If you thought keeping up with your favorite NHL team was already a wallet-draining exercise in subscription juggling, well, buckle up. The league and Amazon just made another move that's going to have some fanbases reaching for their credit cards yet again, while a couple of lucky markets actually catch a break for once.
On Wednesday, the NHL and Amazon Prime Video officially announced an expansion of their broadcasting partnership, bringing six new regional markets into the fold. The defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, along with the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Anaheim Ducks will all have their games available through Amazon Prime Video for fans within each team's regional territory. The deal includes regular season game streams, pre and post-game coverage, and additional team programming.
Sounds great on the surface, right? More access, more hockey, more ways to watch. But here's where it gets tricky.
While you don't technically need an Amazon Prime membership to access these games, fans in four of the six markets will need to purchase a separate regional streaming package. And it's not exactly pocket change. According to reports, the Columbus Blue Jackets package will run $19.99 per month, with a yearly option at $99.99. The Blues, Wild, and Hurricanes are all offering the same pricing structure, meaning fans in St. Louis, Minnesota, and Carolina are looking at the exact same $20 monthly or $100 annual hit.
Now add that to the ever-growing pile of streaming costs that modern sports fans are already dealing with. Between Hulu, Netflix, ESPN+, Prime itself, HBO Max, Peacock, and whatever else has popped up since you last checked your bank statement, we're talking hundreds of dollars a month just to watch the entertainment you want. And if you're opting for the annual subscription to save a few bucks, that's a significant upfront cost that not everyone can absorb easily.
The silver lining? Fans of the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks won't have to pay anything extra. Their regional broadcasts will be included at no additional charge for anyone who already has a standard Amazon Prime membership. That's a genuinely good deal for two sizable NHL markets, and it removes one of the biggest obstacles to getting casual fans to actually tune into local games.
Love it or hate it, this deal represents a significant step in Amazon's growing footprint across the NHL landscape. For commissioner Gary Bettman, it's another feather in the cap when it comes to expanding the league's reach across the continental United States. With ongoing talk about potential expansion into Houston and other markets, having more eyeballs on the product through a platform as massive as Amazon only strengthens the case.
Dallas and Anaheim being included without an extra paywall is a smart play. Those are two large markets where lowering the barrier to entry could meaningfully grow the fanbase. More viewers means more revenue, and more revenue means the league's expansion ambitions become increasingly realistic. Higher profits could eventually push the NHL toward adding more than just one new franchise down the road.
There is, of course, a genuine downside to all of this beyond the cost. The shift toward streaming continues to reshape the traditional broadcasting landscape, and there's a real concern about what happens to the commentators, reporters, and production staff who built their careers in regional sports networks. The hope is that many of those professionals can transition into new roles within the evolving media environment, but that's far from guaranteed.
For now, if you're a hockey fan in Minnesota, St. Louis, Columbus, or Carolina, start budgeting for yet another monthly charge if you want to make sure you don't miss a single game this season. The cost of being a dedicated hockey fan just keeps climbing, and there's no sign it's slowing down anytime soon.
