If you listen to certain people they'll have you believe that we have too much sport from abroad already on TSN/SN. :)

DAZN offers good international options during non-Pandemic times, and most eSports are available on Twitch.

"Abroad" and "American" are very different for some folks.

Are there actually any sports taking place in the USA right now to show?

NASCAR and golf seem determined to start up soon.

I'll take 'em. But I'd settle for some Taiwanese baseball right now too.

Let us know what you think of the cardboard cutout fans and the robots on the concourses. :tup:

A lot of polling done by Angus Reid on the status of professional sports in Canada and their return during COVID:

http://angusreid.org/covid19-sports-empty-arenas/

Couple visuals:

https://i1.wp.com/angusreid.org/wp-c...ge-1.png?w=852

https://i2.wp.com/angusreid.org/wp-c...ge-3.png?w=904

https://i0.wp.com/angusreid.org/wp-c...ge-6.png?w=960

https://i0.wp.com/angusreid.org/wp-c...ati.png?w=1021

Indeed. Should we delve into that further? Most of us have some time on our hands!

Except for the NHL it seems that our Sports Networks target demographic has wholly bought into everything produced by the Excited States when it comes to sport.
And no I do not consider NBA and MLB Canadian sports entities at all, just the most recent evolution of the American Branch Plant mentality that has handcuffed this nation since confederation.

To be clear, I think what Canadian sports networks should show is sports (how revolutionary). If there aren't any Canadian sports to show, then look abroad. The US is fine, but the problem with that is that there aren't any sports that are taking place as yet, at least to my knowledge.

I know it takes some time to get broadcasting deals done and what not, but I'd be happy with Korean soccer and Taiwanese baseball. Even if I wouldn't watch it obsessively at least I'd feel like I was getting something for my cable fees.

That's the simple answer, anyway.

Where it gets complicated is with "If there aren't any Canadian sports to show, then look abroad. The US is fine".

Typically in normal times Canadian sports networks don't necessarily prioritize Canadian programming so that statement is not based in reality.

Which in itself is actually OK in specific cases. I don't have an issue with them making a big deal about the Super Bowl or the NCAA basketball final game, over a CHL game between Bathurst and Shawinigan.

The issue is more with how Canadian sports properties get treated on a more general everyday level, compared to run-of-the-mill U.S. sports properties. The latter receiving top-level "domestic" billing and coverage far too often from TSN and SN.

I am reminded for some reason of the one time I was with visitors from abroad and went to my local video store in Eastern Ontario looking for a Canadian movie.

When I asked the clerk for it by title (which included the name of a Canadian city BTW), he at first appeared puzzled, then became dismissive and brushed us off by saying "If we have, it'd be in the foreign section!"

As much as I agree with you I think the work it would take to get something like Korean soccer or Taiwanese baseball onto TSN or SN wouldn't be worth it...the number of people tuning in would definitely be less than your standard Leafs Lunch or Americans Yelling At Each Other programs. I just don't see Asian sports properties being worth the ROI for either network for any period of time. I also don't think either network is flexible or quick enough to pick up and drop properties as they please. It could be possible for them to pick up the properties for their streaming platforms which would certainly have better ROI, but in the long-term the number of Canadians signing up for TSN streaming to watch K-League soccer is probably very, very low. We're talking about networks that lost Champions League and the EPL to DAZN - they're not going for Korean soccer. :haha:

It's part of the reason why OneSoccer was able to snatch up Mexican and Chinese soccer rights so easily in Canada - there was simply no interest in them from TSN/SN. IIRC DAZN has the rights for soccer in Japan, France, and Spain, on top of the OneSoccer offerings. I think the Bundesliga, which is returning next Friday, is trapped in endless purgatory on Sportsnet World.

I'm curious where big-tent sports networks go from here, in the age of customizing one's content.

Do they remain relevant in an age where one can just cut out the middleman and get exactly what they want? Or do they wither like network TV in the age of Netflix?

Or is their variety what saves them? You get hockey/curling in the winter and baseball in the summer, with a slice of World Cup every 4 years. Pay one cost instead of a dozen subscriptions nibbling things away.

It'll be interesting, but I don't think it portends well for smaller Canadian sports who rely on this sort of access. Kind of like how the shift to streaming hasn't exactly led to a bloom in Canadian shows - without the demand for content by Canadian networks as per Can-con, does something like Corner Gas arise again? Does the ultimate globalization of streaming kill the last vestiges of Canadiana? (excepting Quebec)

You are probably right in that it may not be worth the time and effort of the networks to chase those Asian sports, but on the other hand things do happen quickly when circumstances change. There are always one-off events that spring up during labour disputes (I vaguely recall the Gretzky's All Stars thing during the, what was it, 1995 NHL lockout?) and those have been put together and put on TV quite quickly. I realize Korean soccer wouldn't have much lasting appeal beyond covid, but I'm sure there would be some people watching while it's the only game in town. I'd probably watch a game or two out of sheer curiosity. It's not like the Korean league would charge an arm and a leg for the rights.

Part of the issue with streaming is that so many of the services are hot garbage and expensive to boot. Sometimes Manitoba Moose games are streamed for free on AHL TV and it is crap... there's no way I'd be paying the sticker price for that, it's something like 80 or 100 USD a season. The WHL's streaming service is even lower quality. If I have to fork out a bunch of money and then screw around with my phone and a Chromecast box just to make it work then it should at least be good, but it isn't.

I think network sports as we know them are on the decline. Where possible, leagues and sports are generating their own streaming and video platforms and, as you said, are cutting out the network middleman entirely. CPL has done this in Canada and Formula 1 has done it internationally. Why beg networks to make content when you can do it on your own and have complete control over it? I'd rather give F1 my money directly than pay TSN to give me abbreviated coverage.

The costs for network sports channels are still out of whack since they're tied to cable, phone, internet, etc. I can pay sub fees for DAZN and OS and get a decent amount of the sports I want to watch at a fraction of the price. I don't see the value in paying for TSN unless I want to additionally watch NCAA, half of Raptors games, and maybe some non-blacked out NHL games. Additionally, it seems kind of silly to pay for TSN monthly if I want to watch the World Juniors or World Cup once a year.

I understand what you're saying but my understanding is that Schitt's Creek, as one example, was one of the most popular Canadian shows of recent memory, both north and south of the border, and a lot of that was due to streaming and online availability. Perhaps i'm just in a bubble but the show seemed to get a lot of traction online. Having shows like that or Kim's Convenience available on streaming services is just an added bonus. Allowing Canadian content to go out on Netflix or Prime for an international audience is certainly better than in the past.

Right, but these are sort of made-for-TV events to fill time and maybe raise money. COVID sort of destroys any potential for these sort of events outside of streamed and virtual events. Picking up K-League is more of a time fill and less of a money-maker, unless LG or Samsung want to pick up all of the commercial spots and pay TSN hand over fist for them. :haha:

You're right, but i'm still fairly certain more Canadians would watch reruns of SportsCentre or Top 50 shows at 3AM than watch K-League. I just don't see the upswing for the time and effort needed on TSN's part. It says a lot when TSN would rather show Canada hockey games from the 70s and 80s than attempt to show live sports.

Your remarks remind of me how well eNASCAR is doing south of the border during these times. Probably proportionally better than actual NASCAR once expenses are taken into account. :haha:

Yeah, you're right. Clearly TSN is better off showing its endless series of Top 50 shows and WJHC games from the last 15 years than Asian soccer or football, otherwise they'd be showing the latter. I'm just surprised that's the case...

I guess TSN is no different than the other cable channels where cheap content reigns supreme... it explains why lowbrow reality shows dominate on so many of them.

Sportsnet will be airing Bundesliga on its main channel this weekend. SN, SN1, SNW, and SNNOW.

Yipee my dad being from Hamburg I cheer for them but Hamburg has been terrible club for quite some time now but its better than nothing.

Chris Cuthbert has jumped from TSN to Rogers

Wow that comes as a surprise....Big loss for the CFL on TSN, but an excellent addition to Rogers NHL coverage. He needs to be instantly promoted to the #1 team to replace Hughson. How many years are left on the NHL Rogers deal? 5/6? Maybe its his last stint and plans on retiring after then anyway, who know what he would call if they lose the rights at the end of the deal.

The Rogers-NHL deal runs until the end of the 2025-2026 season.

Rogers paid $5.2 billion over 12 years and I have heard they have not made money on any season so far. A big reason being the Canadian teams suck so much especially during the playoffs.

Oh, so maybe Canadian teams sucking is just a means to stick it to Rogers. In which case, bravo Canadian teams!

He was just interviewed on Tim and Sid on Sportsnet and said pretty much what you did. He looked at the years left on the broadcast deal, looked at his age, did the math and decided if he wanted to do this job again, he better look at it now.

Hamburg currently plays in the 2nd division, so your dad might be disappointed. :haha:

I wonder if there will be a 2021 CFL draft because of this ?

I get Ontario and Quebec shutting thngs down, but given the varying covid situations across the country I wonder if Canada West and the the Atlantic conferences are a bit premature in shutting the door on their seasons?

Commissioners of NBA, NHL, MLB, Major League Soccer and CFL urge government to legalize single-game betting
The NBA, NHL, MLB, Major League Soccer and CFL commissioners have sent a joint statement to the Canadian government urging ‘prompt action’ to allow single-event sports betting
Dave Waddell Windsor Star June 12, 2020

The commissioners of the five professional sports leagues operating in Canada have sent a joint statement to the federal government urging ‘prompt action’ to allow single-event sports betting.

Signing the June 8 statement were the NBA’s Adam Silver, NHL’s Gary Bettman, MLB’s Rob Manfred, Major League Soccer’s Don Garber and the CFL’s Randy Ambrosie.

“The National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, and the Canadian Football League support an amendment to Canada’s federal laws that would authorize provinces to offer betting on single sporting events,” the statement said.

“Sports betting gives fans another exciting way to engage with the sports they love. Because a legal and regulated sports betting market in Canada would be beneficial to sports and their fans, we urge prompt action to make this a reality.

“Sports betting already happens illegally in Canada; creating a legal framework would shift consumers from illicit, unregulated markets to a legal and safe marketplace. Regulating single-game betting would allow for strong consumer protections as well as safeguards to further protect the integrity of sports.”

Copies of the statement were sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Attorney General of Canada and Justice Minister Dave Lametti. Ontario Premier Doug Ford and other key government leaders have also received copies from their federal counterparts.

“It’s an amazing coming together over a long period of time that shouldn’t go unnoticed by the prime minister and those interested in ending fraudulent gaming,” said Windsor West NDP MP Brian Masse, who has waged a near decade-long campaign to legalize single-event sports betting.

“It’s a vindication of what needed to be done a decade ago. It shows Canada is now an outlier in regards to single-event sports betting.”

Masse has teamed with Conservative MP Kevin Waugh (Saskatoon-Grasswood ) to reintroduce a bill after Masse’s private members bill died at the cabinet level last year. The current version has had its first reading.

“This doesn’t need to go through the normal private members’ bill process,” Waugh said.

“The government can do this with an order of council like they did with the new gun control laws a month ago.

“We’ll be putting pressure on the government to get this done before Parliament finishes June 17.”

Masse and Waugh spent part of Thursday drafting a letter to send to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging the government to move quickly on the leagues’ request.

Waugh feels the pro leagues are acting now with such urgency before sports resumes to try to keep dollars from draining away.

“That ticket money is going to go somewhere,” Waugh said. “They need this more than ever.

“To get all five of them to sign that piece of paper is amazing.”

Unifor Local 444 president Dave Cassidy said the Liberal government no longer has any reason not to legalize single-event betting with the sports leagues onside.

“Sports are going to happen this summer, but without fans,” said Cassidy, whose local represents workers at Caesars Windsor casino. “This will create new streams of revenue for the leagues.

“It’ll create a different way for fans to connect to sports they can’t attend. The leagues need people to be watching these games on TV, their phones.

“I think that has a big part in the timing of this.”

Cassidy said now is the time for the government to green light single-event betting to allow for the proper infrastructure to be put in place.

For border communities with casinos, such as Windsor and Niagara Falls, a new product makes them more competitive when the U.S. border does reopen post-COVID-19. Both New York and Michigan will offer sports betting when their casinos reopen.

“Who knows what the casino business will look like when it reopens, but we have to be prepared when it does,” Cassidy said.

“It would create 100 to 150 jobs at Caesars Windsor.”

Cassidy added there would be spinoff benefits for governments in increased taxation revenues at a time when finances are getting tight due to COVID-19.

“This really is a win-win situation for jobs and government revenue,” Cassidy said. “Not to allow this really is tying our own hands.”

Masse said legalizing single-event sports betting also would cut off revenues to offshore and organized crime gambling operations.

He cited Michigan legalizing sports gambling and deciding to use the tax revenue to help fund cancer research, improve infrastructure and social programs.

“Single-event betting is happening now regardless,” Masse said.

“With sports resuming, the question we have to ask is do we want that money to go to organized crime’s gaming operations or to offshore sites where it isn’t taxed or do we regulate it and redirect those dollars for the public good?”

If there was ever a time to do it, now is it

With covid-19 spreading like wildfire again especially in Florida the bubble site for NBA, MLB and MLS I am having doubts the Raptors, TFC Impact and Whitecaps and Blue Jays will be playing this year. Even NFL will be at risk with 90 players per team at training camps probably similar number of coaches staff ect.. and trying to have 80,000 fans at a Chiefs game in Kansas City or Green Bay good luck with that. NHL might be better served having both hub cities in Canada this summer.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...rn/3225237001/

The major four leagues can survive off solely TV viewership. The NFL for years has had the bulk of revenue money come from TV.

More gate driven leagues that rely more on ticket sales will feel the pinch.

i mean as a health and safety issue I don't think it will get off the ground as a hub with those states so infectious and the staffs so much larger than a ufc card with no fans.

Is MLB talking about Florida in the same way the NBA and MLS are? I haven't followed closely but I thought the plan was for MLB to play at their respective home fields. Even to use their minor league complexes for training camp isn't really necessary since there are no minor leagues this year. They can get in their drills and workouts at their home stadiums if need be for the couple weeks before the season would start if Covid makes the spring sites too risky.

It's not like Florida MLB teams actually have people attending anyway.

The Marlins had ~10,000 in attendance per game in 2019.

The Rays had like ~15,000.

Unrelated, but OK.

Last I checked MLB was still negotiating with the MLBPA on a best route forward after the entire process was nearly scuttled by the owners.

MLB has closed all spring training sites in Florida and Arizona and MLBPA has stopped CBA talks with MLB due to covid outbreak and NFLPA has now asked all players to stop all group workouts of players and in NCAA football now at least 30 LSU football players in quarantine

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...onavirus-tests

https://www.si.com/college/2020/06/2...ed-coronavirus

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/n...navirus-cases/

Wolfpack looking for new ownership with majority owner Argyle stepping aside

https://www.tsn.ca/toronto-wolfpack-...side-1.1503700

Majority owner David Argyle plans to step away from the Toronto Wolfpack with the transatlantic rugby league team, currently in limbo, entertaining new ownership offers.

Wolfpack president and CEO Bob Hunter said the team is mulling over separate "solid" offers, one from North America and the other from the United Kingdom.


"David is walking away," Hunter said in an interview. "And the two (groups) that are in I'd call it the horse race, we're evaluating which is in the best interest of the club and Super League going forward."

Argyle, a Toronto-based Australian entrepreneur who specializes in mining and natural resources in emerging markets, estimates he and his ownership group have poured in $30 million into the club that first took the field in 2017.

"He's had a great run. He's spent a lot of his own money," said Hunter. "It was time. I hate to say time to give up, but more so important to just stop investing in the club. And so he made that decision a couple of weeks ago and asked us to go and see if we could find some new owners."

Argyle's plan to sell shares in the club a la Green Bay Packers is off the table now, said Hunter.

The news comes in the wake of the Betfred Super League's decision Monday to terminate Toronto's participation agreement following its withdrawal from the competition last month.

Super League said its action "reflects the seriousness of the breach of contract by Toronto Wolfpack, which has impacted Super League and its member clubs."

The Wolfpack presented its case to a Super League board meeting Monday, asking for more time to present its options. But the league, which has already expunged Toronto from the 2020 standings, instead terminated its agreement with the team.

The Wolfpack will now have to apply for and enter into a new participation agreement before being able to play in the competition in 2021.

Hunter, who called the league's move "more of a legality that anything else," said the club plans to submit a restructuring plan in the next seven to 10 days.

Toronto had issues with its existing deal with the Super League. Under terms of that agreement, the Wolfpack were not entitled to a cut of the league's TV deal and were an invitee rather than a member club.

Citing the global pandemic, the Wolfpack announced July 20 that they could not afford to take part in the remainder of the Super League season. Argyle said his players were free to negotiate with other clubs for the remainder of the 2020 season.

Play resumed Sunday with the Super League down to 11 teams.

Argyle had said he wanted to field a team next season but that will be up to rugby league authorities. If they do want Toronto back, there is no guarantee it will be back in Super League — meaning the club may find itself back in the lower divisions of English rugby league.

The Wolfpack started life in 2017 in the third-tier League 1, winning promotion to the second-tier Championship before debuting in the elite Super League this season. Toronto went 0-6-0 before the league shut down in March due to the pandemic.

Wolfpack star centre Ricky Leutele, meanwhile, appears headed to the Melbourne Storm.

According to Australian reports, the Australian-born Samoan international is on the verge of joining Wolfpack teammate Sonny Bill Williams back in the National Rugby League.

Williams and his family are currently in quarantine in Sydney after returning from England, and the former All Black is expected to suit up for the Sydney Roosters for the remainder of the season.

Williams, who turned 35 Monday, played for Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs from 2004 to '08 and the Roosters in 2013-14.

Frank Ponisi, the Storm's GM of football, told Australian media that Leutele's signing was imminent.

The 30-year-old Leutele, meanwhile, told Sydney's Nine News he was last paid by the Wolfpack in May.

Argyle had said the club will make good on missed salary payments. The Wolfpack now say the new owners "would need to honour all payroll commitments and future contractual obligations."

Leutele said he and his family are living on his savings.

"We're just chipping (away) at that but you know the saving are meant for rainy days and I'm hoping the rain stops soon," he told the Sydney station.

Ironically, Leutele broke Storm hearts in the 2016 NRL grand final when he made a try-saving tackle on Melbourne winger Marika Koroibete in the dying seconds to preserve the Cronulla Sharks' 14-12 championship win.

Leutele and Williams were the Wolfpack's designated marquee players this season, meaning only 150,000 pounds ($262,455) of their respective salaries counted against the Wolfpack's salary cap of 2.1 million pounds ($3.67 million).

Wolfpack sale might also be as a result of this.

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/rugby/toro...gyle-1.5164499

Argyle deserves to be socked... some iffy "elephant" dna here, as Kiwi (and Canuck) "mouses" can attest.

Thank you Africa.
https://elevate.ca/wp-content/upload...ts-250x250.jpg
Masai

Sportsnet average minute audiences this weekend:

Saturday
CHI v EDM 856,000
MTL v PIT 1,600,000
WPG v CGY 1,660,000
Raptors vs Lakers 890,000

Sunday
CBJ v TOR 1,780,000
MIN v VAN 798,000

Steve Faguy
@fagstein
https://twitter.com/fagstein/status/1290808876707831814

Shows the passion of Winnipeg fans as that was a 9:30 pm central start time on Saturday.

NCAA getting closer to cancelling the 2020 college football season and fall college sports. Not sure how this will affect the CFL and NFL draft's in the spring time of 2021?

https://www.tsn.ca/ncaa/video/power-...s-fall~2011033

NBA and MLB tv ratings in the U.S. have plummeted and a lot of it might be from the massive amount of sport broadcasters mixing social justice commentary with sports coverage continually with the black lives matters coverage and players kneeling during the national anthem in the U.S. which could be pissing off a lot of white viewers in the U.S. Meanwhile NHL playoff ratings in the U.S. are doing well as is the PGA tour

https://itsgame7.com/mlb-ratings-are...seems-to-care/

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/03/nbc-...l-restart.html

Or, as pointed out in one of those articles and as i've said on here before:

Anyway, this thread doesn't really pertain to US ratings.

@michaelgrange

Game 1 vs. Nets was the most-watched @Raptors first-round game ever on @Sportsnet and drew 34% more viewers than Game 1 vs. Orlando last year. Average audience of 1.05 million and reached 2.5-million Canadians overall. Canada loves them some 'bubble' Raps, clearly.

Always would love to see provincial ratings breakdown.

That's totally the reason. These "activists" have no clue and are totally out of touch with the common man.

Fans were able to attend an MLS game in Texas. They booed players who knelt during the anthem.
Cindy Boren and Des Bieler The washington Post August 13, 2020