How to watch the Canadiens on TV (and streaming) in 2026-27

When Rogers Sportsnet and the NHL announced a $5.2-billion, 12-year contract in 2013 that would change how the game is broadcast in Canada, it was a big deal. No more nationally broadcast games on TSN or RDS. CBC was no longer in the driver’s seat for Saturday night games and playoffs. And it became complicated enough to figure out where games were going to be broadcast that The Gazette published a guide to help.

Now, as we enter a new 12-year broadcast rights contract, everything is more. The price Rogers is paying the NHL has more than doubled to $11 billion. There are more non-exhibition games, with the regular season expanding to 84 games from 82. And there are more services you have to subscribe to if you want to watch them all.

And it’s going to cost you more, because Rogers (and TVA and Amazon, which sublicensed rights from Sportsnet) need to make that money back.

Here’s what’s changing from last season for Canadiens fans:

No more free TV: Saturday night and playoff games will no longer be available on free over-the-air television. Rogers announced that its long-term agreement with the CBC would not be renewed, and because CBC owns the Hockey Night in Canada brand, it won’t be used for NHL games anymore. Rogers is also no longer using its Citytv network on Saturdays for NHL games.

Rogers also ended Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition, which broadcast games in Punjabi on the Rogers-owned ethnic TV network OMNI.

All Saturday night games will be exclusive to Sportsnet, requiring a subscription. This also means the four Sportsnet channels will be split up every Saturday, with Canadiens games most commonly on Sportsnet East.

Mondays cost extra: Six Monday evening games become exclusive in English to Sportsnet Plus, the direct-to-consumer streaming service, meaning even those who subscribe to Sportsnet on TV won’t have access to them, unless their TV service is from Sportsnet’s owner Rogers, which will have special channels with those games on Monday nights.

Rogers says it is open to allowing other TV providers to offer this service, but don’t expect Bell, Quebecor and Telus to be lining up to give their competitor more money.

In the meantime, if you want those Monday games and are subscribed to Sportsnet on TV, you can opt for the “TV Provider Add-on” that costs $13 per month. Sportsnet Plus costs $35 per month or $270 per year if you aren’t subscribed to Sportsnet on TV.

TVA Sports gets more games: The good news is those six Monday games are part of TVA Sports’s expanded national rights in French. The network will now have 32 Habs games per season, up from 22. It also has the season opener, the Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg on Oct. 25, and all Habs playoff games.

Amazon gets Wednesdays exclusive: Seven Wednesday evening games become exclusive in both languages to Amazon Prime Video. Amazon also has two first-round playoff series and one second-round series exclusively, but because Sportsnet/TVA get the first three picks of first-round series and the first two picks of second-round series, it’s virtually guaranteed that any series with the Maple Leafs and Canadiens will be snapped up before Amazon gets to pick.

Fewer games on RDS: Most remaining regular-season games will be on TSN2 in English (50 games per season) and RDS in French (45, down from 60).

No playoffs on CBC, either: Playoff games will be on Sportsnet in English and TVA Sports in French, except for the series on Amazon mentioned above.

Nothing changes in radio: TSN 690 remains the English broadcaster for all games, and Cogeco’s 98.5 FM broadcasts games in French.

A map shows the Canadiens' broadcast region in blue, covering Quebec, Atlantic Canada and a small piece of eastern Ontario. The rest of Canada is in red. Montreal Gazette

Out-of-region viewing is still expensive: If you’re a Habs fan in Toronto or Western Canada, you’ll still need to buy NHL Centre Ice ($229/season until Tuesday, $249/season after that) and Sportsnet through your provider or Sportsnet Plus Premium streaming ($45/month or $345/year) to watch out-of-market games, in addition to Amazon Prime ($10/month or $100/year).

One change to note is that previously Sportsnet had more nationally broadcast games than TVA Sports. Now it’s the opposite — all games on Sportsnet and Sportsnet Plus are also on TVA Sports, and TVA Sports has five more games that aren’t national in English.

For viewers in the U.S., there are four Habs games on TNT this season (including the Heritage Classic), one game on ESPN (March 28) and one game on ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu. There’s also at least one game so far on NHL Network. The rest (unless the Canadiens are playing the team in your region) will be on NHL Power Play on ESPN+.

As far as the TV broadcasts themselves, not much is changing. TVA Sports, RDS and TSN will have familiar faces on their broadcasts. Sportsnet will see some changes, rebranding Saturday nights to the not-terribly-inspiring “Saturday Night Hockey” and some talent turnover — Scott Oake has retired and Kelly Hrudey and Jennifer Botterill have left the network (Botterill has taken on a new role at NHL on TNT in the U.S.).

Downloadable schedules

A screenshot shows a table over two pages with 84 games listed.