I suppose this was inevitable. CBC will no longer air Hockey Night in Canada. Rogers has controlled the content and sold the ads for Hockey Night in Canada for the past 12 years, but CBC still aired this content. But that deal has expired.
I'm honestly not the least bit surprised. In fact, I was always surprised CBC cooperated with this deal, without benefitting from the ad revenue. Still, it's the end of an era as Hockey Night in Canada has aired on CBC since 1952.
Here's the joint statement from Rogers and CBC.
After a successful 12-year partnership, Sportsnet and CBC today announced the public broadcaster will no longer carry NHL broadcasts after the current season as it moves forward with a new sports programming strategy following the unprecedented success of the Milano/Cortina Olympic Games.
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.
