Match Canadien Ce Soir Moves to Amazon Prime Video in French First
Key takeaways
- The Canadiens played their first game only on Prime Video on Oct. 14.
- The game had a full French broadcast crew, led by Alain Crête.
- Six more Canadiens games will air only on Prime this season.
Fans in Canada needed Prime Video to watch the Canadiens on Oct. 14. The game aired only on that service. It was the first Canadiens game with a full French broadcast on Prime Video.
What happened
The Canadiens visited the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, Oct. 14. The game took place at Capital One Arena in Washington. The Canadiens played on the road.
The game aired only on Amazon Prime Video. The team's site confirmed the exclusive broadcast before the game. No TV channel showed it in Canada.
Fans needed a Prime membership to watch it live.
Prime Video calls the package Wednesday Night Hockey. The French name is Le hockey du mercredi soir. This was the first of seven Canadiens games on Prime this season.
The other six games are set. Nov. 18 brings a trip to New Jersey.
Dec. 2 brings Tampa Bay to Centre Bell.
January 6 brings Boston to Montreal. January 13 brings New Jersey to Montreal. March 10 brings Boston back to Montreal.
March 24 brings Ottawa to Centre Bell.
Prime is the only legal way to watch these seven games in Canada. That fact comes from HabsolumentFan and DansLesCoulisses. The game also marked a first for French hockey on Prime.
For two years, NHL games on Prime were in English only. Dose. ca reported that fact in July.
Now French is part of the offer.
This article covers the broadcast only. Our game story covers the first meeting of Lane and Cole Hutson.
The French broadcast crew
Alain Crête called the play by play in French. Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre worked as the analyst. Both names come from HabsolumentFan.
Max Lalonde hosted the studio panel. Guillaume Latendresse returned to TV as a panelist. Marc-André Perreault joined the panel as well.
Michael Roy and Jean-Sébastien Giguère rounded out the team.
Crête came out of retirement for the role. Marqueur had tipped Crête as the pick in September. The French crew gives Quebec fans a home-team feel.
It keeps the broadcast in their first language. That matters for a team with deep French roots.
Prime hired a full French team for the first time. That is a big step. It shows Prime wants French fans.
It also shows the NHL wants French fans. French is a big part of hockey in Canada. Montreal is a French-first city.
A French broadcast fits the team. It fits the fans too.
How to watch
Fans need an active Prime membership. Prime shows the games at no extra cost to members. That detail comes from iPhone in Canada.
Both English and French feeds are part of the offer. Fans watch through Prime Video. The games air on Wednesday nights.
Fans should check the schedule each week.
The Prime games do not air on RDS. They do not air on TVA Sports. They do not air on Sportsnet or TSN.
That split is new for many fans. Before this season, French fans watched Canadiens games on RDS or TVA Sports. Now a third service holds seven games.
Why it matters
Hockey in French has a long TV past in Quebec. RDS and TVA Sports showed the games for years. Now fans need three services to catch all 84 games.
RDS will show 45 games this season. TVA Sports will show 32 games. Prime Video will show seven games.
The numbers add up to 84.
RDS had 60 games in past seasons. The season grew from 82 games to 84 games. TVA Sports is the national French broadcaster for the next 12 years.
That fact comes from Dose. ca. TVA Sports keeps the French rights for Canadiens playoff games.
TVA Sports aired 22 games per season in the past.
It now airs 32 games. That is 10 more games than before.
Prime is part of a 12-year deal with the NHL. The deal runs through the 2037-38 season. That detail comes from iPhone in Canada.
It covers 27 Wednesday night games each season. The Canadiens have the most Prime games of any Canadian team. They have seven.
Toronto has six games on Prime. Edmonton has five games. The Flames, Jets, and Senators have four games each.
Prime will also host three playoff series per year. Two will come in round one. One will come in round two.
That detail comes from iPhone in Canada. That is a big shift for hockey TV in Canada. The October 14 game showed how fast the shift is moving.
The night before, the Canadiens faced Buffalo. See our preview of the Sabres game. That game aired on RDS.
One night later, fans had to switch apps.
Fans searched for the game in French that night. The French query "match canadien ce soir" trended that night. It means "Canadiens game tonight" in French.
The trend shows how many fans were lost. They did not know where to watch. A clear guide helps them find the game.
What fans said
Not all fans were happy on night one. Marqueur reported that viewers could not pause the live game. They also could not rewind it.
Fans who like to rewind plays felt stuck. Some fans raised the point during the pregame show. They asked if this was always the case on Prime.
The night before had its own trouble. HabsolumentFan reported an RDS streaming outage during the Sabres game. Some paying fans could not watch at all that night.
The outage hit during Frozen Frenzy. That night, all 32 NHL teams played. So two nights in a row tested fan patience.
The cost also drew complaints. HabsolumentFan said Prime is an extra cost for many fans. Many fans already pay for two sports services.
A third bill adds up fast. For some fans, the price is a real burden.
What happens next
The next Prime game is Nov. 18 at New Jersey. Fans without Prime will miss it live.
The same French crew covers the Prime games.
That detail comes from HabsolumentFan. It is not yet clear if Prime will add pause or rewind. Fans will watch for fixes in the next broadcast.
The deal runs for 12 years. This change is here to stay. For now, fans must plan where each game airs.
For more NHL coverage, see our recap of the Stars-Avalanche rematch in Denver.
Oct. 14 was a test. The picture was new.
The voices were new.
The next test comes Nov. 18.
Related stories
Why Is Altitude Sickness Worse for Some People?
Altitude sickness hits some people harder because of genetics, ascent speed, and prior history, not fitness level. Here is what raises risk
Why Do You Get Blisters When Hiking and How to Prevent Them
Friction plus moisture plus heat equals a blister. Learn why hiking breeds all three, and the boots, socks, and tape system that keeps
How to choose hiking boots for beginners: fit, features, and break-in
Beginners should buy for fit first: snug everywhere, tight nowhere, with a thumb's width at the toes. Here is how to size, test,