Bell Media strikes deal with NHL’s Senators

Canadian NHL ice hockey franchise the Ottawa Senators has agreed a regional media rights deal with telecommunications company Bell Media.

The 12-year deal will run from 2014-15 to 2025-26.

Bell’s pay-television channel TSN will show a minimum of 52 regular-season and pre-season games per year.

Bell’s French-language pay-television channel RDS will broadcast a minimum of 40 regular-season and pre-season games per year.

The action will be available in Eastern and Northern Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada, and Newfoundland.

Financial terms of the deal, which also includes radio and sponsorship rights, were not disclosed. However, the Ottawa Sun newspaper said that it is worth up to C$400m (€268.8m/$364.6m) or more than C$33m per season.

In November, TSN was outbid by telecommunications company Rogers Communications for NHL rights in Canada spanning 12 years, from 2014-15 to 2025-26.