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Streaming Maple Leafs Games Just Got More Expensive: Breaking Down The Sportsnet+ Price Hike And Why Fans Are Upset About It
Streaming Maple Leafs Games Just Got More Expensive: Breaking Down The Sportsnet+ Price Hike And Why Fans Are Upset About It

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Streaming Maple Leafs Games Just Got More Expensive: Breaking Down The Sportsnet+ Price Hike And Why Fans Are Upset About It

Streaming Maple Leafs Games Just Got More Expensive: Breaking Down The Sportsnet+ Price Hike And Why Fans Are Upset About It Subscribers of Sportsnet+ received an email last week that appears to have been unwelcome to users of the platform. Depending on your subscribed package, you saw a price increase that varied based on whether you subscribed to the base, premium, or annual version of either product. Looking at it from the perspective of fans who want to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, the increase was pretty substantial. Canadian Pricing Breakdown If you live in the Leafs' viewing area and only need the base Sportsnet+ subscription, the monthly price is jumping from $24.99 CDN per month to $29.99 CDN per month—a 20 percent increase. The annual version of this service is going up from $199.99 CDN to $249.99 CDN, an increase of 25 percent. Factor in that TSN still broadcasts a portion of the Maple Leafs games, which requires an additional TSN subscription costing $24.99 CDN per month or $199 CDN annually. There's also Prime Video. Amazon, in the second year of its two-year sublicensing agreement with Sportsnet, carried six Leafs games exclusively in Canada and is expected to replicate that this season. That will cost an additional $9.99 CDN per month or $99 CDN for the annual version. Advertisement From a monthly perspective, watching every Leafs game in their viewing region will set you back $64.97 CDN per month. Maple Leafs fans in Canada outside of the Leafs viewing area, however, may get a bit of a break. Although the monthly subscription to Sportsnet+ Premium is skyrocketing from $34.99 to $42.99, a TSN subscription is not required. This means it will only cost $52.98 per month (including the Prime subscription). American and International Options Americans will have it a bit easier, as a full subscription to ESPN's new direct-to-consumer platform will be available for $29.99 US per month and will include Disney+ and Hulu. That package will give you access to every Leafs game except for those carried by TNT, which will be available on HBO Max with live sports for $16.99 US per month. After conversion fees, it's only pennies cheaper than the Leafs region. But if you want to get most of the games, you can get away with just the ESPN+ offering at $11.99 US per month. Advertisement Around the world, games are available via for $14.99 US per month, a product that is vastly superior to what is available in North America (more on that later). Why Are the Prices Going Up? Sportsnet will not give a reason. Every response they have given to inquiries merely touts the quality of their service, which has no doubt further angered subscribers. Rogers' recently extended their partnership with the NHL for an additional 12 years for $11 billion, more than doubling the value of the previous 12-year deal which expires at the end of the upcoming season. I think fans expected some form of increase, but perhaps not one so drastic or positioned in a way that offers loyal customers little choice. Everyone's price is increasing, and you have until Sept. 9 to decide. Advertisement Why Are Fans Upset? It's not just that the price is going up, although that is a driving factor. As many users have pointed out, the actual quality of the product and streaming quality has not improved in a meaningful way over the last few years. Before the 2022-23 season, NHL Live used to be its own standalone product under Subscribers of the premium tier of what used to be called Sportsnet NOW had access to where viewers had high-fidelity streams shown at 60 frames per second and could pick either home or road streaming broadcaster. Since the switchover, Sportsnet has limited viewers to just one broadcast feed. Under all subscribers could watch every game in its archive dating back to 2014. That disappeared in the migration of NHL Live to Sportsnet+. What was worse was the inability to watch missed games if they weren't on Sportsnet. Leafs viewers have had this issue over the last three seasons now. If a Leafs game was on TSN, for example, and viewers were unable to watch it live, TSN was not permitted to archive a replay for its subscribers, and Sportsnet would not have the game in its archive either. Unless you subscribed to cable and managed to DVR it, the game essentially disappeared; if you missed it, you simply missed it. You can watch the Advertisement YouTube recaps on Sportsnet or NHL's YouTube channels and that's about it. Based on collected feedback, the anger regarding the increase has built up over years of Sportsnet asking more for less, or showing little improvement in its offering. What You Can Do About It If you live in the Leafs region and bundle your cable, you may be able to get some discounts that way. I subscribe to Beanfield, an independent cable supplier that has contracts with some condominiums and office buildings I'm able to get both TSN and Sportsnet's offerings that carry all Maple Leafs games for $45 per month plus HST. Those give you access to the apps and re-negotiating your cable bill is often more successful than trying to negotiation or talk to anyone on an app platform. Advertisement TSN routinely has sales, and Prime offers free trials. Sportsnet, however, has not offered any discounts at any time on record since the 2023-24 season. Contact Sportsnet/Rogers: Voice your concerns directly to Sportsnet customer service or through their social media channels. The more unified the feedback, the more likely it is to be heard. (Top photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images) Ranking Every NHL Arena's Media Meal Part 1: The Bottom 8 Revealed (Nos. 25–32) Ranking Every NHL Arena's Media Meal Part 1: The Bottom 8 Revealed (Nos. 25–32) As I write this, I feel blessed that I get to travel as often as I do. And while on the road covering the Toronto Maple Leafs, I like to see what every city has to offer in terms of restaurants, amenities, etc. Henry Thrun Says This Is The Skill He's Most Excited To Bring To The Maple Leafs Henry Thrun Says This Is The Skill He's Most Excited To Bring To The Maple Leafs Henry Thrun was immersed in the movie 'Top Gun' when his phone lit up with a call from San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier. The Advertisement Toronto Maple Leafs had just acquired the defenseman for Ryan Reaves. 2025-26 NHL Schedule Drops Wednesday: Maple Leafs Season Opener Reportedly Scheduled For Oct 8 Against Canadiens 2025-26 NHL Schedule Drops Wednesday: Maple Leafs Season Opener Reportedly Scheduled For Oct 8 Against Canadiens The NHL has officially announced the first three games of the 2025-26 regular season, with the remainder of the schedule to be unveiled on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET.

Professor questions value as Sportsnet Premium streaming price jumps 30%
Professor questions value as Sportsnet Premium streaming price jumps 30%

CTV News

time2 days ago

  • Business
  • CTV News

Professor questions value as Sportsnet Premium streaming price jumps 30%

Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) makes a save on Florida Panthers' Carter Verhaeghe (23) during the third period in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final in Sunrise, Fla., on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette Sportsnet failed to clearly communicate with fans ahead of a significant price hike to its premium streaming service, a professor says. The broadcaster, owned by Rogers, is raising the price of its Sportsnet+ Premium streaming service starting Sept. 9, with the annual plan jumping from $249.99 to $324.99. The premium tier is the only streaming option in Canada that offers out-of-market NHL games — more than 1,000 matchups — along with in-market regional and national broadcasts. The monthly price is rising from $34.99 to $42.99, meaning fans who subscribe just for the nine-month NHL season will pay more ($386.91) than they would on the annual plan. Brock University sport management professor Michael Naraine says the price hike is frustrating for fans, especially given the lack of communication from Sportsnet. He says the company offered no explanation or incentives — such as advance notice or loyalty discounts — which are common strategies in other industries. 'They just raised prices,' he said. 'They didn't explain to customers or give them a sense of lead time.' By comparison, U.S. viewers can stream out-of-market NHL games via ESPN+ for US$11.99 a month or US$119.99 a year. International fans can access games through for US$14.99 a month. A Sportsnet spokesperson defended the price increase in a statement Monday. 'This update reflects that great value for sports fans looking for the best sports content in the country, while remaining competitively priced with other options in the market,' the statement read. The prices of other Sportsnet packages are also increasing, but not as drastically. A standard Sportsnet subscription, which includes all Toronto Blue Jays content along with national and in-market NHL games, is increasing from $199.99 to $249.00 annually and $24.99 to $29.99 monthly. The increase, Naraine says, was to be expected given Rogers' new 12-year, $11-billion broadcast rights deal with the NHL that begins in 2026–27. Still, Naraine says it's a no-win situation for Sportsnet, because fans are likely to push back no matter what. 'A rational fan would say, 'OK, look, Rogers just paid even more of a premium to get the hockey rights. I expect probably a price increase,'' he said. 'The challenge is, the price is increasing substantially, and the level of service that consumers and fans have been getting over the last couple of years has been suspect — and I think that's really the crux of the issue.' He pointed to stream quality issues and a lack of polish compared to how Apple, Netflix, and Amazon deliver live sports. The hike could push some consumers toward other options, Naraine says — including piracy, password sharing, or turning to the grey market. That might mean using a VPN to access cheaper international streams not intended for Canadian viewers — a legal grey area that bypasses regional broadcast rights. 'When the consumer feels so squeezed, eventually they'll say, 'Look, all right, you know what, I can't afford it no more — screw it,'' he said. 'And we've already started to see that pressure with people (not) going to games. 'But over time, people get accustomed to, 'That's just the cost of doing business,' and people will accept it if they feel that they can take it on. Some people may not feel it, some people will feel it. And right now, Rogers is banking on the fact that maybe over the next few years, people are just going to accept that this is the cost of doing business.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 14, 2025. Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press

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