from Chris Zelkovich of Yahoo,

Bell Media wants Hockey Night In Canada. The CBC must have it.

That factor alone should be enough to enable the corporation to strike a deal before its exclusive negotiation window with the National Hockey League expires at the end of August. That's what happened the last time around, in 2007, when the industry talk had CBC losing the property it has treasured for 60 years.

But in the end, CBC came up with an extra $40 million a year and made a few concessions -- giving TSN access to more playoff games involving Canadian teams, for example -- and everybody was relatively happy.

Sources say that scenario is likely to play out again in one form or another. While the Globe and Mailreported last week that the NHL is seeking $200 million a season for the HNIC package, sources say it's unlikely to get what is in essence a 100 per cent raise. Instead, it's more likely that CBC will again pay more for less. Bell Media will again pay more -- but get more.

read on