Hockey fans fume over needing multiple platforms to watch games

This is my hockey sign that I bring out every night. When Justin Stiles turns on this light in his Barrie, Ontario home, you know it's game time. I'm a huge hockey fan and I have been since about 45 years. For styles and hockey fans across the country, it's more expensive this season to watch their favourite teams. I hate it. It really, really perturbs me and I completely understand the angst. New data from Angus Reid shows he's not alone. 78% of Canadian NHL fans say it's bad that more games require more subscriptions. Streaming exclusively. Sportsnet, which is owned by Rogers, has shifted Monday Night Games to its Sportsnet Plus channel. It's also sold off rights for Wednesday night games, now available exclusively on Amazon Prime. Add it up and hockey fans could be shelling out an additional $25 to $45 a month for Sportsnet Plus and Prime, depending on if they have an existing cable package. Last year, Rogers shelled out $11 billion to secure NHL rights in Canada for the next 12 years. Maybe you'll see certain games on linear, but certain marquee games will be pushed behind the paywall on Sportsnet+. Sportsnet says it has no immediate plans to do so. And in a statement says Sportsnet is focused on delivering more NHL content, including more national games with fewer blackouts to more Canadians across multiple platforms. Sportsnet is hardly unique. The NFL and Major League Baseball have sold off some of their games to various streaming services. It makes these properties extremely valuable. Fans, for the most part, have been willing to pay, Deitch says. These companies have all the leverage because they know how important sports is. To all of these people like us who love it and consume it. But for some, there's a threshold. The annual fee for Sportsnet is more than we can afford as a family. So we're already kind of cutting other things out to be able to do this. Tucker says it would be difficult not to watch her beloved Oilers. But even for hockey fans in Canada, there is a limit. Jamie Strachan, CBC News, Toronto.