• Loading stock data...
Saturday, August 23, 2025
The biggest names in sports media. All in one room. Buy tickets now!

Amazon Adds to Sports Empire With ‘Monday Night Hockey’ in Canada

  • After striking two rights deals and nearing a third, the company has big NHL plans this season.
  • The Senators strike a land agreement for a planned downtown arena.
David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Amazon is all in on hockey.

On top of two media-rights deals struck this past spring and a third now in development, the online retail and streaming giant intends to quickly build its presence further with the National Hockey League. 

“If you look at what we’re doing in sports around the world, we’re really targeting the largest, biggest, tier-one sports in every country, where the games are must-watch [events],” said Jay Marine, Amazon Prime Video global head of sports. Marine appeared Monday at a press conference with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to tout the company’s new streaming rights deals with the league in Canada. “Of course, in Canada, there is nothing bigger than hockey and the NHL.”

Monday Night Hockey will begin Oct. 14 in Canada, adding a major weekly tentpole to Amazon’s sports portfolio, not unlike how the NFL’s Thursday Night Football operates on Prime Video in the U.S. Amazon and the NHL struck that two-year deal in April, right around when the company also completed a separate, regionally focused rights agreement with the Kraken.

“Our goal is to make [Monday Night Hockey] a huge national event, and we’re going to invest like crazy to do that,” Marine said. 

In addition to those media-rights pacts, Amazon is also nearing an agreement with Bally Sports parent Diamond Sports Group to stream that company’s regional sports network content, including some NHL games, through Prime Video. Prime Video’s sister entity Amazon Web Services, meanwhile, has worked with the NHL since 2021 on a wide variety of puck and player tracking, video production, and cloud computing efforts.

Amazon is further backing its hockey broadcast efforts with NHL Coast to Coast, a weekly whip-around show airing Thursday nights in Canada, and a new docuseries, FaceOff: Inside the NHL. The behind-the-scenes series, which will be available globally, premieres Oct. 4.  

“I think Amazon will bring the ‘wow’ factor,” Bettman said. “We’re a big deal in Canada, the biggest. They’re going to make us even bigger, give our fans an opportunity to connect with the game in new ways, and maybe break some traditions, which isn’t a bad thing for Gen Zs and Gen As.”

Capital Developments

The NHL, meanwhile, could also see one of the thorniest and longest-running facility issues move closer to completion as the Senators reached an agreement in principle with Canada’s National Capital Commission on a 10-acre parcel of land in Ottawa’s LeBreton Flats district that has been eyed as a site for a new arena and mixed-use development. 

Several additional steps still need to be undertaken, but the move comes as a prior memorandum of understanding on the land was set to expire. The arena project has been a key priority for new Senators owner Michael Andlauer, who purchased the club a year ago for $950 million.

“It’s a great first step, but we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us here,” said Senators president Cyril Leeder. “This allows that work to take place.”

The Senators have played at Canadian Tire Centre since the facility’s 1996 opening. The arena has not only grown more outdated, but its location about 16 traffic-clogged miles from downtown Ottawa has been problematic.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Dec 10, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; A general view of the Delta Center before the game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Minnesota Wild.

Utah’s Sports Boom Expands Into Music, Emulating Atlanta

The Jazz and Mammoth owner strikes a major deal with Live Nation.
Kyle Busch talks with Nexstar Media Group, Wednesday February 14, 2024 during Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway

$6.2B Nexstar-Tegna Deal Could Create Local Sports Juggernaut

CW parent company Nexstar looks to acquire its rival in a major deal.
Apr 13, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rickard Rakell (67) and center Sidney Crosby (87) and center Evgeni Malkin (71) talk before a face-off against the Boston Bruins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena.

Fenway Sports Weighs Penguins Options Amid ‘Serious’ Suitor

FSG previously said it was exploring the sale of a minority stake.

NBA Embraces Streaming, Adds 75 National Games to 2025–26 Schedule

The NBA announced the 2025–26 regular-season schedule Thursday.

Featured Today

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up as the Texas Longhorns prepare to play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.

Schools Are Hesitant to Allow PE Into Their Athletic Departments

Regardless of budget, schools don’t believe the risk is worth the reward.
Oct 2, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks with the media during the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
August 22, 2025

‘Not Ready to Jump In’: Power 4 Commissioners Aren’t Sold on PE

Top leaders in college sports have yet to see a satisfactory proposal.
Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks at quarterback Drew Allar (15) during the first quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium.
August 22, 2025

Private Equity Enters College Sports—Without the Equity

As college football starts, lending agreements have become PE’s best way in.
Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants running back Eric Gray (20) returns a kickoff against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half at MetLife Stadium.
August 18, 2025

‘Fauxbacks’ Throw Back to a Retro Uniform That Never Existed

Many throwback jerseys are brand-new designs or “Franken-Unis.”

Fox Enters Streaming Wars With Leaner, Sports-Heavy Approach

A different strategy marks the arrival of the network’s streaming service.
August 20, 2025

Bundesliga Bets on YouTube Creators for Live U.K. Game Streams

Bundesliga is the top German soccer league.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. (L to R) Quin Stiller as Will Zalatoris Caddie, Will Zalatoris as Himself, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio as Oscar Mejias and Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore in Happy Gilmore2.
August 21, 2025

‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched U.S. Movie Debut

The Adam Sandler, golf-themed movie sets more streaming records.
Sponsored

Building A Pro League From Scratch

Front Office Sports and Gainbridge® spotlight what it takes to build a professional women’s soccer league.
Jey Uso and Pat McAfee look at each other after Uso’s win Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
August 20, 2025

WWE Will Leave Peacock for ESPN 6 Months Early

Peacock’s final show will be “Clash in Paris” on Aug. 31.
August 20, 2025

NFL Preseason Games Are Popping Up on YouTube’s Sunday Ticket

The $2 billion out-of-market package covers only the regular season.
August 20, 2025

Inside ESPN’s ‘Industry Shaping’ DTC Plan, What’s at Stake

Many bundle offers and opaque metrics mark the high-profile launch.
August 15, 2025

NFL Preseason Week 1 Delivers Record Audience for NFL Network

The channel averaged 2.1 million viewers for its eight live telecasts.