Tuesday, February 18, 2014

12 More Years Of Sportsnet

So this happened today:

Sportsnet today announced it has reached a 12-year partnership extension with the Canadian Hockey League through the 2025-26 CHL season, continuing its tradition as the exclusive broadcaster of the CHL and MasterCard Memorial Cup in Canada. 
The new agreement, which begins with the 2014/15 season, features a comprehensive suite of multimedia rights including television, online and mobile, delivering more than 50 CHL games each year, including CHL playoff games and the Memorial Cup. 
Sportsnet has been broadcasting CHL games since the network’s inception in 1998.
…
In addition, Sportsnet today announced a 12-year sub-licensing agreement with TVA Sports for exclusive French-language multiplatform rights for CHL games, beginning with the 2014/15 season.

Yeah. I’d like to say this sounds great but it’s pretty much what we are getting now. The 50 games includes playoff and Memorial Cup games.
Sportsnet’s online content with Patrick King and Sam Cosentino is solid and the team of RJ Broadhead and Cosentino on the TV side are good as well. But it’s not fantastic from there. The people watching these broadcasts are hardcore junior hockey fans and it would be great if they could add some analysts who were hardcore junior hockey watchers as well.

Sportsnet did pick up the NHL Draft rights in their massive NHL rights deal so maybe they’ll add some more prospect people. And speaking of that NHL rights deal, you have to think the CHL may get even less air time – in terms of highlights, news stories, and other things - on Sportsnet now. Ugh.

I really thought we were going to see TSN snag the CHL rights but Rogers seems to have an unlimited amount of money. The dream of the TSN hype machine taking over the CHL is dead.

Maybe this new deal will be awesome. But I think we’ll see more of the same (hello, London Knights!). Prove me wrong, Sportsnet.
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