With TSN and Sportsnet bumping up prices for streaming services, the cord-cutting debate isn't quite so clear anymore.
Everything seems to cost more these days, and watching the Senators on TV isn't escaping inflation either.
For years, cutting the cord has been hailed as the cheaper alternative to cable. Instead of paying for dozens of non-sports channels you're not interested in, you could simply subscribe only to the streaming services you actually watch.
For Senators fans, that's becoming an increasingly expensive proposition.
For as long as anyone can remember, CBC brought us Hockey Night in Canada for free on Saturday nights. But they announced back in June that, for the first time since 1952, games would no longer be carried on the public broadcaster.
Meanwhile, with TSN and Sportsnet both raising their streaming prices this year and Amazon Prime taking over a busier Wednesday night NHL broadcasts in Canada this season, how much will it actually cost to watch the Sens?
We don't have any broadcast schedules yet, but for viewers in Ottawa and the rest of the Senators' regional broadcast territory, TSN will remain the most important service. That's assuming you don't run into one of the frustrating blackout issues that have affected some viewers in recent seasons.
The Senators announced in April that they had reached a new long-term agreement with Bell Media to continue carrying the team's regional English-language broadcasts on TSN. The broadcaster also announced in the spring that its streaming service increased from $24.99 to $29.99 per month.
But, as has been the case for over a decade now, TSN won't get you the Senators' nationally televised games.
That's the realm of Sportsnet+, which is also getting more expensive. Beginning September 22, its standard package increases from $29.99 to $34.99 per month.
That means a Senators fan subscribing to both TSN and Sportsnet+ (standard) will pay $64.98 per month before tax.
And of course, there's Amazon Prime Video, which spiced up Monday nights with its crystal clear feed to six Sens games last season.
Beginning in 2026-27, Prime moves over to Wednesday nights.
Prime will carry at least 26 exclusive national regular-season games per year, along with two first-round Stanley Cup playoff series and one second-round series.
The Senators play eight Wednesday games this season, but that doesn't mean they'll all be on Prime.
A Prime membership currently costs $9.99 per month.
So that means a hockey fan who wants all the Sens games, subscribing to TSN, Sportsnet+ (standard), and Amazon Prime is in for $74.97 per month before tax.
That's almost $899.64 before tax over 12 months.
There's nothing to say that a hockey-only subscriber needs to keep paying for all three services throughout the full calendar year.
And it should be noted that they all come with other perks. TSN has football. Sportsnet has the Jays. Amazon comes with free shipping when you order that orange mug with the kitty on it.
But paying for three separate services at these prices isn't what cord-cutting was supposed to look like.
Suddenly, the cable TV model doesn't seem quite as outdated anymore.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the Sens headlines below:
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