I was afraid this second rate sports network to TSN might actually go after the CFL. That would be a disaster if they won the rights because they are second rate IMHO. I don't need the extra bidding war money at the expense this outfit could have won the rights.
This is a great news story for the league I say. :thup:
One of the reasons why NHL rights are worth so much is that so many different entities in Canada want them. Competition boosts value.
Even if Sportsnet wouldn't have gotten the rights, having some interest would force TSN to be more serious about it. If they're the only player they can pay less.
I agree, but sportnet is the regional partner for some canadian NHL teams (Canucks, Oilers, Flames, Sens and a small package with the Leafs). In reality there’s only two entities who bid for NHL national rights (CBC and TSN) which is the same case the CFL will be presented with in a couple years.
CBC badly wants to get games and TSN realizes that the CFL is its most valuable property. They will throw big money to make sure they keep it. No need for sportsnet…
I don't think there's much of a worry of the CFL getting away from TSN. The CFL knows TSN is the most professional, wide reaching sports network in Canada, and Sportscentre has been a huge boon to the league. Conversely, TSN knows that CFL football draws in much better numbers then baseball and MLS soccer for the summer, and a big boom in November where no sport is really competing too much with the CFL post season.
Frankly, i know nothing about Sportsnet. I dont watch baseball which apparantly is what they cover. So small time player. TSN is pushing the Jets here in Sasky, to grow a market which they will profit upon. Really Sasky is all about Football, so sorry Sportsnet, you just dont matter.
just remember who owns them. the “owners of the Blue Jays and their stadium” Rogers.
They won’t sell the rights to THEIR team to another network nor will they let the Jays play second fiddle to anything. Rogers couldn’t care less about the CFL because he OWNS the product he wants to put ahead of it.
TSN does need competition. The last couple of years they’ve been slipping. If they had to worry about fighting for renewal rights they might put a little more effort into the broadcasts. That said I’m still relieved that Sportsnet isn’t going after it. They’re a poor excuse for a Canadian sports network and know nothing about football.
Weird. Maybe it's a regional thing, but I get most of my Leos news (other than newspapers/online) from Sportsnet Pacific. Great nightly segments with host Don Taylor - mostly top billing ahead of the Jays. They also have live in-studio appearances during the week with Brent Johnson and radio colour analyst Giulio Caravatta.
I also watch weekly "CFL Highlights Of The Week" segments on Sportsnet (they show top plays with the radio call that accompanies it - awesome!) as well as the occasional Arash Madani or Adriano Belli feature - so I'd hardly say the CFL is ignored! :?
If there was any chance Sportsnet could get the national package, they’d go for it in a heartbeat. The only reason they didn’t before is because they didn’t have a national network (which they do now) and that it’s so expensive.
CBC badly wants to get games and TSN realizes that the CFL is its most valuable property. They will throw big money to make sure they keep it. No need for sportsnet..
Agree Tridus and at this point, it would be difficult for them to match TSN and what they've done with FNF and that. Better for them to bow out gracefully and admit it's a no go for them.
The fact TSN currently have a bargain deal with the CFL and yet their best ratings are actually for their CFL package, not the NHL package. They get far more “bang for their buck” with the CFL than anything else.
As for CBC they have nothing now since they didn’t re-new soccer. Only track and swimming in the summer and Hockey Night in Canada in the fall/winter. It’s well known that CBC would like a crack at the CFL
That TSN has a bargain deal now doesn’t mean they won’t want a bargain deal later. Ratings aren’t everything when it comes to the price of a property. The NHL in Canada is a prestige piece. It draws attention, viewers, and a ton of highly valuable advertisers (significantly more so then the CFL). Everybody wants a slice, and that drives the price up. There’s also a lot more games over a much longer period of time, plus the extra stuff like trade day and draft day that TSN owns.
As for CBC… that doesn’t mean they want to take over the entire CFL schedule, and it seems unlikely TSN would go back to a partial one after having the whole pie for a while. If CBC loses HNIC in the next NHL contract its likely they get out of sports entirely.
I am not so sure that Sportsnet will not make an offer as this is mere posturing since we are still a ways off before the contract ends.
What network would not want a piece of the second most popoular TV property and ver close behind the NHL.
Ultimately, most of us agree how the CFL needs to stay with TSN, but the price has to be rights at approximately $50M annually.
You always bring up this 50m number… but i cant figure out where get this number from? Sportsnet said that they dont want it, and i believe it. they dont have much room the schedual for it. they do however bring in Brian chu from the als and adriano belli from the argos to do after thoughts. as well, arash madani is now the sportnet CFL “insider” seems they are comfortable with the place they are in.
Perhaps by saying now they are not interested, for arguments sake, they are hoping the value drops a hair if they are not in the competition… then sneak in at the last minute and up the anti. im sure if they bought the arogos like they did the jays, they would want qa peice, if nothing else, to show all the argo games. but they will never do that.
sportnet has terrible sports coverage as far as play by play goes. third rate.
The score shows university ball from the east. i would like ot see more of this on the other networks. gets us knowing some players before they are drafted. but more west games.
I’d like to know that too. It seems like fan wishful thinking given that it’s more then triple the current contract. You guys really think TSN is going to pay over triple what they’re paying now?
You have to track the numbers and contracts to get some basic knowlege.
For example, TSN has just renewed with the NHL for the annual contract north of $70M annually and would you be surprised like most Canadians that the average NHL viewership is below the TSN CFL viewership?
Unlike me, most Canandians feel this is not a fair comparison.
Why not?
In the summer months when the CFL plays most of their games, the TV audience is less because of the nature of the beast. Vacation time and most people gravitate outside and do not watch as much as the winter.
Yet the CFL numbers are greater.
So I am not saying "apple for apple", all right take a little else and do the $50M per year.
There are more games with the CFL and this number will grow with Ottawa and hopefully a 10th team.
Plus on top of this, the GC is the highest rated viewed sporting event, save and except the Olympic hockey men's Final.
You have to look at more then contracts and numbers to get some advanced knowledge.
The CFL provides TSN with content ~22 weeks of the year. The NHL provides TSN with games from October until May, which is a lot more games. The NHL is worth a half hour every weekday on TSN (That's Hockey) even in the summer. The NHL gives TSN the draft, and they also get a big show out of trade day. OTR in the winter is pretty much all hockey, all the time (and doesn't run for half the summer).
Oh, and the NHL attracts bigger sponsors willing to pay more. You see the beer companies tripping over themselves to sponsor the CFL on TSN the way they do Hockey Night in Canada (for that matter, Molson Canadian Leafs Hockey on TSN)?
That's the reality of the situation. Air Canada, Molson, Labatt, and a whole slew of car companies are willing to spend top dollar for national NHL advertising time. They're not willing to do that to the same degree with the CFL. Until that changes, the CFL won't get NHL money.
And even if you discount all that, the idea that the contract is going to more then triple without more competition then previously existed showing up is ludicrous. Stuff doesn't work that way in the real world. CBC's fee for Hockey Night in Canada almost doubled last time around because they feared CTV/TSN was going to nab the whole thing and it's CBC's cash cow so they couldn't afford to lose it. The same pressure doesn't exist on TSN for the CFL.
