Streaming vs Cable/Broadcast of TV Sports in Canada

[VANRIDERFAN]

What do you use to watch your Canadian sports


Streaming
Broadcast/Cable

Are you satisfied with the level of sports coverage (not including the NHL) of Canadian leagues in this country

Yes
No

[logan5]

Not sure if we are allowed to mention not so legal streaming sites, but the streaming site I use has all the North American sports leagues in very good quality for free, and no sign up. Like just as good as cable for hockey and baseball (60 FPS), and lots of good quality, but 30 FPS for all the other sports. So it’s a combination of the 2 for me.

So with that at my disposal, I can’t help but be happy with the coverage.

Edit - oops. I missed the “Canadian” part.

[TimB09]

I think TSN does an absolute atrocious job with covering the CFL currently. Their gameday presentation is awful. It's like they don't give a s**t. Embarrassing to be honest and it seems like they throw no production money at the product.

I no longer have cable TV but I use a box to watch all my sports, CFL included. I wouldn't go back to cable as TSN doesn't deserve my money.

[esquire]

Cable TV subscriber here.

I think broadcasters do a good job with the stuff they cover (basically the big 4 US leagues and a handful of other things like the CFL, MLS, curling and auto racing). The problem is there are too many blind spots. As mentioned elsewhere, there should be broadcast coverage of national soccer teams and other significant Canadian sports/leagues that currently receive very little coverage like lacrosse, CanPL, university sports, junior hockey, etc.

I think it would be awesome if CBC ran a specialty cable channel focused on that kind of thing. Not talk shows and other filler, just straight up sports. CIS basketball, an OHL game, international soccer, etc.

[logan5]

I will mention that the most recent World Cup qualifier Canada was in was not televised. Davies and David played great games and are the future of our national team. If broadcasters want people to tune in to watch MLS, then it is imperative that wcq’s involving Canada get broadcast. Huge mistake ignoring these games.

[matt602]

Don't really watch sports much but if I did, it'd have to be online. Haven't had cable TV in over 15 years and I'm 100% confident I never will again, for any reason.

[Proof Sheet]

I watch the Premier League and the Champions League on DAZN (internet service on desktop or TV) and the World Cup/Euro championship on TSN/Sportsnet or whoever has it. I watch the Olympics and I'll watch downhill skiing if it's on but it doesn't seem to be on as much as in the past.

Basketball and hockey hold little interest to me. Baseball and NFL/CFL is of no interest to me and the same goes for Nascar. I would watch the Monaco Gran Prix only because I've been there and it is a crazy place to have a car race.

[rousseau]

Don't watch Canadian sports.

NBA: NBA.com (VPN required to bypass blackouts)
Cycling: Eurosport Player (VPN required to access outside of UK)
World Cup/Euro Championship Football: This year, TSN (used to get Rogers cable for a month at a time, but that's been phased out)

[trueviking]

streaming sucks. It completely eliminates casual or new fans. It is a disaster for growing sports like soccer in Canada.

Its good for people who are already die-hard fans.

Since the Premiership has moved to only streaming in Canada, it has basically been removed from the consciousness of the average sports fan in this country. For me personally, I would say i am more than an average soccer fan. I would watch two games a week when it was on television, but I haven't seen a game since it was removed from television. They don't even make the highlights package on TSN anymore.

Yesterday's CMNT game is a perfect example. Most of my friends are sports fans and would have certainly watched that game if it was on television, but most of them didn't even know it was happening and wouldn't be bothered to pay $6 dollars for it. If it was on TSN, it would have been available to millions of casual fans. Instead a few thousand die-hards watched it.

I am not willing to buy a streaming service for each individual sport that I want to follow.

[AuxTown]

I think the job of the sports networks is to take the pulse of Canadian sports fans and decide what we want to watch. I think they missed the mark but not pursuing the rights to broadcast the Canadian Mens team's drive for the world cup. I see so much crappy American content on TSN/SN that I would never consider watching but maybe I'm not the average viewer.

Sincerely,

Disappointed Soccer Fan in Ottawa

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by trueviking

For me personally, I would say i am more than an average soccer fan. I would watch two games a week when it was on television, but I haven't seen a game since it was removed from television. They don't even make the highlights package on TSN anymore.

DAZN uploads 2-3 minute highlight summaries of most games to their youtube channel. Some weeks there is a 12:30 pm game on NBC.

DAZN is $150 a year I think. For me, it is money well spent. More footie than I can ever watch and if you're interested in rugby, cricket, darts and some other niche sports there is lots there. I now only watch TSN or Sportsnet for footie at tournament times.

[Komatiite]

I'd rather watch a broadcast but they either don't have it (cycling, CPL) or the coverage sucks (Sportsnet NHL). We borrow a steaming subscription for NHL from the in-laws and pay for FloBikes but it's hardly ideal.

[jonny24]

I've never had cable. and my parent's only got satellite after I moved away for college. So streaming only for me.

I voted yes, simply because I do have the ability to watch every CFL game, and TSN broadcasts Toronto Arrows Rugby which is huge. So my own personal tastes are covered.

But, there is a huge argument for No. In general, I think TSN/SN should be trying to do what they did with the World Juniors, to every Canadian sports property - CPL, Usports, CEBL, even OHL/CHL, etc. Pump them up, build the hype, make them attractive to watch. I wish we could be more like Australia, but it's hard with a behemoth next door.

As far as the "major" sports leagues - I find the current amount of hype over them to be off-putting. I hate baseball and basketball, and hockey is okay to watch but never-ending talking heads make me want to dislike it they way I dislike pop music - it's everywhere and I'm tired of having it shoved at me. NFL I don't mind as a sport, but have a hard time caring without a local team, and again hat the hype, and most of all hate how many Canadians follow that hype and out down the CFL which is just as good on the field.

[Acajack]

Especially during the NHL playoffs (involving the Habs), I am very fond of watching the colourful pre-game and post-game shows on TVA Sports and RDS. I flip between them all the time. (RDS often even has two distinct pre-game shows, one on RDS1 and one on RDS2.)

I enjoy this almost as much as the games.

I don't foresee how streaming services would be able to offer anything comparable at any point in the near future. (Well, I suppose that RDS' l'Antichambre is available on streaming in some way, but even so that's not really "going around cable TV" if you're watching a show produced and owned by the same people.)

There is also the question of who the commentators are.

If I am watching Brazil play France at the World Cup I don't care much if the commentators are overseas from France or the UK (actually they're usually better than ours) but if I am watching a Canadian team (club or national) I don't necessarily want to hear American or Jamaican commentators describe the match on the live stream.

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Especially during the NHL playoffs (involving the Habs), I am very fond of watching the colourful pre-game and post-game shows on TVA Sports and RDS. I flip between them all the time. (RDS often even has two distinct pre-game shows, one on RDS1 and one on RDS2.)

I enjoy this almost as much as the games.

I don't foresee how streaming services would be able to offer anything comparable at any point in the near future. (Well, I suppose that RDS' l'Antichambre is available on streaming in some way, but even so that's not really "going around cable TV" if you're watching a show produced and owned by the same people.)

There is also the question of who the commentators are.

If I am watching Brazil play France at the World Cup I don't care much if the commentators are overseas from France or the UK (actually they're usually better than ours) but if I am watching a Canadian team (club or national) I don't necessarily want to hear American or Jamaican commentators describe the match on the live stream.

We are lucky here that for the Euros and World Cup and even the Premier League we get the 'world feed' commentators, mainly from the UK, without the homerisms of UK based commentators broadcasting to a UK audience. The UK commentators on Sky or ITV or the BBC usually pump up the Premier League players and deliver a real 'we' spin on it all if England win etc. We get a much more neutral commentary.

In the US they are getting ESPN commentators who are frankly terrible. Think Alexi Lalas level if you remember him and commentators who try and always dumb down the commentary for Joe Six Pack who needs to know if an indirect free kick compares to a walk in baseball or what happens if heaven forbid there is a tie in the game.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Especially during the NHL playoffs (involving the Habs), I am very fond of watching the colourful pre-game and post-game shows on TVA Sports and RDS. I flip between them all the time. (RDS often even has two distinct pre-game shows, one on RDS1 and one on RDS2.)

I enjoy this almost as much as the games.

I don't foresee how streaming services would be able to offer anything comparable at any point in the near future.

Interestingly, when Bell pulled the plug on TSN Radio in Winnipeg not too long ago, a few of the hosts flipped to streaming and brought a pretty substantial audience with them.

One is Winnipeg Sports Talk, which covers all the bases of Winnipeg teams and is home to the hardcore fan. If you have strong views on Kyle Connor's xFSh% this is where you belong. These guys have done an impressive job getting player interviews and other luminaries on their show.

There is also Illegal Curve which is hockey focused (Jets and Moose) and does postgame shows.

More people tune into those shows than I would have expected at first... they've developed quite a following.

There is also Rod Pedersen out of Regina... he is well known on the prairies as a hockey and football play by play man. His show is a bit more casual, more pub-talkish with a focus on entertainment. The show is technically broadcast on a network but most people watch via streaming.

Of course, all of these shows are free to stream... if they were paywalled the audiences would be tiny. People will pay for live sports streaming but no one is going to pay to stream sports talk...

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by esquire

Interestingly, when Bell pulled the plug on TSN Radio in Winnipeg not too long ago, a few of the hosts flipped to streaming and brought a pretty substantial audience with them.

One is Winnipeg Sports Talk, which covers all the bases of Winnipeg teams and is home to the hardcore fan. If you have strong views on Kyle Connor's xFSh% this is where you belong. These guys have done an impressive job getting player interviews and other luminaries on their show.

There is also Illegal Curve which is hockey focused (Jets and Moose) and does postgame shows.

More people tune into those shows than I would have expected at first... they've developed quite a following.

There is also Rod Pedersen out of Regina... he is well known on the prairies as a hockey and football play by play man. His show is a bit more casual, more pub-talkish with a focus on entertainment. The show is technically broadcast on a network but most people watch via streaming.

Of course, all of these shows are free to stream... if they were paywalled the audiences would be tiny. People will pay for live sports streaming but no one is going to pay to stream sports talk...

What's the image quality like if you run it on a large-screen TV?

I have a 75-inch TV in my basement, and while my kids have streamed music videos on it (via Youtube) during parties, I've never run a sporting event stream on it.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by Acajack

What's the image quality like if you run it on a large-screen TV?

I have a 75-inch TV in my basement, and while my kids have streamed music videos on it (via Youtube) during parties, I've never run a sporting event stream on it.

I'm watching Rod's show right now on a 60 inch TV (YouTube) and the quality is fantastic. And this is in the country (10 miles from the closest town)

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

What's the image quality like if you run it on a large-screen TV?

I have a 75-inch TV in my basement, and while my kids have streamed music videos on it (via Youtube) during parties, I've never run a sporting event stream on it.

In my very limited experience with them, illegal streams vary wildly quality wise, but legit ones are pretty well always full HD if you have a decent internet connection which I'm sure you do. When I watch WHL TV (the only sports streaming service I've subscribed to) the feed was good... I mean, they don't have the production dollars that Sportsnet has for NHL games so some things are lacking and Brandt Centre isn't lit up like a NHL arena, but the picture itself is excellent. I guess the other thing that's missing is the ability to easily record/pause/skip the way you can with a PVR/DVR. Maybe there's a way to do it but I've never bothered figuring it out.

If you go to Youtube's "live" section there are occasionally free sports events playing... you can try streaming one to your TV to get a sense for what it would look like.

[VANRIDERFAN]

^^^^
I think USports is doing YouTube live streaming of all their sports this year.