On Monday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman alarmed many who rely on traditional television by stating live from Montreal that the world is shifting away from cable and that Amazon has a wider reach than conventional TV. He appeared poised to overlook Pierre Karl Péladeau and TVA Sports for the upcoming TV deal.
However, as Maxime Truman highlights, the facts indicate that Bettman is mistaken. For the game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins, Amazon’s viewership fell short of traditional television numbers. Truman obtained intriguing statistics showing that Amazon had an average of 220,000 viewers per minute, which is three times less than RDS and what Sportsnet typically achieves. Furthermore, only 25% of the audience subscribes to Amazon Prime, while more than 50% subscribe to RDS, TVA Sports, or Sportsnet.
Consequently, Bettman’s assertion that the NHL reaches a larger audience on Amazon is incorrect—at least for now. While this may eventually change, the league will need to continue relying on traditional TV in the short to medium term.
Maxime points out that Amazon still has a long way to go to match what RDS, TVA Sports, and Sportsnet provide. I’m interested to see how this unfolds, particularly by the 2026-2027 season, although Bettman seems committed to exploring Amazon Prime Video.
In closing, Marc Denis of RDS shared an important sentiment before Monday’s game. I sincerely hope for a positive outcome and wish for the continued success of both Pierre Karl Péladeau’s TVA Sports and the fantastic team at RDS, as they have been doing a great job.
