Latest news with #Sportsnet+
Edmonton Journal
11-07-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Sports fans share outrage online as Sportsnet jacks up prices: 'An outright middle finger'
Article content The cost for some Canadian sports fans to follow their favourite teams is about to get a lot more expensive. Article content Subscribers to the Sportsnet+ premium plan were notified by email on Thursday that the cost of the package will be jumping by 30% in just two months. Article content 'We wanted to let you know that effective September 9, 2025, the price of your Sportsnet+ premium annual plan will increase from our current price of $249.99 plus applicable taxes per year to $324.99 plus applicable taxes per year,' the email read. Article content Article content Article content 'The charge will be reflected on your next billing date from September 9, 2025, onwards, unless you cancel or modify your subscription before then.' Article content The increase of $75 per year represents a massive 30% hike in the cost of the package, which had sports fans fuming online. Article content 'That's crazy, I feel like you can slip a 5-10% increase by without people complaining too much but 30% is an outright middle finger to the existing subscriber base,' one user wrote on Reddit. Article content 'The app is already so s*** that I thought their current price was way too much, jumping that much is criminal,' another replied. Article content Predictably, the premium plan isn't the only one that the company is hiking the price tag on. The monthly fee for the Sportsnet+ standard plan will go from $24.99 to $29.99 per month and the annual standard subscription goes from $199.99 to $249.99, a 25% rise in cost for loyal subscribers. Article content Article content The pending increases appears to have sent fan users scrambling to cancel their subscriptions – maybe a bit too many for Sportsnet's system to handle. Article content Article content 'Must be getting hammered with cancellations, can't even load the subscription management screen,' one user wrote on Reddit. Article content 'Ya I went to go cancel and it kept timing out,' another replied while a few users posted screenshots of error messages. Article content Users also cheekily asked what the extra costs would bring, if they were to pay the new price. Article content 'Welp, guess I'm cancelling. $75 Extra per year, for what exactly?' one user asked. Article content 'Gee whiz, they must be struggling over there at Sportsnet. I'm sure this comes with a bunch of new features,' another joked.
Toronto Sun
11-07-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Sports fans share outrage online as Sportsnet jacks up prices: 'An outright middle finger'
Sports fans are outraged after being notified about a 30% increase in price for the Sportsnet+ Premium package. Rogers is dramatically raising the price of its Sportsnet+ package. The cost for some Canadian sports fans to follow their favourite teams is about to get a lot more expensive. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Subscribers to the Sportsnet+ premium plan were notified by email on Thursday that the cost of the package will be jumping by 30% in just two months. 'We wanted to let you know that effective September 9, 2025, the price of your Sportsnet+ premium annual plan will increase from our current price of $249.99 plus applicable taxes per year to $324.99 plus applicable taxes per year,' the email read. 'The charge will be reflected on your next billing date from September 9, 2025, onwards, unless you cancel or modify your subscription before then.' The increase of $75 per year represents a massive 30% hike in the cost of the package, which had sports fans fuming online. 'That's crazy, I feel like you can slip a 5-10% increase by without people complaining too much but 30% is an outright middle finger to the existing subscriber base,' one user wrote on Reddit. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The app is already so s*** that I thought their current price was way too much, jumping that much is criminal,' another replied. Predictably, the premium plan isn't the only one that the company is hiking the price tag on. The monthly fee for the Sportsnet+ standard plan will go from $24.99 to $29.99 per month and the annual standard subscription goes from $199.99 to $249.99, a 25% rise in cost for loyal subscribers. The pending increases appears to have sent fan users scrambling to cancel their subscriptions – maybe a bit too many for Sportsnet's system to handle. 'Must be getting hammered with cancellations, can't even load the subscription management screen,' one user wrote on Reddit. 'Ya I went to go cancel and it kept timing out,' another replied while a few users posted screenshots of error messages. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More Users also cheekily asked what the extra costs would bring, if they were to pay the new price. 'Welp, guess I'm cancelling. $75 Extra per year, for what exactly?' one user asked. 'Gee whiz, they must be struggling over there at Sportsnet. I'm sure this comes with a bunch of new features,' another joked. Other users commented on how streams on Sportsnet+ were limited to 720p and that there was a notable difference when watching recent Toronto Blue Jays games that were broadcast on Apple TV. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I have a 1440p monitor and the streams on Sportsnet feel like 720p,' a Jays fan commented on a Reddit thread about the price increase. 'That's because they are 720p,' another user replied. 'Honestly the AppleTV games opened my eyes to how good games could look,' a third fan commented. Rogers, which owns Sportsnet, recently finalized its deal to become the majority owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), with a 75% stake in the company. The deal, valued at $4.7 billion, positions Rogers as the owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Argonauts and Toronto FC, to go along with the Toronto Blue Jays. As Postmedia's Rob Longley noted on Thursday, industry observers are wondering if the cash grab is just the beginning as Rogers' control of the Canadian sports market grows. According to Longley, there has been speculation in the broadcast sphere that Rogers will work to further its influence on the way its teams are covered on multiple platforms and the fact that it can arbitrarily control and increase pricing means the company has fans where it wants them. 'It's starting,' one broadcast veteran wryly noted.
Vancouver Sun
10-07-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
NHL fans keep losing out online as Sportsnet hikes its price again
The advice to Rogers Sportsnet is simple: If you're going to jack up your prices, fix your app and improve your panels. On Thursday, the broadcaster announced it is hiking fees for its subscription-only service, with the premium tier, which gets viewers access to every NHL game next season along with a rather impressive list of other sports and leagues, is going up $75 to $324.99. The basic package, which gets you the four regional channels and limits your viewing to your home region's hockey team, is also going up $50. That is the first substantial increase to the top-tier package in at least a year. When the NHL Live service was shuttered and all Canadian hockey fans looking to subscribe to a league-wide package were shuffled to Sportsnet's premium tier in 2022, the whole package cost just $199.99. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Sportsnet+ is the most comprehensive live sports streaming experience in Canada,' a Sportsnet spokesperson said in an email. '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.' Are fans really getting $125 worth of improved service? Given how poorly Sportsnet's app functions, it's hard to argue how. Just this past season, fans trying to watch Vancouver Canucks games while being in B.C. were regularly told, incorrectly, they weren't in the correct broadcast region. Further, the app itself is underwhelming, despite its impressively large set of global sporting broadcast rights — NHL games are generally archived, but not at the 100 per cent rate viewers would expect, and trying to watching more minor games is a hit-and-miss experience, although of late it's been more consistent. But when you stack up the functionality and the cost with other services available in Canada, the Sportsnet price point still makes you go pale. Native New Yorker Jonas Worth has lived in the Lower Mainland for years and has been a streaming subscriber to Sportsnet's premium package and its previous iteration as NHL Live for years. He laments the decline in technical quality — you were able to select home or road broadcasts at your leisure with NHL Live — as well as the ever-surging price. 'I understand how the business of TV contracts impacts pricing in all sports, especially as someone who watches a variety of European soccer and F1,' he told me. 'But as an Islanders fan who lives in Vancouver, I ultimately only have one choice, and this is a major increase for Sportsnet that has me wondering if I can afford it with all the other subscriptions that offer more price points. In the NHL TV days, I could select 'Islanders only' as a package, but those options seem to be gone. 'I might sit this one out until playoffs, despite the excitement of a No. 1 draft pick and a brilliant new GM.' Fubo, which has English Premier League rights as well as One Soccer, and has the bulk of Canada Soccer matches plus a bevy of other streams and services, charges $230.99 for a year. DAZN, which has Champions League soccer and the full NFL Sunday Ticket package, charges $249.99 for a year. TSN, which somehow has a worse streaming app (on Apple TV anyway), is currently running quite the cut-price summer rate: $138.99 for a year. Like Sportsnet, subscribers to TSN+ get a huge collection of global sporting rights, plus additional camera feeds during live events such as F1 races and tennis and golf majors. If you want to watch a sport in Canada, it can be done. This is a true golden age for Canadian sports fans — but it's a pricey era too. Even now, when you subscribe to cable, getting monthly access to Sportsnet and TSN runs you about $25 per month. That doesn't get you all the games that are on offer when you subscribe to their streaming packages, but it still gets viewers Vancouver Canucks games and (maybe) all the Blue Jays games you want, and certainly all the curling and CFL you want. If you subscribe to the four packages above, you're going to pay nearly $1,000 for a year — or $83 per month. Are you getting your money's worth? You can find any game you want … but for the prices Sportsnet (and to a degree DAZN) is charging, where's the on-air quality? That's the other frustration in this, the slow winnowing away of the off-game programming. DAZN does get the excellent Hard Knocks series and the NFL Network's programming, plus they do carry the main Sunday broadcasts, but when you're watching Champions League soccer matches there is no halftime analysis, there's no pre-game buildup, and there is no post-match analysis either. Sportsnet does still have panels, but the degree to which they have degraded the Hockey Night In Canada brand, how is a Saturday game different from a Tuesday regional broadcast now? That's not a shot at the excellent regional crews in this country, but in-season Saturday night used to mean something extra for the viewer. At the end of the day, prices are going to go up. Fans shouldn't feel gouged, but sadly, more and more, they are. pjohnston@
Toronto Sun
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Just in time for Blue Jays playoff push Rogers gouging Sportsnet+ subscribers with massive price increase
Get the latest from Rob Longley straight to your inbox Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reacts after being hit by a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians. AP Photo Just in time for what could be the biggest couple of months of Blue Jays baseball in the past decade, Rogers Communications is hitting a large constituency of its fan base with a hefty premium to tune in to watch the team it owns on one of the broadcast platforms it also owns. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Subscribers to Sportsnet+ Premium plan, the streaming service that gives non cable subscribers digital access to live sports content including the Blue Jays, MLB and NBA, were notified of a whopping price increase this week. The latest gauging by Rogers is scheduled to take effect on Sept. 9 and will see the price of the Sportsnet+ premium jump from $249.99 for 12 months up to $324.99 (plus all applicable taxes.) The increase prompted instant outrage from sports fans already subject to the Rogers monopoly on Jays content, as well as much of the hockey content int his country and surely will encourage an exodus to the grey area/illegal services. While the memo to subscribers didn't give a reason for the price hike, it doesn't really have to given the control it has on sports broadcasting rights here. But it represents a massive increase for those who have already cut the cord and are planning to watch the Blue Jays through what figures to be a big couple of months of meaningful September (and possibly October) baseball. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Within a month of the price jump, the largest offering by Sportsnet+ — regular-season NHL hockey — begins with the start of the 2025-26 season slated for Oct. 7. The increase of $75 annually is what feels like an unconscionable 30% hike to the package, an increase that already has sports fans fuming online. And expect that noise to increase as word spreads. Of course, in the broader picture, industry observers are wondering if the cash grab is just the beginning as Rogers control of the Canadian sports market is taking another huge leap in influence now that its purchase of Bell's share of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment has been finalized. There certainly has been speculation in the broadcast sphere that Rogers will work to further control the way its teams are covered on multiple platforms. The fact that they can arbitrarily control — and increase — pricing apparently means they have fans where they want them. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It's starting,' one broadcast veteran wryly noted on Thursday afternoon. The new pricing will come in at a time, post-Labour Day, when sports audiences start to return. For Jays fans, Sept. 9 marks the beginning of what could be a critical three-game home series against the Houston Astros and a stretch of the team playing on 13 consecutive days. At that point, the team could be in a race to lock up first place in the American League East and building interest (and audiences) for what might be the most anticipated playoff run since 2016. The final 12 games of the season feature seven against the Tampa Bay Rays, a series that could settle the AL East title. Offered primarily to combat the loss of those abandoning cable — known colloquially as cord cutters — Sportsnet+ was created to appeal to sports fans access to live sports and related programming without the requirement of a traditional cable package or subscription. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More Perhaps not coincidentally, the Sportsnet+ website had an announcement Thursday afternoon telling subscribers (and those perhaps looking to cancel the service) that 'our billing system is currently offline and we're working on it.' One of the plusses to the service for hockey fans is the ability to watch out-of-market games in addition to the regular Wednesday Night Hockey and Saturday's Hockey Night In Canada programming. In a message to advertisers, Sportsnet+ bills itself as a service that 'delivers premium, live sports coverage year-round, connecting prances to 5 million plus passionate, engaged Canadians each month' while also boasting it enjoys a 40% audience growth year over year. Sportsnet+ subscribers also get access to the full array of network programming, including Jays pre and post-game shows and Sportsnet Central. Judging by the initial reaction, they're about to find out what their pain threshold is to pay for it. Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA Toronto Blue Jays Canada World
Calgary Herald
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
The inaugural 2025 TCG All-Star Game to make global debut
Article content The inaugural 2025 TCG All-Star Game is bringing the heat, making its global broadcast premiere next week. Article content The two-hour special premieres in Canada on Tuesday, July 1 at 8 p.m. ET on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, offering fans the perfect Canada Day celebration with some of curling's biggest stars. The USA premiere follows on Thursday, July 3 at 1 p.m. ET on FanDuel Sports Network and the FanDuel Sports Network app, while international viewers can catch the action via the Grand Slam of Curling's YouTube channel following the Canadian premiere. Article content Article content Hosted by award-winning journalist and broadcaster Devin Heroux, the broadcast features commentary and analysis by Olympic gold medallist Jennifer Jones and three-time world champion Brent Laing. Article content Article content Recorded April 15–16 at Tee Line Nashville, the 2025 TCG All-Star Game united the sport's top athletes for a high-energy, two-day celebration of curling excellence, featuring a celebrity pro-am, a skills competition, and a mixed-gendered All-Star skins game. Article content
