Amazon Prime's Exclusive Deal Leaving Maple Leafs Fans Outraged Over Broadcasting Rights
Amazon Prime's Monday Night Hockey hosts the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs and fans aren't too happy about the exclusivity of the broadcast.
Amazon Prime struck a deal with Rogers to gain exclusive broadcasting rights to stream Canadian games on Monday nights for the 2024-2025 NHL Season. It was a way for Rogers/NHL to see how a streaming service platform would work for broadcasting, as well as for Amazon to gain more subscribers and paying customers who would otherwise be able to watch the games.
The deal includes some things we wouldn't typically see in a television broadcast such as locker room drama, and in the case of the Tampa Bay/Toronto game Monday; a new pre-game show called 'Home Ice Access' where viewers can see fan arrivals, warm-ups, and whatever else happens before the puck drops.
This deal has brought a bunch of new eyes to the game, however not everybody is pleased with it. Around the internet fans are outraged over the exclusivity of the deal, and how it's affected their ability to watch their favorite team.
A post on Reddit entitled 'NHL on Amazon Prime is in Canada only? W the ACTUAL F?' stated that as an American, they were trying to get access to watch the game on Prime however were upset to hear it was for Canadian viewers only, and that American viewers needed to watch on NHL Network; a premium subscription service that can range from $50-200 USD monthly. Prime is much cheaper than that, and fans are upset the normally American-centric Amazon could leave them in the dust.
Here are some comments from the Reddit thread:
NHL broadcasting rights deals do still suck though, with you on that."
Canadian Fans Aren't The Ones Mad This Time
A lot of noise surrounds how often the U.S. gets exclusive rights to air games, and there are several blackouts or specific channels unavailable to Canadian viewers. Giving Canada exclusivity for Monday night games is a positive step towards growing the game, and fans are pretty happy about it; a reversal of fortunes after so many times being disappointed.
Some fans are taking drastic measures in order to watch the game tonight, as a few comments talked about 'sailing the seas'; a euphemism for illegally pirating the game online.
It's understandable to see why fans would be upset, but given the number of times Canadian fans are left out due to restrictions or exclusive broadcasting rights, it's a little breath of fresh air for viewers. There is no doubt Rogers will find success with the deal with Amazon and it will in turn lead to more and more of these deals.
With fans not necessarily too happy with the current state of Canadian hockey broadcasting (at least in terms of Rogers), you could see Prime swooping in and becoming exclusive on more than just Mondays.
Monday Night Hockey on Prime has so far been a fairly successful venture for Amazon and the NHL, and with the landscape of media moving more and more towards streaming platforms and trying to get away from television, don't be surprised if you hear more outrage from fans in the coming months and years.
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