Archive for the ‘TSN’ Category
2013 UEFA EURO Under-21 Championship on TSN
The top eight European under-21 teams will compete in Israel beginning tomorrow in the 2013 edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship. TSN and TSN2 will have have all 12 group stage games live, as well as the two semi-finals and the final on June 18.
The schedule and press release can be found below. One very interesting thing to note is that former The Score football host Kristian Jack has joined TSN for their coverage to provide in-depth analysis. Since Rogers took over The Score and ‘The Footy Show’ disappeared from the airwaves, KJ had all but vanished apart from his occasional blog post. With James Sharman joining Fox Soccer News/Soccer Central, I presumed KJ wouldn’t be far behind, but for whatever reason, that never materialized. A shame really, as in my opinion, Jack is the best football analysts on Canadian television.
Wednesday, June 5
Israel vs. Norway – 11:45 a.m. ET on TSN2
England vs. Italy – 2:15 p.m. ET on TSN
Thursday, June 6
Spain vs. Russia – 11:45 a.m. ET on TSN2
Netherlands vs. Germany – 2:15 p.m. ET on TSN
Saturday, June 8
England vs. Norway – 11:45 a.m. ET on TSN2
Italy vs. Israel – 2:15 p.m. ET on TSN
Sunday, June 9
Netherlands vs. Russia – 4 p.m. ET on TSN
Germany vs. Spain – 6 p.m. ET on TSN2
Tuesday, June 11
Israel vs. England – 11:45 a.m. ET on TSN
Norway vs. Italy – 11:45 a.m. ET on TSN2
Wednesday, June 12
Spain vs. Netherlands – 11:45 a.m. ET on TSN
Russia vs. Germany – 11:45 a.m. ET on TSN2
Saturday, June 15
Semifinal 1 – 11:15 a.m. ET on TSN2
Semifinal 2 – 2:15 p.m. ET on TSN2
Tuesday, June 18
Final – 11:45 a.m. ET on TSN
2013 NBA Finals on TSN and ABC
Apologies for the lack of posts on the site. I know Josh is ridiculously busy, and I am slightly less ridiculously busy. I’m sure normal operation will resume one day in the not-too-distant future.
The 2013 NBA Finals begin this Thursday with the San Antonio Spurs taking on the Miami Heat. All games can be seen on TSN and ABC. If you need assistance deciding which team to support, this picture should easily swing you towards the Spurs. See the ESPN press release below for the full details on their coverage.
Game 1: Thurs. Jun 6 at 9pm — San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat
Game 2: Sun. Jun 9 at 8pm — San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat
Game 3: Tues. Jun 11 at 9pm — Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs
Game 4: Thurs. Jun 13 at 9pm — Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs
Game 5*: Sun. Jun 16 at 8pm — Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs
Game 6*: Tues. Jun 18 at 9pm — San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat
Game 7*: Thurs. Jun 20 at 9pm — San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat
* If required. All times Eastern.
Jay and Dan Leave TSN for Fox
SportsCentre hosts Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole are leaving TSN this June for Los Angeles. They will host the new Fox Sports 1 sports highlights show, which is launching in August to compete with ESPN’s SportsCenter. I’ll have more on this later.
2013 NHL Playoffs Matchups and TV Coverage
I expect that the NHL will release their 2013 Conference Quarterfinals schedule Sunday night at 11:00pm Eastern on a special that will air on NHL Network. That’s regardless of what happens tonight. However, with about 24 hours for schedules to leak before any is officially released, I’m sure some news will come out early.
In this post I’ll list the NHL Playoff Matchups as they are confirmed, what networks will cover them, and the night the series will start. I’ll also add full schedule information once it is available. Anything that is not confirmed, but worth mentioning (probably broadcasters and current, but not final standings) is in italics. I’m assuming every series will start Tuesday or Wednesday, but that’s not confirmed. Feel free to post any information you come across in the comments.
Eastern Conference
(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (8) New York Islanders (Game 1, Wednesday)
(2) Montreal Canadiens vs. (7) Ottawa Senators (Game 1, Wednesday)
(3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) New York Rangers
(4) Boston Bruins vs. (5) Toronto Maple Leafs
Western Conference
(1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (8) Minnesota Wild (Game 1, Tuesday at 8pm)
(2) Anaheim Ducks vs. (7) Detroit Red Wings (Game 1, Tuesday at 10:30pm)
(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) San Jose Sharks
(4) St. Louis Blues vs. (5) Los Angeles Kings (Game 1, Tuesday)
*The Canadiens will likely play game 1 on Tuesday.
Breaking: Sportsnet, TSN, RDS Partner with CBC for 2014 Olympics
The 2014 Olympics begin in 365 days in Sochi, Russia. Today Sportsnet announced that they are the official cable broadcaster of the Games in Canada. This is just the latest partnership between the two networks which also includes the 2014 FIFA World Cup. I’ll have a lot more on this later, but for now here is a statement from Sportsnet.
Today marks the official one-year countdown to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia and Sportsnet is pleased to announce it has reached a sub-licensing deal with CBC to provide Canadians with comprehensive coverage of the Games.
Further platform distribution announcements are to come, but under the agreement Sportsnet is now an official cable broadcaster of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
As part of the sub-licensing deal, Sportsnet and Sportsnet ONE will carry approximately 200 hours of 2014 Olympic Winter Games coverage, including coverage in prime time
And as did TSN and RDS, evidently. Somehow I missed this. Worth noting that TSN and RDS have shown every Olympics since 1998. Very impressive.
TSN and RDS are partnering with CBC/Radio-Canada to provide coverage of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
Through the partnership, both networks will be able to bring viewers access to live events and coverage across TSN and RDS’s sports, news, and entertainment platforms.
TSN and RDS have been part of Canada’s Olympic tradition for the past three decades, setting the standard of excellence for delivering Olympic coverage during the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Games.
TSN and RDS will provide more details on this partnership and broadcast information in the near future.
And here is CBC’s press release with all that news and more. Read the bolded section closely. What’s coming next? Netflix for highlights?
Today marks the official one-year countdown to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and CBC/Radio-Canada is thrilled to bring the Olympic Games home to Canadians. As Canada’s Official Broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada brings Canadians cross-platform coverage of the top news and stories in the year leading up to Sochi 2014, running from February 7 – 23, 2014. With exclusive license arrangements, TSN, RDS, and Sportsnet will also present coverage of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Stay tuned – more platform distribution announcements to come.
“We’re incredibly proud to be the official home of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games,” said Kirstine Stewart, Executive Vice-President, English Services, CBC. “As we count down to Sochi 2014, we are committed to sharing the inspirational stories of our athletes, while providing Canadians with a robust Olympic Games experience, across all platforms.”Louis Lalande, Executive Vice-President, Radio-Canada, added: “The Olympic Games have been part of Radio-Canada’s DNA for over fifty years. It is with great anticipation that we prepare for Sochi 2014. We aim to offer viewers from coast to coast a distinct coverage that will allow them to live and breathe with our athletes on this most prestigious stage.”Click here for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games English Promo.CBC/Radio-Canada is the place to be as we count down to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. With coverage across all platforms – including TV, radio, online, and mobile – Canadians can connect with the biggest stories and the latest content whenever and wherever they want it. Through world-class storytelling and the best performance coverage available, CBC/Radio-Canada will introduce viewers to Canadian athletes poised to take on the world in 2014. Canadians can engage with CBC/Radio-Canada leading up to and throughout the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games online in English at CBC.ca/Olympics and in French at Radio-Canada.ca/Olympiques, as well as on Twitter in English at @cbcolympics (#cbcolympics), and in French at @RC_Sports (#RColympiques).The countdown to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi was in full-swing this week on CBC, with extensive programming on all platforms. Throughout the week, viewers have enjoyed extensive coverage, with stories from Sochi and beyond, as well as a look at Canada’s Olympians as they prepare for the Games.
2013 Jets on TSN Regional Schedule
Olli Jokinen returns to the division where he spent most of his career and where he’ll face his former team Florida.
Winnipeg Jets hockey returns to TSN’s crazily overpriced regional service for the 2013 season (proving that maybe it isn’t overpriced so much considering the market). TSN-Jets will broadcast 34 games regionally in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwestern Ontario, Nunavut and Northwest Territories. Dennis Beyak fronts TSN’s coverage providing play-by-play. Mike Johnson, Brian Engblom and Shane Hnidy will rotate as analysts. TSN’s schedule will include six all-Canadian matchups with many other games against the Jets Southeast Division “rivals”.
Here is the 2013 Jets on TSN regional schedule. All times are Central.
January
Monday, Jan. 21 Winnipeg @ Boston 12 p.m. CT
Sunday, Jan. 27 NY Islanders @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. CT
Tuesday, Jan. 29 Winnipeg @ Montreal 6:30 p.m. CT
Thursday, Jan. 31 Winnipeg @ Florida 6:30 p.m. CT
February
Friday, Feb. 1 Winnipeg @ Tampa Bay 6:30 p.m. CT
Tuesday, Feb. 5 Florida @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. CT
Thursday, Feb. 7 Toronto @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. CT
Sunday, Feb. 17 Boston @ Winnipeg 2 p.m. CT
Tuesday, Feb. 19 Winnipeg @ Buffalo 6 p.m. CT
Thursday, Feb. 21 Winnipeg @ Carolina 6 p.m. CT
Sunday, Feb. 24 Winnipeg @ New Jersey 4 p.m. CT
Thursday, Feb. 28 New Jersey @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. CT
March
Tuesday, March 5 Winnipeg @ Florida 6:30 p.m. CT
Thursday, March 7 Winnipeg @ Tampa Bay 6:30 p.m. CT
Friday, March 8 Winnipeg @ Florida 6:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, March 10 Winnipeg @ New Jersey 6 p.m. CT
Tuesday, March 12 Toronto @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. CT
Thursday, March 14 NY Rangers @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. CT
Sunday, March 17 Winnipeg @ Ottawa 4 p.m. CT
Tuesday, March 19 Boston @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. CT
Thursday, March 21 Washington @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. CT
Sunday, March 24 Tampa Bay @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. CT
Tuesday, March 26 Winnipeg @ Carolina 6 p.m. CT
Thursday, March 28 Pittsburgh @ Winnipeg 6 p.m. CT
April
Monday, April 1 Winnipeg @ NY Rangers 6 p.m. CT
Tuesday, April 2 Winnipeg @ NY Islanders 6 p.m. CT
Thursday, April 4 Winnipeg @ Montreal 6:30 p.m. CT
Tuesday, April 9 Buffalo @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. CT
Thursday, April 11 Florida @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. CT
Tuesday, April 16 Tampa Bay @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. CT
Thursday, April 18 Carolina @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. CT
Monday, April 22 Winnipeg @ Buffalo 6 p.m. CT
Tuesday, April 23 Winnipeg @ Washington 6 p.m. CT
Thursday, April 25 Montreal @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. CT
2013 NHL on TSN Schedule
1st overall pick Nail Yakupov will make his home debut when the Oilers host San Jose on January 22 on TSN
Alright; here it is. If you’re like me you’ve waited for the NHL broadcast schedules for the past seven days while the CBA went through the ratification process. Even crazier than the time playoff TV schedules used to come out is the NHL on TSN schedule coming out just before midnight on a Saturday night.
TSN will broadcast 42 games featuring Canadian teams this season (NBC simulcasts will be announced later this week). Coverage includes four all-Canadian matchups and five Original Six matchups. The Leafs lead the way with ten broadcasts, while the Canadiens have nine. The Jets have three, while the other four Canadians teams have six a piece. The Kings and Penguins appear the most among American teams, with four games each.
TSN’s broadcast team remains unchanged from last season. Gord Miller and Chris Cuthbert return to the broadcast booth, while Mike Johnson and Ray Ferraro return between the benches. TSN’s studio show features James Duthie, Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger, Aaron Ward and Pierre Lebrun, if you haven’t already figured that out during the constant NHL on TSN studio specials during the past week.
Also of note, the 2013 NHL Draft will take place on Sunday June 30, with all seven rounds on the same day. It will start in the afternoon. If over a million people watch a hockey draft on a summer Sunday afternoon…
Here is the 2013 NHL on TSN broadcast schedule in PDF format, because I don’t have time to type it out. And here is TSN’s full press release, for those interested.
2013 Australian Open begins Sunday on TSN
Despite being played during the overnight hours (mostly for east coast viewers), the Australian Open — the first tennis grand slam of the year — can bring about some memorable moments and matches that are worth staying up for, as well as a reminder of what it’s like to have bright, hot sunshine ten hours a day.
Last year saw Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal play in the longest grand slam final in history, finishing in just under six hours, with Djokovic coming out on top. Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova to win her first grand slam title, though I’ll have to take Wikipedia’s word on that one, as I’ve had a long standing arrangement with myself not to watch any women’s matches until the ridiculous grunting is either done away with or punished to some extent. It didn’t used to be like this people!!
TSN, being the exclusive home of grand slam tennis in Canada, will bring viewers all the sweaty and grunt-filled action from Melbourne Park over the next two weeks, with the first ball toss coming tomorrow (Sunday) night on TSN2, with over eight hours of coverage on day one, and 110 hours in total (plus encore broadcasts during the day), culminating with the women’s final at 3am on January 26, and the men’s final the following morning.
RDS and RDS2 will have French-language broadcasts covered, and TSN.ca will stream select multi-court coverage throughout the tournament.
For fans of Ontario native Milos Raonic — who is ranked as the 14th seed — TSN or TSN2 will broadcast each one of his games, as long as the game is on a televised court. For those of you playing at home, those courts would be Rod Laver, Hisense, Margaret Court, and courts 2, 3, 6 and 8 (unless it has changed from last year).
As usual, TSN will be taking coverage from ESPN, so expect to see all the regular faces such as Darren Cahill, Chris Evert, Mary Joe Fernandez, Brad Gilbert, Patrick McEnroe and Pam Shriver.
The full television schedule is below.
100th CFL Grey Cup on TSN
The Toronto Argonauts will play against the Calgary Stampeders from the Rogers Centre in Toronto, in the 100th edition of the CFL Grey Cup tonight at 6:30pm on TSN.
TSN will have nearly ten hours of television coverage today including:
1 p.m. ET — Grey Cup Pre-game
6 p.m. ET — Countdown to Kickoff
6:30 p.m. ET — The 100th CFL Grey Cup
10 p.m. ET — Grey Cup Post-game
Coverage of the big game can be heard across the country on TSN’s radio network beginning at 4 p.m. ET, live on tsn.ca, and seen on TSN Mobile TV. French coverage will begin on RDS at 5 p.m. ET.
Chris Cuthbert and Glen Suitor will be calling the action for those watching on TV; Dave Randorf and Brian Williams along with the CFL on TSN panel will be hosting the many hours of pre-game; on TSN Radio Toronto, Mike Hogan and Sandy Annunziata will have the call, with Rod Black and Duane Ford handling the duties on TSN stations in Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, and Winnipeg.
Pre-game entertainment will feature a performance from Johnny Reid, and the national anthem by Burton Cummings. The half-time show will feature the vocal stylings of Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen, Marianas Trench, and Gordon Lightfoot.
New this year, “Field Access” will be available online at tsn.ca/fieldaccess where viewers can watch alternate angles and coverage of pre-game warm-ups, as well as the main event. It will also feature a live chat beginning during pre-game and continuing throughout the match.
CFL by the numbers, following the jump…
Read the rest of this entry »
TSN and Sportsnet Win 2013-16 Premiership Rights in Canada
The new broadcast contracts with Bell and Rogers will ensure that Canadians will be able to see Canadian stars, such as Norwich’s Simeon Jackson, in the Premier League through 2016.
The Barclays Premier League announced a new rights deal for Canada this afternoon. TSN and Sportsnet, the current broadcasters of England’s top domestic football league, will continue to broadcast all games to Canadians. The biggest difference in the new contract is TSN and Sportsnet will each get 50% of the matches. Over the past three years Sportsnet has broadcast most matches, with TSN sub-licensing around 50 per season.
In the new deals the Premiership has sold two seperate 190 match packages. Rogers bought one, which will see 190 games air on Sportsnet, Sportsnet World, Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet World Plus. TSN bought the other package, with matches set to air on TSN, TSN2, RDS and RDS2. It is unclear at this time just how TSN and Sportsnet will divide the 380 matches. However, both Rogers and Bell will get equal selections based on timeslots and/or matchups.
The Canadian announcement comes a day after NBCUniversal revealed that they have picked up American broadcast rights beginning next fall. The new US deal sees an end to ESPN’s Premiership broadcasts, which have set the gold standard for soccer broadcasting in North America. NBC will broadcast all 380 league matches per season, marking the first time every game is shown live in America.
Steaming will play an important role in the new broadcast contracts. NBC will use online streaming service to offer around four Saturday 10am eastern kickoffs per week. TSN also has stated that TSN.ca is part of the plan to deliver games to Canadians. Sportsnet World’s streaming service and mobile TV platforms for both Bell and Rogers will also play a role. This really is the first time that online rights have been considered an essential, valuable part of a Premiership broadcast contract. In the past they were just an afterthought.
Here is a quote from Navaid Mansuri, Vice-President of Finance & Sports Programming, Sportsnet.
Sportsnet is proud to continue our strong partnership with the Premiere League, furthering our commitment to providing Canadians with unparalleled access to world class soccer content. The BPL is one of the world’s most prominent soccer leagues and this new agreement has positioned Sportsnet to continue our already unprecedented schedule of soccer programming across multiple platforms in the years to come.
And Shawn Redmond, Vice-President of Programming, TSN.
The Premier League is home to the world’s most popular teams and biggest stars in soccer. With a dedicated and growing fan base in Canada we are looking forward to giving fans even more Premier League coverage with more games on TSN than ever before. The BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE package is a perfect complement to our slate of world-class soccer programming.
It is also unclear if beIN Sport, which doesn’t yet have distribution in the Canadian market, launched a serious bid for the Canadian rights. beIN Sport, owned by Qatar Media, was expected to challenge the status quo in the British and American markets as well. As it turns out, their bids fizzled towards the end in both of those markets. New broadcasters did take over Premiership broadcasting, but it was British Telecom and NBC, not beIN Sport.
This deal is probably about as good as this was going to turn out for Canadians. Between TSN, TSN2, Sportsnet, Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet World, it is possible to broadcast up to five games live at one time. The Premier League will use the following timeslots for matches over the next three seasons (all times Eastern and number of matches is approximate)
Saturday 7:45am – 28-30 matches
Saturday 10:00am – ~190 matches
Saturday 12:30pm – 28-30 matches
Sunday 8:30am – 32 matches
Sunday 11:00am – 33 matches
Monday 3:00pm – 18-20 matches
Usually a Premier League season consists 33 weekend rounds and 7 holiday/midweek rounds. The 33 weekend rounds will see around 140 matches played in unique timeslots. The other 190 matches played on the weekend will be on Saturday at 10:00am or Sunday at 10:00am (when a team plays in the Europa League the Thursday before).
Weekday rounds will account for the other 7 rounds, with a total of 70 matches. 12 of these matches are slated for television in the UK. Usually (when it’s not a holiday), the matches are split between Tuesday and Wednesday with consistant start times.
2012 NBA on TSN Schedule
TSN beat Sportsnet in the NBA schedule press release race by 3 minutes, so here is there Raps/NBA press release first. The initial schedule has 47 Raptors games and 53 additional NBA games on TSN and TSN2. I’d assume the schedule is a bit subject to change with the NHL season in flux.
The NBA brings its talents to TSN and TSN2, as the networks once again post up as the official broadcaster of the Toronto Raptors and the NBA in Canada with a 100-game package featuring 47 Raptors match-ups. Throughout the 2012-13 season, TSN and TSN2 will also deliver a total of 53 NBA games to fans featuring U.S.-based teams.
In addition to the regular season broadcast schedule, TSN and TSN2 have live coverage of NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND and the NBA PLAYOFFS, as well as exclusive Canadian coverage of the NBA FINALS.
TSN tips off the NBA season with the Toronto Raptors’ home opener against the Indiana Pacers on October 31 at 7 p.m. ET on TSN. In total, TSN and TSN2 have more Toronto Raptors games than any other broadcaster, with 24 games on TSN and 23 games on TSN2.
Highlights from the NBA ON TSN schedule include:
· 15 games featuring reigning NBA champion Miami Heat, including all three match-ups between Toronto-Miami
· 13 games featuring the stacked L.A. Lakers, including all games against the RaptorsCalling all Raptors games is the dynamic duo of Matt Devlin and TSN Basketball Insider Jack “The Coach” Armstrong, while TSN’s Rod Black hosts coverage alongside analyst Leo Rautins in the TSN Studio and on-site at the Air Canada Centre.
Continue after the break for the full schedule
TSN to Re-broadcast 1987 Canada Cup Final Series
Lemieux and Gretzky celebrate the famous goal in the ’87 Canada Cup Final.
Those, like myself, who aren’t old enough to have lived the 1987 Canada Cup will get a second chance to see the series that many have dubbed the greatest hockey ever played. Those who were lucky enough to see it live will get a second chance. TSN is re-broadcasting each game of the 1987 Canada Cup Final between Canada and the Soviet Union this week.
Each broadcast will air in a three hour window, from 7:30pm until 10:30pm Eastern. Game 1 airs on Tuesday, September 11; Game 2 on Wednesday, September 12 and Game 3 on Thursday, September 14. For those who don’t know the results, I won’t spoil them. Game 1 was played at the Montreal Forum, with the 2nd and 3rd games at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton.
Both teams were lined with stars. Canada included Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Doug Gilmour, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey and Grant Fuhr. The Soviet team included future NHL stars (Soviets didn’t play in the NHL at the time) such as Viacheslav Fetisov, Igor Kravchuk, Igor Larionov, Valeri Kamensky, Sergei Makarov, Anatoli Semenov and Vladimir Krutov.
The games were originally broadcast on CTV with commentators Dan Kelly and Ron Reusch. Of note, Kelly died only two years later due to lung cancer. He is considered one of the greatest hockey commentators in history. TSN will supplant CTV’s original coverage with their own studio segments hosted by Mike Johnson. Mike Keenan (Canadian head coach), Larry Murphy (Canadian player) and Igor Larionov (Soviet player) will join Johnson in studio for analysis.
The coverage will be shown in re-mastered 4:3, it’s original picture format. TSN will also add a scorebug to their coverage.
2012 Wimbledon Final is the Most Watched Ever in Canada
A general complaint from fans when a sports event moves from free television to a speciality channel is that it won’t attract as many viewers. Once again the theory was proved wrong as the 2012 Wimbledon men’s championship match between Roger Federer and Andy Murray was the most watched ever in Canada. This is the first year the championship match at Wimbledon has aired on TSN. In the past Global broadcast it. Overall Wimbledon ratings are up 16% over last year.
Here is TSN’s press release.
An historic WIMBLEDON final delivers an historic audience. Overnight audience data from BBM Canada confirms a record average audience of 515,000 viewers tuned in to TSN to see Roger Federer win his seventh WIMBLEDON Gentlemen’s Championship with a riveting victory over Scotland’s Andy Murray yesterday.
This is the most-watched WIMBLEDON final ever on Canadian television – up 16% compared to the previous high set during the 2008 final (445,000 viewers on Global/NBC)*.
Overall, more 2.9 million Canadians tuned in to watch some or all of the WIMBLEDON Gentlemen’s Championship on TSN on Sunday.
Full coverage of the WIMBLEDON championship on TSN and TSN2 this year was up 16% compared to last year’s coverage on TSN, TSN2 and Global/NBC.
This was the first time TSN has delivered complete coverage of the WIMBLEDON final weekend. Last year the network reached an extensive multimedia rights agreement with the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet club for exclusive live coverage of all rounds of the WIMBLEDON Championships for the next 10 years.
TSN’s extensive coverage of all of tennis’ Grand Slam events continues with the 2012 U.S. OPEN beginning August 27.
2012 CFL Season Kicks of Tonight on TSN
Same old graphics and a few new features. That sums up the first 90 minutes of TSN’s first CFL broadcast in 2012. Here is their press release with all the details of their coverage this season.
From Canada Day weekend to the 100th Grey Cup, it’s a season like no other and TSN is there every step of the way delivering end-to-end coverage of the 2012 CFL season with its CFL ON TSN broadcast campaign.
TSN’s complete 77-game package is part of the network’s exclusive multi-year deal with the CFL, and includes the playoffs and this season’s historic event: the 100th GREY CUP from Toronto. All games are available live on TSN Mobile TV and on-demand at TSN.ca.
Regular season coverage gets underway on RONA Canada Day Kickoff weekend – June 29-July 1 – with four games.
On Friday, June 29, WENDY’S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL features opening night doubleheader action. In the first game, the Saskatchewan Roughriders travel to Ivor Wynne Stadium to take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 7 p.m. ET, marking the first time that Ticats receiver Andy Fantuz faces off against his former team. Immediately following the match-up, the CFL ON TSN heads to B.C. Place for a rematch of last year’s GREY CUP final, as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers take on the B.C. Lions at 10 p.m. ET.
This year marks the 15th season that TSN brings the WENDY’S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL brand to fans on an evening that has become destination viewing for the CFL with at least one game throughout the regular season. Making its debut this season is a new WENDY’S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL opening animation and theme song performed by Brockville, ON native Janey Brown.
On Saturday, June 30, the Toronto Argonauts take on the Edmonton Eskimos at 7 p.m. ET, as Argos quarterback Ricky Ray makes his first appearance at Commonwealth Stadium since being traded to Toronto in the off season.
Finally, on Canada Day (July 1), fireworks are expected on the field when Anthony Calvillo and the Montreal Alouettes travel to McMahon Stadium to battle the Calgary Stampeders – led by quarterback Drew Tate – at 7 p.m. ET.
Also premiering on the CFL ON TSN on Canada Day is a new CFL-produced video, “It Reflects Us All,” underlining the league’s theme for this season. The video is narrated by Kiefer Sutherland.
The CFL ON TSN studio panel starts the season in Hamilton with host Dave Randorf alongside analysts Chris Schultz, Matt Dunigan and Jock Climie on location at Ivor Wynne Stadium. CFL ON TSN analyst Milt Stegall is at B.C. Place in Vancouver as Lions slotback Geroy Simon looks to break the all-time CFL receiving record, which is currently held by Stegall.
Along with every game, TSN brings fans closer to the CFL with all-encompassing coverage on all of its key platforms and properties including TSN Radio and TSN.ca. Key properties such as SPORTSCENTRE has coverage of the CFL all season long, with Canada’s #1 sports news program featuring news, highlights and interviews, plus the CFL ON TSN panel breaking down games and handing out game balls to the league’s standout players each week.
A 3 Downs quiz segment makes its debut this season featuring the CFL ON TSN panel delivering definitive opinions on a variety of topics and issues surrounding the league – all through a fun and interactive multiple-choice quiz format.
The CFL ON TSN also has its finger on the pulse of everything going on socially with the CFL, as this year’s broadcasts feature a new segment called Social CFL with social media correspondent Kate McKenna. Throughout the season, fans can join the conversation on TSN’s Fan Page for Facebook and on Twitter by following the CFL ON TSN on-air personalities and using the hashtags #TSN and #CFL.
Also new this season is the network’s highly-anticipated documentary series, ENGRAVED ON A NATION: STORIES OF THE GREY CUP, THE CFL AND CANADA. Premiering in the fall and commissioned by Bell Media, ENGRAVED ON A NATION salutes the 100th GREY CUP with eight original documentaries that celebrate Canada’s game and the trophy’s place in Canadian history.
The CFL ON TSN is proving to be one of the most sought-after properties for advertisers in Canada. Major sponsors of the 2012 CFL ON TSN broadcast campaign include General Motors, Mr. Lube, Nissan, Purolator, Safeway, Scotiabank, Rona and Wendy’s.
TSN has been televising CFL games since 1986.
Broadcast Schedule
TSN is the official broadcaster of the CFL with every regular season game (72), along with the four divisional playoff match-ups and the GREY CUP (see attached PDF or visit TSN.ca for complete broadcast schedule). Live coverage of all Toronto Argonauts and B.C. Lions games – along with pre- and post-game shows – is also available on TSN Radio in Toronto (AM 1050) and Team 1410 in Vancouver.
Additional highlights of the CFL ON TSN broadcast schedule include:
· Traditional match-ups during Scotiabank Labour Day Weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 3) and four games on Thanksgiving Weekend (Oct. 5-8)
· The final regular season game played at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton on October 27 with the Tiger-Cats taking on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
· The Canadian Football Hall of Fame Weekend in Winnipeg (Nov. 1-3) as Stegall is among the CFL players and builders being inducted in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
TSN’s extensive lineup of live game action and programming is supported by an integrated multi-platform CFL ON TSN marketing campaign, which includes an original 30-second promotional TV spot featuring TSN’s football experts and marquee players, along with national radio spots on TSN Radio and Bell Media radio stations, promotion across TSN.ca and the Bell Media network of digital sites, and social media presence through Twitter and TSN’s Fan Page on Facebook.
Broadcast Team
The CFL ON TSN returns to the gridiron with its broadcast team delivering every pass, punt and two-point conversion to Canadian football fans each week.
Chris Cuthbert returns as the primary voice of TSN’s CFL coverage alongside long time game analyst Glen Suitor. TSN’s Rod Black and Duane Forde are also back in the broadcast booth providing fans with play-by-play commentary and game analysis.
Brian Williams and TSN Football Insider Dave Naylor bring fans in-depth features and interviews with key newsmakers on the CFL ON TSN. Naylor will also break down the hot button issues impacting the league during his regular appearances on all of TSN’s platforms throughout the season.
Back in studio is the CFL ON TSN panel, with host Randorf, alongside the always informative – and entertaining – analysts Schultz, Hall-of-Famer Dunigan, Climie, and Stegall. Also making appearances in studio this season is former Winnipeg Blue Bombers lineman Doug Brown.
