Columbus Blue Jackets, NHL reveal next step in TV, streaming plans
More pieces to the Blue Jackets' TV puzzle were revealed Sept. 2 by the team and NHL, which will now produce local broadcasts.
More: Columbus Blue Jackets land NHL broadcast deal, leaving fans with one big question
Games will be aired on the Blue Jackets Hockey Network, which will be available through cable and satellite providers. Fans can also watch via streaming as part of an NHL multi-year, exclusive streaming agreement with Amazon's Prime Video service.
“Our priority is to make sure our fans have access to our games on television in all of the ways they have been accustomed to in the past, and this new venture ensures that will happen,” Blue Jackets senior vice president and chief operating officer Cameron Scholvin said in a statement. “Whether you have watched games through a cable or satellite provider, or on a streaming service, you will continue to be able to do so.”
The other five teams included in the NHL's agreement with Amazon are the Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues and reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. Negotiations with specific cable and satellite providers are ongoing, so details about which will carry the Blue Jackets' network will be announced later.
Those interested in streaming through Prime Video can subscribe at $19.99 per month or $99.99 annually. An Amazon account is required to subscribe, whether it's a free account or an existing Amazon Prime subscription. However, those with Amazon Prime will be charged on top of the price they're paying for that service.
That policy isn't applied equally to all six teams, though. Amazon Prime subscribers in Dallas and Anaheim will get access to their regional broadcasts without additional charges, while the Wild, Blues and Hurricanes have the same subscription requirements as the Blue Jackets.
Broadcasts on the Jackets' network will include a 30-minute pregame show, postgame show and the return of all on-air talents who did Blue Jackets games last season, including Steve Mears (play-by-play), Jody Shelley (analyst), Brian Giesenschlag (host), Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre (pre-and-postgame analyst) and Dave Maetzold (reporter/host).
The in-game broadcast will also be simulcast on radio, replacing longtime radio play-by-play announcer Bob McElligott. That move, a cost-cutting measure, was announced July 30 to the chagrin of unhappy fans who took to social media to complain.
The new plans for TV access could also rile up a fanbase that's already displeased with a turbulent offseason that has included trade speculation about Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko, contract negotiations that nearly went to arbitration with restricted free agents Jet Greaves and Cole Sillinger, and RFA center Adam Fantilli still needing a contract two weeks before training camp opens Sept. 16 at Nationwide Arena.
Along with the plans to show games through cable, satellite and streaming options, the Blue Jackets also plan to simulcast an undisclosed number of games on free over-the-air networks. Details on those games haven't been released.
There are also two exclusive national broadcast games that won't be shown by the Jackets' new TV network. Those games are Nov. 10 against the Florida Panthers (ESPN+/Disney+/Hulu) and April 8 against the Philadelphia Flyers (TNT).
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