NHL streaming: Messier says ‘change’ is inevitable

Over his quarter century in the National Hockey League, Mark Messier witnessed sweeping technological changes to the game, from the advent of lighter hockey sticks to the use of video reviews.

Now, the Canadian Hall of Famer believes hockey is poised for another leap as it moves into the streaming era.

Messier will be among the on-air talent for Amazon Prime Video’s new NHL broadcast, “Prime Monday Night Hockey,” the league’s first exclusive national broadcast package with a digital-only streaming service in Canada.

Shows will be broadcast from the home team’s arena, kicking off Monday when the Montreal Canadiens host the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre – with U.S. sports announcer John Forslund doing the play-by-play.

Amazon’s new venture could set the stage for a major shakeup in broadcast rights when Rogers Communications Inc.’s current 12-year deal with the NHL expires in 2026.

“(I learned) I have to evolve as a player if I’m going to be able to play for 26 years. I think the same thing can be said in the way we bring the game to life for people watching on TV,” Messier said on a call from Toronto.

“The technology’s changing all the time — sophistication in cameras, ideas of how we bring and immerse the fans into the game have all changed. You have to be willing to change in order to keep up.”

“Prime Monday Night Hockey” broadcasts will include Rapid Recap, an interactive feature where those who join a game in progress can watch a two-minute highlight package compiled with artificial intelligence.

Mark Shopiro, head of Prime Video Canada, said more innovations will be introduced throughout the season, but the current focus is “getting the broadcast right and giving a great product to fans.”

Amazon acquired the rights to broadcast all national, regular-season Monday night NHL games for the next two seasons through a deal with Rogers. The move has fuelled speculation that Amazon will bid for the Canadian broadcasting rights to all NHL games when they become available after the 2025-26 season.

“If someone thinks that two years from now, Amazon – which is this gigantic company that’s clearly very bullish about making an imprint in the sports world – will say, ‘We’re just going to do this for two years, just dabble and see where it goes and then go away,’ I would be stunned, quite honestly,” said Adnan Virk, who will co-host “Prime Monday Night Hockey” with Andi Petrillo.

“I cannot imagine how they wouldn’t be a part of the package.”

When asked about the NHL broadcasting rights, Shopiro said he “can’t speculate on future deals.”

A Rogers spokesperson said the Canadian media giant plans “to be at the table” when the NHL rights come up for renewal, but wouldn’t comment further.

NHL’s chief content officer and executive vice-president Steve Mayer couldn’t speak to the upcoming negotiations, but said “we hope this is a long relationship at the NHL with Amazon and obviously, we’re just starting things off with these two years.”

Rogers’ Sportsnet will continue to broadcast national games on Wednesdays for the next two years, along with “Hockey Night in Canada” on Saturdays, also available on CBC and other Rogers-owned channels.

One observer said the NHL is the biggest winner in the Amazon-Rogers deal because the price for the broadcast rights has now been “driven up,” adding that hockey fans are the biggest losers.

“You’re forcing your current subscribers to subscribe somewhere else. If you want to watch national Monday night games, you have to have Amazon Prime,” Toronto Metropolitan University sport media professor Laurel Walzak said.

“Now, instead of paying the subscription fee for Sportsnet, you’re also paying a subscription fee for Amazon Prime. So the fan is paying double.”

She said this speaks to a larger trend in sports, where leagues are now signing rights deals with multiple parties. In July, the NBA inked an 11-year agreement with Disney, NBC and Amazon.

Petrillo, who has worked for CBC and TSN, said she understands why there might be some backlash to the NHL’s move to streaming.

“I know exactly where people are coming from when you get so used to something for your entire life — channel surfing, sitting down and just wanting to subscribe to one thing and have everything on that,” said Petrillo, who will also host a Prime show on Thursdays called “NHL Coast to Coast,” featuring highlights, analysis and interviews.

“But the habits of people are dictating where the industry is going. And more and more people have cut the cord. They’re going the way of streaming … We’re going where they are.”

Amazon hopes to hook hockey fans with top-shelf broadcasts, using 30 HD cameras per episode that film in high dynamic range at 60 frames per second.

“I think the technology and advancement in cameras and angles, being able to put cameras in different positions than we’ve ever been able to in the past, is really going to elevate the experience,” said Messier, who joins a team of analysts including Blake Bolden, Thomas Hickey, Shane Hnidy and Jody Shelley.

Virk said “Prime Monday Night Hockey” will lean harder into statistics than most hockey shows.

“We’re going to use numbers in a way that will differentiate it from other broadcasts. We’ll use more analytics,” he said. “I don’t mean to disparage any of the other broadcasts, but I think this Amazon broadcast will be very smart and (geared) towards educated hockey fans.”

What’s more, he said the show’s theme song, recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, is “a banger.”

“I’ll tell you right now, (as someone who) grew up on the ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ theme, the music alone will have people paying attention.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 12, 2024.