Canucks and Sportsnet 650 still can't agree on a price to broadcast games
The Vancouver Canucks radio broadcast rights are still up for grabs locally here in Vancouver and there has been a lot of talk about what’s going to happen with them.
The Young Stars Classic prospects tournament in Penticton begins next week and we still don’t have an answer. The first preseason game is on September 25, while the puck drops on the regular season on October 12.
Time is ticking.
No surprise, but the issue comes down to money.
As early as the beginning of the 2021-22 season, the Canucks laid out how much they wanted for the right to broadcast their hockey games on radio. This price tag was given to Rogers and talks continued.
At some point, other radio stations were given an opportunity to enter the process. Corus Entertainment kicked the tires, but sources indicated to Daily Hive that despite interest, the price tag was “too high” for Corus and it ultimately decided not to pursue the broadcasts further.
Sources close to the negotiations told Daily Hive that Rogers was feeling “nervous over the cost” and questioned how they could “generate the revenue to cover the cost of games.”
Around January of this year, when no deal was struck, Daily Hive was told the Canucks looked at streaming games, much like the LA Kings do, but their ideal plan was to continue with terrestrial radio.
In the spring, a tentative deal seemed as if it was going to be struck, but never materialized.
A source indicated a deal was set to be announced in late August but that never happened either. Now it seems like no one is talking.
Both the Canucks and Sportsnet have remained quiet on the reasons why, however sources indicated to Daily Hive that they couldn’t agree on a price. Some sources have estimated the difference between the two was anywhere between $500,000 to $1 million.
The Canucks have decided not to offer a comment, while Rogers has said it has “nothing to share at this time.”
So what’s next? There are one of three things that will happen prior to the season.
The Canucks and Rogers could come to a last-minute agreement to keep the status quo, or another radio partner could strike a deal with the team. The Canucks could also keep the broadcast rights to themselves and stream the games on a streaming platform like iHeartRadio, as the LA Kings do.
Should the Canucks opt for the latter option, they would need to finalize an agreement with a streaming partner to have their games broadcast or set-up their own internal system on their website and app. They would also need to find broadcasters for their games.
If the Canucks do go in-house, the pressure will now be on Sportsnet 650 to keep things going. Multiple sources have indicated “the station is safe for the upcoming season without NHL broadcast rights, beyond that though, is anyone’s guess.”
With the NHL preseason set to begin at the end of September, it will be an exciting finish in the broadcast world to the start of the Canucks season.
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