Streaming sports isn’t anything new.
Amazon Prime, DAZN and other streaming platforms have been getting more and more involved in live sports over the last few years. And I don’t really have a problem with that. Amazon Prime is a streaming service. DAZN is a streaming service. You know what you’re signing up for, and if they have sports you want to watch, you can decide if it’s worth paying for.
Where I think things start getting a little more complicated is when a sports network that is already available through traditional television starts putting certain games exclusively on its own streaming platform.
That’s what caught my attention with Sportsnet’s plans for Monday Night Hockey.
Monday Night Hockey Is Moving to Sportsnet+ Only
Sportsnet announced that Monday Night Hockey will be exclusive to Sportsnet+ for the 2026-27 NHL season.
That means those games won’t also be available on the regular Sportsnet television channels. Now, there are also some really good things coming with Sportsnet’s NHL coverage. Sportsnet says it will have more than 550 NHL games this season, a 35 per cent increase from last year. They’re also removing 150 regional blackouts via streaming. That’s more hockey being available to fans, and I think that’s a good thing.
The part I question is why Monday Night Hockey needs to be streaming-only on a provider that is both cable and streaming. A lot of Canadians already get Sportsnet through their TV package. So why not give both groups the option? That’s really my whole point. I understand it’s to bring in more revenue for its streaming service. But do that by adding more value—maybe post-game content or extra interviews, behind-the-scenes content in the locker room, or documentary-style shows about teams. That’s adding true value.
Right now, you’re shifting value, not adding it. That is my issue.
Look at What’s Happening With the CFL
We all know I am a CFL guy here! The CFL is actually a good example of why I think there’s a difference between adding another streaming partner and putting games exclusively on your own streaming platform.
Starting in 2027, TSN will remain a major home of the CFL in Canada, carrying 60 regular-season games, six playoff games and the Grey Cup. DAZN will also become a Canadian broadcast partner, with the Saturday Night Football game at 7 p.m. ET exclusive to DAZN. Again, that’s not every Saturday CFL game. It’s specifically the Saturday night game at 7 p.m. ET.
I understand why some CFL fans aren’t happy about needing DAZN if they want to watch every game. But TSN isn’t asking those fans to pay for TSN twice. The CFL games TSN has the rights to are still available on its traditional television channels, while TSN also gives viewers streaming options.
If you want to watch TSN through your TV package, you can. If streaming is how you prefer to watch, you have that option too. That’s choice. DAZN is a completely separate company that will have the rights to its own package of CFL games. Whether you like that deal or not, you’re paying another company for different content.
That’s where I see a difference with Monday Night Hockey. Sportsnet already exists as a traditional television network, and Sportsnet+ is its streaming platform.
Amazon Prime Is Similar
We’ve already seen the NHL move games to Amazon Prime. Prime has carried exclusive NHL games in Canada, and starting this season Wednesday Night Hockey will be part of Prime’s NHL coverage. Again, it’s another streaming platform buying sports rights.
You might not want another subscription, and that’s completely fair. But Amazon Prime is its own service. That’s a little different than a broadcaster having both a traditional television channel and a streaming platform and deciding that a certain night of games will only be available through the streaming side.
Neither approach is necessarily right or wrong. They’re just different. And as a sports fan, I know which one I would rather see. Give me the choice.
Why Can’t We Have Both?
This is really what it comes down to for me. If you want to watch Monday Night Hockey through Sportsnet+, great. If you already get Sportsnet through your TV package and want to watch it there, why not give that fan the option too?
Everybody watches sports differently now. Some people don’t have cable anymore, while others still love sitting down, turning on their TV and flipping to Sportsnet or TSN. And plenty of people use both.
I just don’t see how paying for the same services twice at the end of the day makes any sense. People may argue you’re not paying for the same service twice, just getting streaming. However, cable users could say the same thing if it was the other way around.
At the end of the day, it just does not sit right with me whatsoever.
