The cost of Sportsnet's Premium streaming service will increase from $249.99 plus tax per year to $324.99 plus tax per year from September.Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press
Rogers Sports and Media is hiking the price of its Sportsnet+ streaming service by double digits in September, raising the annual rate for its Premium package by 30 per cent, to $324.99 plus tax from $249.99, and its Standard package by 25 per cent, to $249.99 plus tax from $199.99.
News of the increase, communicated to subscribers on Thursday via e-mail, prompted outrage on social media and widespread threats of cancellation.
“As soon as I read it, I was like: That’s enough,” said Lance McNeill, a Fredericton hockey fan who told The Globe and Mail that he cancelled the service as soon as he received the e-mail. He had subscribed to Sportsnet’s Premium tier for its out-of-market games in order to follow his beloved Boston Bruins.
“When you compare it to, let’s say, a landlord who increases your rent or something, there’s usually some sort of justification – like, property taxes went up or power is more expensive. Rogers are just kind of like, ‘Hey, we’re pumping this up 30 per cent, have a good day!’ There’s no justification at all.”
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He noted that, with the new 30-per-cent increase, the price of his annual Premium subscription had gone up 80 per cent since October, 2022. McNeill had paid $179.99 for his initial subscription.
“Sportsnet+ is the most comprehensive live sports streaming experience in Canada,” said Sportsnet spokesperson Jason Jackson, in a statement e-mailed to The Globe and Mail. “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.”
Sportsnet’s marquee properties include the NHL, UFC, the NBA, the English Women’s Super League and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Monthly rates are going up 23 per cent for the Premium package, to $42.99 from $34.99 plus tax, and 20 per cent for Standard, to $29.99 from $24.99 plus tax.
The increases come in the wake of Rogers signing a new 12-year deal for national rights to the NHL for $11-billion, more than double the $5.2-billion it paid for its previous 12-year deal with the league. The increase on that contract, which begins in the fall of 2026, reflects the skyrocketing costs of live sports rights, as broadcasters and streamers compete ferociously for programming that compel audiences to watch live.
Sportsnet’s archrival, TSN, offers an annual subscription for $199.99 plus tax. Viewers can also purchase TSN+ for $80 annually plus tax, which offers additional streams of events. Tennis fans who this week wanted to watch the Canadian doubles star Gabriela Dabrowski in her quarter-final match at Wimbledon would have had to subscribe to TSN+, as that game was not broadcast on the primary TSN service.