A version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Sport newsletter with Alex Sherman, which brings you the biggest news and exclusive interviews from the worlds of sports business and media. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. In my inaugural CNBC Sport newsletter , I said the major American sports leagues have their media rights deals locked up for years to come. Time for a mea culpa. Blame my U.S. exceptionalism. The most important media sports rights agreement of the decade is nearing renegotiation — for Canada. The NHL’s Canadian media rights deal will end after next season. Canadian telecommunications company Rogers Communications struck a 12-year, $5.2 billion contract for the NHL’s exclusive TV rights in the country in 2013. The NHL will likely ask for at least double that amount in the new deal, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to speak because the details are private. That’s roughly in line with what the National Basketball Association and the National Football League received from their U.S. media partners in recent deals. Rogers’ exclusive negotiating window begins on Jan. 1, 2025 and lasts for 60 days, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said on CNBC’s