“Hockey Night in Canada,” a decades-long Canadian institution owned by the country’s public broadcaster, appears to be finished in its iconic form.In a joint statement with Rogers Sportsnet on Tuesday morning, CBC announced that it will no longer carry NHL games as part of a new “sports programming strategy,” which coincides with the end of Sportsnet and CBC’s 12-year sublicensing agreement. That partnership originated when Sportsnet acquired the league’s national television rights for $5.2 billion Canadian in 2013.The two sides failed to strike a new sublicensing deal for Sportsnet to continue airing the CBC’s signature program, “Hockey Night in Canada,” which typically showed games on Saturday nights. The CBC still owns the rights to “Hockey Night in Canada” and plans to retain them.“It’s fair to say CBC will no longer be carrying NHL hockey, however, we own the HNIC mark and will be using the iconic brand in different ways going forward,” CBC head of public affairs Chuck Thompson told The Athletic in an email. Thompson added that the CBC would have “more to share about how (the brand will be used) in the coming weeks).”
A joint statement from Sportsnet and CBC: pic.twitter.com/vgVBI2u1nn
