Montreal Canadiens fans can look forward to having a place to watch the Canadiens in both French and English in the near future. With television rights being a big business and major companies like Amazon wanting to show more NHL games, it has seemed increasingly difficult to watch your favorite team without subscribing to a dedicated channel. Now fans don’t have to do that anymore.
Canadiens sign historic long-term regional partnership
The contract between TSN/RDS and Montreal was set to expire at the end of the 2025-2026 season, leaving Habs fans in the dark about where they could watch games. Fans don’t have to worry anymore because the Canadiens and Bell Media signed a long-term agreement to broadcast Habs games in French and English for years to come.
“We have been fortunate to count TSN and RDS as valued partners for many years, and we are excited to formally expand this partnership for years to come. Whether live games or shoulder programming, this will allow fans to enjoy their Canadiens in a variety of ways with the best production in the industry,” said France Margaret Bélanger, President of Groupe CH Sports and Entertainment.
There was no word on how long the deal would last, only that it would be a long-term agreement and considered a landmark extension.
Fans can watch the Canadiens on many platforms
With the new agreement with Bell Media, Montreal fans can now watch 50 games on TSN, 45 on RDS, 28 on Sportsnet and 22 on TVA Sports. Sportsnet has the rights to Saturday and Wednesday night games and will prioritize the Toronto Maple Leafs on CBC; however, you can watch the Canadiens locally on City TV Montreal. Amazon Prime Video has the rights to Monday night games and will show four Montreal games. You can also watch some games in Punjabi on OMNI and Cree or Inuktitut on APTN via Sportsnet.
TSN will show 50 games and RDS 45 games, which is a reduction from the 60 games under the previous contract. TVA’s 22 games are shown primarily on Saturday evenings, with the exception of Wednesday’s home opener. Bryan Mudryk will be the play-by-play announcer for TSN, and longtime legend Pierre Houde will announce the games in French on RDS. Sportsnet still has the English rights for the playoffs, and TVA will show the playoff games in French.
Related: Canadiens French voice Pierre Houde receives Foster Hewitt Memorial Award
To watch all 82 games, you’ll need access to Sportsnet, TSN2, TVA, RDS and Amazon Prime Video. Watching games is no longer as easy as it used to be; However, there are plenty more games you can watch from the comfort of your own home, provided you’re willing to pay for them.
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