The head of Prime Video Canada discusses his background, the feedback he's received about the broadcasts and the future of "Faceoff." W. Graeme Roustan and Mark Shopiro [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEyNzcyOTA5ODkzMDM1NjQ4/roustan-shopiro-screenshot.png] W. Graeme Roustan and Mark Shopiro W. Graeme Roustan, owner and publisher of The Hockey News, sits down with special guests for peer-to-peer conversations in The Graeme Roustan Show. The Hockey News' Rookie Issue 2025 [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription?variant=41548803866758] features Roustan's conversation with Mark Shopiro, the head of Prime Video Canada. Here's their full conversation: The head of Prime Video Canada discusses his background, the feedback he's received about the broadcasts and the future of "Faceoff." (Don't see the video? Click here [https://thehockeynews.com/video/graeme-roustan-show-mark-shopiro].) Read along with an excerpt from their discussion: W. GRAEME ROUSTAN: Amazon Prime is in everybody’s life, and Amazon Prime Video comes with it. It’s become a staple in a lot of people’s lives. What’s your role in all of this? MARK SHOPIRO: I manage the Prime Video Canada business. With that, I have the pleasure and the privilege of working on a lot of things to do with the NHL. It’s been a busy last little while for us here in Canada. As we think about our customers, starting with Prime and working backward from there, we want to make it the most valuable membership to Canadians possible. As we think about how Canadians consume entertainment, sports is a big part of that, and it doesn’t get much bigger than hockey. It’s been a fun last little while, and it’s been enjoyable to be able to bring it to Canadians. WGR: You’re from Toronto? MS: I’m from Toronto, born and raised. I was at school just down the 401 in Kingston at Queen’s University. Coming out of school, I worked in packaged goods for about seven or eight years across the U.S. and Canada, and then I’ve been at Amazon for just under six years. WGR: Can I assume that you were a Leafs fan growing up? MS: As a young boy who played hockey and loved the game growing up in the city, it was certainly a team that I was a big fan of. WGR: What’s the feedback you’re getting from your customers on all this programming you’re doing? MS: It’s a big responsibility to broadcast hockey in Canada. I think one of the things that we’ve been most excited about, as we go across the country to different cities in Canada, is being on the ground and present at the arena to broadcast the games. We feel really happy with our talent, and our main focus has been getting the game right. We’ve been to a few different cities across the country and have been really happy with the feedback that we’ve gotten from fans. Our focus was to get the game right first, and I feel like that’s being acknowledged by the fans. The NHL is just in such great shape with the product on the ice, and filling that in with phenomenal talent around has been really well-received. "We’ve been to a few different cities across the country and have been really happy with the feedback that we’ve gotten from fans." - Mark Shopiro WGR: So, the feedback you’re getting is that it was accepted positively by your customers? MS: We’ve been really happy so far. I think in terms of picture quality, audio, the way that the game’s coming across in fans’ homes is of phenomenal quality. That’s been well-received. To your point on talent and personalities that are on the air, like Adnan Virk or Andi Petrillo, they’re phenomenal people to bring the games into homes. I also think about John Forslund on the play-by-play, one of the best in the business. I think that’s been really well-received by fans. WGR: The industry is buzzing about it. In 2026, the media rights will become fair game in Canada, and it’s clear to me that a lot of people are going to be at the table. Do you anticipate that Amazon Prime will be at the table at that time as well? MS: It’s too early, obviously, to speculate on any future deals, but we feel happy with where we’ve come from. If you look at Prime Video globally, sports has been an area of focus, and we believe that sports can bring a lot of value to our Prime members. WGR: How important is it to have this wide variety of programming for your audience? MS: Different customers will have different tastes and preferences. As we think about building Prime Video as an entertainment destination for customers, if they want to come and watch live sports, watch video on demand, rent or buy the new release that’s come out in theatres, we want to be able to provide that selection to customers. That’s just within Prime and Prime Video. We launched Season 1 of Faceoff: Inside the NHL on Oct. 4, and it was amazing to see the fan reaction. It was a look that hadn’t been seen before, of focusing on players within the league. We saw such tremendous success with that, and we’ve renewed it for Season 2 as well. I think fans can be excited about getting another look inside different players within the league and behind the scenes that I don’t think had been shared in that level of detail before. I’m really excited for that series and also programming in our sports vertical, more generally, is something that we’re deeply committed to. "There’s been a lot of interest for players to be profiled within the series, which I think is good for the players." - Mark Shopiro WGR: Is there excitement from the players to be involved? MS: I think if you look at the players in Season 1, there were some top-tier players within the league. I think that was a great signal to us that there’s something here. As we think about Season 2, I think there’s been a lot of interest for players to be profiled within the series, which I think is good for the players. It’s also good for the game as we think about bringing the game to more audiences and showing another look at it. WGR: I’ve got to believe now that Season 1 is behind all of us, that the players now have something to see. They’ve seen it, and now, they want to be on it. I’ve talked to a couple of the owners who want Amazon in their dressing room. How many seasons is it going to be? How many episodes per season? And what does the future look like? MS: We’ll see. I think one of the things with doing unscripted content is you don’t know how it’s going to play out. Season 1 was phenomenal with the different personalities and players that we had involved in the series. We feel really optimistic about Season 2 as well, and then we’ll take it from there. I think it’s too early to speculate long-term, but I think we’ve been really happy with the first season and looking forward to a great second season as well. For more interviews with a deep look into the world of the hockey business, check out The Hockey News' Money and Power 2025 issue, available at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription].
