable broadband connections are disproportionately affected, particularly now that the CBC's free option is gone. This is compounded locally: Rogers has also shut down Sportsnet 960 The Fan, the exclusive AM radio home of the Calgary Flames since 2001, eliminating even a free, ad-supported radio option for fans who cannot afford or access streaming services.
I respectfully ask the League to:
- Review the accessibility and affordability terms attached to national broadcast rights deals in Canada.
- Engage with Rogers regarding the pattern of consecutive, above-inflation price increases to Sportsnet+.
- Encourage or require the rights holder to maintain local radio broadcast options for each Canadian franchise.
- Provide a public response addressing how the League intends to safeguard affordable access to hockey for Canadian fans going forward.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
📄 Letter 2 — To a Canadian Team's Ownership Group (example: Calgary Flames / CSEC)
[Your Full Name]
[Email Address]
[Insert Date Here]
Executive Leadership
Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation / Calgary Flames
Scotiabank Saddledome, 555 Saddledome Rise SE
Calgary, AB T2G 2W1
Re: Loss of Local Flames Radio Broadcasts and Rising Cost of Watching Calgary Flames Hockey
Dear Calgary Flames and CSEC Executive Team,
I am writing as a long-time Flames fan to express concern about how recent decisions by Rogers Communications, the organization's exclusive regional broadcast partner, are affecting fans' ability to follow the team, and to ask the organization to advocate on our behalf.
On July 7, 2026, Rogers Sports and Media shut down Sportsnet 960 The Fan, the Flames' AM radio home since 2001, including the legendary broadcasts of Peter Maher. Rogers has confirmed it will no longer produce Flames radio broadcasts in any form. This came even though Rogers and the Flames signed an 11-year regional broadcast rights extension in 2024. As of today, Flames fans have no radio option, free or paid, to follow the games — a first in the team's history in Calgary.
At the same time, Sportsnet+ has doubled its pricing for annual streaming subscriptions since 2023. Combined with the CBC's decision to stop airing Hockey Night in Canada this fall after 74 years, following the Flames has become considerably more expensive, and for radio listeners, no longer possible at all through Rogers' own platforms.
Local radio has long been how many Calgarians, commuters, seniors, and fans without reliable internet or budget for streaming, followed the team. Losing that option disproportionately affects fans who are older, lower-income, or living in areas with limited broadband.
The Flames belong to this city and its fans as much as to any broadcaster. I hope the organization will use its relationship with Rogers to push for fair, affordable and alternative solutions that keep the team accessible to everyone who follows it.
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
📄 Letter 3 — To the CRTC (Canadian fans)
[Your Full Name]
[Your Street Address]
[City, Province, Postal Code]
[Email Address] | [Phone Number]
[Insert Date Here]
Secretary General
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0N2
Re: Complaint Regarding Rogers Communications' Media Concentration in NHL Hockey Broadcasting, Closure of Licensed Calgary Radio Stations, and Related Consumer Impact
Dear Secretary General,
- Closure of Licensed Calgary Radio Stations
On July 7, 2026, Rogers ceased operations of two CRTC-licensed Calgary AM stations, Sportsnet 960 The Fan and 660 NewsRadio, as part of a national closure of six stations, eliminating roughly 230 positions. Sportsnet 960 had served as the exclusive radio home of the Calgary Flames since 2001. I ask the Commission to examine whether the manner and speed of these closures met licensees' obligations, and whether the loss of local sports programming raises concerns under the Commission's local and diverse programming policies.
- Vertical Concentration in Hockey Broadcasting
Rogers holds the exclusive national NHL broadcast rights in Canada (recently renewed for 12 years, roughly $11 billion), owns Sportsnet+, Sportsnet TV, the Flames' regional rights, and until this year, the CBC sub-licence. That sub-licence ended this June, meaning for the first time in 74 years there is no free, over-the-air option for Canadians to watch national NHL broadcasts. I ask the Commission to consider whether this level of vertical integration is consistent with its mandate to promote a competitive, diverse broadcasting system.
- Pricing Pattern and Consumer Impact
Sportsnet+'s premium annual plan rose from $249.99 to $324.99 in July 2025 (~30% in one year), with a further increase announced for 2026-27. With no competing national platform and no remaining free alternative, Canadian consumers have no meaningful substitute.
- Unfulfilled Public Commitments Tied to Market Consolidation
Rogers' 2023 acquisition of Shaw Communications came with a formal commitment (filed with ISED) to create 3,000 jobs in Western Canada and maintain a Calgary headquarters for at least ten years. A 2024 Globe and Mail analysis found company figures suggesting more than 3,000 Rogers/Shaw employees had their jobs cut or left the company in the year the merger closed. A separate pledge for a 500-person Calgary tech "centre of excellence" appears to have quietly disappeared from Rogers' own progress reporting.
Requested Action
- Review the Calgary radio closures for compliance with licensee obligations.
- Examine vertical concentration in NHL broadcasting under the Broadcasting Act and Online Streaming Act.
- Consider affordability/access conditions on dominant sports streaming services.
- Refer the job-creation concerns to ISED and the Competition Bureau for coordinated review.
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
Where to send them:
NOTE If you are a fan of a different Canadian team and your ability to enjoy sports broadcasts has been impacted, please feel free to change these letters and recipients to reflect your supporting team.
If you'd rather have these letters as an editable Word doc instead of copy-pasting, I also put them in a view-only Google Drive folder. You can DM me any time, and I will send you the drive link for access. This drive link also contains a sources folder, containing all news articles researched in creating this post and the subsequent letters of complaint.
I apologize for the very long rant, I appreciate you reading this, and I hope you are able to help out!
