Being a hockey lover is becoming more and more costly and challenging these days.
If you believed that staying up to date with your preferred NHL club was already a subscription-juggling, wallet-draining effort, you should brace yourself. Some fan bases will be pulling out their credit cards once more after the league and Amazon’s recent action, while a couple of fortunate areas will finally get a break.
The NHL and Amazon Prime Video announced an extension of their broadcasting relationship on Wednesday, bringing six additional local markets into the mix. Fans in each team’s geographic region will be able to watch games between the Columbus Blue Jackets, Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, and the Carolina Hurricanes, the defending Stanley Cup winners, on Amazon Prime Video. The agreement covers extra team programming, pre- and post-game coverage, and regular season game streams.
On the face of it, it seems great, doesn’t it? More hockey, more ways to watch, and more access. However, this is where things become complicated.
Four Fanbase Will Soon Be Opening Their Wallets Once More
Although an Amazon Prime membership is not strictly necessary to play these games, fans in four of the six markets will need to buy a different regional streaming package. And it’s a significant sum of money. According to reports, the Columbus Blue Jackets package will cost $19.99 per month, with a yearly option available for $99.99. The Blues, Wild, and Hurricanes are all offering the same pricing structure, which means that fans in Minnesota, Carolina, and St. Louis are facing the same $20 monthly or $100 annual hit.
Now combine that with the mounting streaming costs that contemporary sports fans are currently facing. We are discussing hundreds of dollars each month simply to view the entertainment you desire between Hulu, Netflix, ESPN+, Prime itself, HBO Max, Peacock, and everything else that has appeared since you last reviewed your bank account. And if you’re selecting the annual subscription to save money, it’s a huge initial payment that not everyone can manage.
Is there a bright side? No additional fees will be assessed to supporters of the Dallas Stars or Anaheim Ducks. Anyone who currently has a regular Amazon Prime membership will receive their regional broadcasts free of charge. This is a very good arrangement for two large NHL markets, and it takes away one of the main impediments to entice casual viewers to watch local games.
Amazon Is Gradually Emerging as the Biggest Streaming Partner for the NHL.
This agreement, whether you like it or not, marks a major advancement in Amazon’s expanding presence throughout the NHL. For commissioner Gary Bettman, it’s an added bonus when it comes to expanding the league’s reach across the continental United States. The argument is only strengthened by having more eyes on the product via a platform as enormous as Amazon, especially with continued discussions of potential expansion into Houston and other areas.
It’s a smart move to include Anaheim and Dallas without a further paywall. The fan base in these two significant markets might significantly increase if the barrier to admission were decreased. More viewers means more revenue, and more revenue makes the league’s expansion aspirations more feasible. Eventually, larger profits might push the NHL to add more franchises than just one.
Of course, there is a serious drawback to all of this that goes beyond the price. The landscape of traditional broadcasting is still changing as a result of the movement toward streaming, and there is a genuine worry about the future of the reporters, commentators, and production staff who made their careers in regional sports networks. Many of these experts will be able to transfer into new positions in the changing media landscape, according to hope, but this is far from certain.
Right now, if you’re a hockey fan in Minnesota, St. Louis, Columbus, or Carolina, you should begin setting aside money for an additional monthly fee in order to guarantee that you don’t miss a single game this season. The price of being a passionate hockey enthusiast is still rising, and it doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon.
