CBC adds curling to Saturday night lineup, after NHL departure

The CBC will beef up its curling coverage on Saturdays this season, a move that will help fill the vacancy created by the departure of the National Hockey League from its broadcasting lineup this fall.

The Grand Slam of Curling and Rock League will air on the network as part of a new five-year agreement, The Curling Group said Thursday. The CBC will provide coverage with current domestic rights-holder Sportsnet, which also agreed to a new five-year deal.

“CBC has a long history of curling coverage, and by providing a national platform to these premier curling tournaments for another five years, we hope to engage and entertain an even wider audience of fans,” CBC Sports executive director Chris Wilson said in a statement.

“We’re excited to share another season of Rock League with audiences across Canada, building on the momentum and excitement of the inaugural event.”

The CBC will broadcast Saturday playoff games on the five-stop Grand Slam circuit and air select Sunday finals throughout the season, The Curling Group said.

Sportsnet will televise three draws daily from Tuesday to Friday along with the Sunday finals. Saturday games will be available on Sportsnet’s streaming service (Sportsnet+) while morning round-robin games and tiebreakers will be streamed on the Rock Channel website.

The announcement came two months after the CBC and Sportsnet announced they wouldn’t be extending their NHL partnership for the 2026-27 season.

The decision meant the long-running Hockey Night in Canada program, which provided televised NHL games for nearly 75 years and became part of the national fabric, would not return to the public broadcaster.

A sub-licensing agreement between Rogers Communications and the CBC that allowed Hockey Night to air on the network expired at the end of the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring.

The first season of Rogers’ 12-year, $11-billion broadcast rights deal with the NHL begins this fall. The CBC previously aired national games on Saturdays, along with all four playoff rounds each year.

Sportsnet is part of Rogers Sports & Media, which is a subsidiary of Rogers. The CBC still holds the HNIC trademark and could incorporate the brand into future hockey coverage.

The CBC has said it plans to launch a new Saturday night prime-time show that will “highlight Canada’s athletes as they compete at home and around the world.”

In addition to curling, the network also plans to showcase women’s professional leagues and more than 20 major world championships.

The broadcaster has a long history with the Roaring Game.

As the Olympic rights-holder, curling is featured daily on the CBC during the Winter Games and is usually a ratings hit. The broadcaster has also aired major competitions like Grand Slams, men’s and women’s national championships and world playdowns in previous years.

Sportsnet sold the Grand Slam series to The Curling Group in 2024, but the network retained the Canadian broadcasting rights.

Rock League, meanwhile, a pro league that made its debut last April, will return to the CBC when the five-event season begins in January.

All games will air on CBC television and the network’s streaming service (CBC Gem). Sportsnet and Radio-Canada’s streaming service (ICI TOU.TV) will provide coverage of the first two days of each four-day competition.

“This is a defining moment for the sport,” said The Curling Group CEO Nic Sulsky. “Sportsnet and CBC Sports see the opportunity to build on curling’s incredible heritage and momentum, helping introduce it to new audiences.

“Together, we’re delivering the most expansive linear television coverage in our history, giving Canadian fans more opportunities than ever to watch the world’s best curlers compete in the Grand Slam of Curling and Rock League.”

International broadcasting plans and commentator teams were expected to be released over the coming weeks.

Longtime Grand Slam broadcaster Kevin Martin recently announced that he would not be returning for the upcoming season.

The CBC also aired some Professional Women’s Hockey League games last season. The league, which also partnered with TSN/RDS, Sportsnet and Amazon Prime Video, has yet to release its Canadian broadcasting plans for the upcoming campaign.