Gary Bettman's comments signals the end of cable television for the NHL
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman's comments in his latest interview hints at the end of cable television.
Last night ahead of the first edition of Amazon's Prime Monday Night Hockey, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman hinted at a major shift in how fans watch games & potentially moving away from cable television altogether.
Streaming services like Netflix, Disney+ & Amazon Prime are now part of many Canadian households cutting into the traditional cable market. Amazon, which recently began broadcasting NFL, NBA, and MLB games, aired NHL games for the first time last season.
Before the Montreal Canadiens faced the Pittsburgh Penguins, Bettman spoke at a press conference, emphasizing that NHL games on Prime attract more viewers than on cable, according to NHL reporter Louis Jean.
Bettman explained the shift away from cable, saying:
When asked whether this change could alienate fans who've long been watching hockey on traditional networks like CBC or TSN, Bettman doubled down:
"The world is moving away from cable, the whole planet is changing!"
Bettman's comments suggest that in the coming years, more NHL games may be exclusively streamed on platforms like Prime, leaving traditional cable in the past. While Prime may have a larger subscriber base, the shift could leave many fans-especially those who aren't comfortable with streaming services-struggling to follow their favorite teams.
