Sportsnet will charge Canadians who receive the network through a television provider an additional $13 a month to watch its Monday night NHL games, a change that puts a weekly national hockey window behind a paywall for most cable subscribers.
The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday that viewers who get Sportsnet as part of a TV package will have to sign in to the Sportsnet+ streaming service using their television credentials, then pay the extra monthly fee if they want the Monday broadcasts. Rogers lists the add-on at $12.99 a month. Subscribers who pay it will also receive more than 100 additional U.S. team matchups over the course of the season, the company said.
Sportsnet+ is otherwise included at no charge for customers who already subscribe to Sportsnet on television. The Monday schedule is the exception. Monday Night Hockey returns Oct. 5 and will stream exclusively on Sportsnet+, hosted by David Amber alongside analysts Luke Gazdic and Justin Williams.
A Sportsnet spokesperson told The Globe and Mail the network is working with cable and other distributors to fold the Monday games into their existing subscription packages. No provider agreements were announced Wednesday. Separately, Rogers said in a news release the same day that Rogers Xfinity television packages will carry exclusive Sportsnet+ content at no additional cost, meaning the arrangement is likely to land differently depending on which company a household buys its television service from.
The pricing decision came as Sportsnet unveiled its full national broadcast lineup for the 2026-27 season, the first under Rogers’ 12-year media rights agreement with the NHL. That deal, announced in April 2025 and worth $11 billion, gives Rogers national rights across television, digital and streaming platforms in all languages through the 2037-38 season, according to the league.
The lineup announcement also confirmed the retirement of one of the most recognizable brands in Canadian broadcasting. Hockey Night in Canada will be replaced by Saturday Night Hockey, debuting Oct. 3 with Ron MacLean hosting and a panel of Kevin Bieksa, Elliotte Friedman and Colby Armstrong. The Saturday window will carry a weekly doubleheader with at least one Canadian team in each game.
Sportsnet said the season will feature more than 550 games and that 150 regional blackouts will be lifted, an expansion the network has presented as the central consumer benefit of the new agreement. The regular season opens Sept. 29 with a Sportsnet doubleheader, Montreal at Toronto followed by Vancouver at Edmonton. The network will also carry the Heritage Classic, the Winter Classic, All-Star Weekend and the Stadium Series, along with the Stanley Cup playoffs, with the exception of three early-round series that will be available on Prime Video.
The result is a season in which Canadian viewers get more hockey overall and fewer blackouts, but in which one night a week now carries a separate charge for anyone watching through a traditional cable, satellite or IPTV subscription. The Globe and Mail reported that the Monday Night Hockey national schedule will no longer be available at no extra cost to the majority of cable subscribers in the country.
Source: The Globe and Mail, Sept. 9, 2026; Sportsnet 2026-27 national broadcast schedule announcement; Rogers Communications news release, Sept. 9, 2026; NHL.com.
