Just in time for Blue Jays playoff push, Sportsnet gouging subscribers with massive price increase
Sportsnet raising annual prices for streaming service by as much as 30%
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Just in time for what could be the biggest couple of months of Blue Jays baseball in the past decade, Sportsnet is hitting a large constituency of its fan base with a hefty premium to tune in to watch the team it owns on one of the broadcast platforms it also owns.
Subscribers to Sportsnet+, the streaming service that gives non-cable subscribers digital access to live sports content including the Blue Jays, MLB and NBA, were notified of a whopping price increase this week.
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The latest gouging by Sportsnet (which like the Jays, is owned by Rogers Communications) is scheduled to take effect on Sept. 9 and will see the price of the Sportsnet+ premium jump from $249.99 for 12 months up to $324.99 (plus all applicable taxes.)
The increase prompted instant outrage from sports fans already subject to the Rogers-controlled monopoly on Jays content (through Sportsnet and the team), as well as much of the hockey content in this country and surely will encourage an exodus to the grey area/illegal services.
While the memo to subscribers didn’t give a reason for the price hike, it doesn’t really have to given the control it has on sports broadcasting rights here. But it represents a massive increase for those who have already cut the cord and are planning to watch the Blue Jays through what figures to be a big couple of months of meaningful September (and possibly October) baseball.
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Within a month of the price jump, the largest offering by Sportsnet+ — regular-season NHL hockey — begins with the start of the 2025-26 season slated for Oct. 7.
The increase of $75 annually is what feels like an unconscionable 30% hike to the package, an increase that already has sports fans fuming online. And expect that noise to increase as word spreads. In fairness, the Premium increase is the largest increase in the new pricing structure. The monthly fee for the Sportsnet+ Standard service, for example, will go for $29.99, up from $24.99. (The annual Standard price goes from $199.99 to $249.99 and like the standard monthly plan also includes all Jays content.)
Of course, in the broader picture, industry observers are wondering if the cash grab is just the beginning as Rogers’ control of the Canadian sports market is taking another huge leap in influence now that its purchase of Bell’s share of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment has been finalized.
There certainly has been speculation in the broadcast sphere that Rogers will work to further its influence on the way its teams are covered on multiple platforms. The fact that they can arbitrarily control — and increase — pricing apparently means they have fans where they want them.
And then there’s the high-end spending parent company Rogers has been unleashing in recent months from the MLSE buyout, to the $11 billion extension to NHL rights, to the $500 million contract signed by the Jays Vlad Guerrero Jr.. Sportsnet is just one of the many entities in the Rogers sports realm and with demands to increase revenue, is pushing the cost on down to viewers.
“It’s starting,” one broadcast veteran wryly noted on Thursday afternoon.
The new pricing will come in at a time, post-Labour Day, when sports audiences start to return. For Jays fans, Sept. 9 marks the beginning of what could be a critical three-game home series against the Houston Astros and a stretch of the team playing on 13 consecutive days.
At that point, the team could be in a race to lock up first place in the American League East and building interest (and audiences) for what might be the most anticipated playoff run since 2016.
The final 12 games of the season feature seven against the Tampa Bay Rays, a series that could settle the AL East title.
Offered primarily to combat the loss of those abandoning cable — known colloquially as cord-cutters — Sportsnet+ was created to appeal to sports fans’ access to live sports and related programming without the requirement of a traditional cable package or subscription.
“Sportsnet+ is the most comprehensive live sports streaming experience in Canada,” a Sportsnet spokesperson told the Toronto Sun in a statement. “This update reflects that great value for sports fans looking for the best sports content in the country, while remaining competitively priced with other options in the market.”
Perhaps not coincidentally given the subscriber angst from the announcement, the Sportsnet+ website had an announcement Thursday afternoon telling subscribers (and those perhaps looking to cancel the service) that “our billing system is currently offline and we’re working on it.”
One of the plusses to the service for hockey fans is the ability to watch out-of-market games in addition to the regular Wednesday Night Hockey and Saturday’s Hockey Night In Canada programming.
In a message to advertisers, Sportsnet+ bills itself as a service that “delivers premium, live sports coverage year-round, connecting brands to 5 million plus passionate, engaged Canadians each month” while also boasting it enjoys a 40% audience growth year over year.
Sportsnet+ subscribers also get access to the full array of network programming, including Jays pre and post-game shows and Sportsnet Central.
Judging by the initial reaction, they’re about to find out what their pain threshold is to pay for it.
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