RUMOR: four different subscriptions to watch the Canadiens next year

Next season, the new TV contract for NHL games in Canada comes into effect. It's not yet known exactly how the Habs' 84 games will be divided up in Quebec.

As for the Canadiens' French-language rights, we already know that RDS will produce 45 of these games. There's also every reason to believe that Crave (with the RDS broadcast team) will be entitled to 15 games.

Max Lalonde (BPM Sports) broke the news about Crave, saying that these 15 games would be in addition to the 45 already announced by RDS. However, nothing has been confirmed.

There are also 24 national matches yet to be announced. TVA Sports could well get these games, although nothing has been decided yet.

If all 24 games were to be broadcast on TVA Sports, this would mean that RDS, Crave and TVA Sports would be the three platforms to have to watch all Canadiens games. There would be a good majority of games on cable.

But if Quebecor were to pick up 24 games AND Crave were to confirm the presentation of some 15 games, Pierre-Karl Péladeau's company could retaliate in turn.

But how? By also offering matches exclusively on one platform, Club Illico+.

From what I understand, if Bell Media ever decides to broadcast some Canadiens games on Crave, Quebecor will seriously evaluate the option of presenting games on Club Illico+ (if, of course, it ever gets its hands on French-language rights). #4Subscriptions

– Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) November 17, 2025

Nothing has been confirmed, since Crave hasn't announced anything and because TVA Sports hasn't confirmed that it's got its hands on the TV rights for the next few years either. These are two big factors that make the situation uncertain.

But at the moment, we can confirm that seeing games on Club Illico+ is a scenario that is being discussed internally.

If this idea were to become official, it would be the consumer who would suffer. After all, not only would they have to have access to RDS and TVA Sports, they'd also have to subscribe to two platforms to listen to all 84 Habs games in French.

Yes, platforms (including Crave and Club Illico+) are clearly part of the future of sports. But the fact remains that seeing such a scenario come to fruition (because I remind you that nothing is official for streaming) would not make everyone happy.

And with good reason. Consumers could end up paying the price for the battles between two big companies, should Quebecor refuse to leave all French-language streaming to Bell in the world of hockey.

I say that, but if TSN were to end up with 50 Habs games and the other 34 were on Sportsnet, hockey could be less listened to in French than ever next season. Especially during the habs' ugly sequences like last week's…

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To answer a question many of you may have right now: yes, it is possible to subscribe to Club Illico+ if you're a Bell customer.

But in any case, such a situation would undoubtedly mean that, more than ever, some people would pirate the Canadiens' games to listen to them illegally.

If the Canadiens were to end 2025-2026 badly, and the games shown on broadcast platforms were not to be interesting duels, I can't imagine the ratings that would follow.

If it comes to that, I imagine our colleague Maxime Truman will find a way to dig up the ratings…