This morning, on BPM Sports, Renaud Lavoie intervened to address the persistent rumors about the uncertain future of the sports channel.
While several speculations are circulating about a possible closure of TVA Sports after the end of its exclusive broadcasting contract with the NHL in 2026, Lavoie wanted to reassure – or at least try to do so.
But listening to his words, it seems that the channel will have to be satisfied with the crumbs.
Lavoie said TVA Sports will not disappear, but its role in broadcasting NHL games could be drastically reduced.
According to him, the channel will keep some Montreal Canadiens and NHL matches, but the end of exclusives seems inevitable.
“We expect TSN to pick up a little, that RDS to pick up a little, TVA Sports same thing too, Sportsnet”explained Lavoie, referring to a model where broadcasting rights will be shared between several networks.
If these statements are intended to reassure, they reveal a darker reality: TVA Sports, already in great financial difficulty with colossal losses, could see its role marginalized in the Quebec sports media landscape.
The future of TVA Sports is closely linked to negotiations for the national rights of the NHL in Canada, which will begin soon with a view to the 2026 deadline.
Lavoie pointed out that the current model, where a single network holds exclusive rights, could disappear, opening the door to a more equitable distribution between channels.
However, this fragmentation could complicate the lives of hockey fans. How many platforms will you need to subscribe to to follow the Canadian’s 82 games and the playoffs?
Amazon, Netflix, and Apple TV are among the potential new players, which could disrupt fans’ viewing habits.
In addition to the redistribution of broadcasting rights between traditional networks, the strong arrival of streaming in the NHL ecosystem promises to profoundly transform the consumption habits of hockey fans.
Renaud Lavoie himself spoke of this major development.
This shift towards digital is not trivial. While traditional networks like TVA Sports, RDS, TSN and Sportsnet struggle to maintain their audience and make a profit from exorbitant broadcast rights, streaming platforms have enormous financial resources and an ability to reach diverse audiences, well at beyond geographical borders.
The end of exclusives and the entry of digital giants raises a crucial question: how many platforms will it be necessary to subscribe to to follow a complete season of the Montreal Canadiens?
If the current model still allows viewing to be centralized via one or two subscriptions, the future could force hockey fans to juggle between several services.
Imagine having to navigate between Prime Video, RDS, TSN, Apple TV and TVA Sports to follow the 82 regular season games and the playoffs.
For fans, this nightmare could mean additional costs and increased complexity, especially for French speakers who will have to check whether French content is included in each package.
In this context, TVA Sports risks finding itself further marginalized. Already weakened by plummeting ratings and endless financial losses, the channel could struggle to adapt to this new reality.
Unlike digital platforms, which can easily absorb initial costs thanks to diversified business models, TVA Sports depends almost exclusively on advertising revenue and subscriptions, two sources in decline.
Renaud Lavoie suggested that TVA Sports could keep some NHL games, but sharing the rights between several players will inevitably weaken its positioning.
The channel, which previously relied on exclusives to attract a loyal audience, will have to settle for a secondary role, at the mercy of digital giants and its traditional competitors.
For Quebec hockey fans, the future could be more diverse, but at what cost? Between the breakdown of rights, the multiplication of subscriptions, and the economic uncertainty of French-speaking channels, the only certainty is that the era of media monopoly is definitely a thing of the past.
TVA Sports, once ambitious, could well only reap the crumbs.
While the NHL is considering an expansion to 34 teams, with candidates like Houston and Atlanta, Quebec once again seems left out of the plans.
Although Quebec is popular with gamers, the city does not have the financial and strategic attractiveness of its American rivals.
This situation illustrates the growing isolation of the Quebec market, where French-speaking media are struggling to compete with their English-speaking counterparts.
Very bad news for TVA Sports, while the Nordiques were their last hope.
Lavoie’s column suggests a future where TVA Sports could find itself with a handful of NHL games, a far cry from the days when the channel was a key player.
If this prospect is confirmed, it could seal the fate of TVA Sports, already burdened by cumulative losses of nearly $300 million since its creation.
Despite Lavoie’s efforts to maintain an optimistic narrative, the contrast with the infinite resources and ambitions of his competitors, like TSN and Sportsnet, is stark.
TVA Sports seems condemned to play second fiddle, with crumbs that will probably not be enough to reverse the trend.
This situation poses a troubling question: how can TVA Sports, which is struggling to survive financially, justify lavish expenditures to accommodate its journalists in 5-star hotels near the arenas?
This strategy, although it reinforces the prestigious image of the chain, contrasts brutally with the economic reality of a company on the brink of collapse.
While La Presse controls its expenses by housing its journalists in modest establishments, TVA Sports persists in living beyond its means.
This contradictory management reflects Quebecor’s inability to adapt its business model to a rapidly changing media reality.
Renaud Lavoie may have wanted to calm the waters this morning, but his words reveal a truth that is difficult to ignore: TVA Sports is on borrowed time.
And barring a miracle in broadcast rights negotiations or a drastic restructuring, the channel could soon find itself relegated to an anecdotal role, if it survives at all.
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