Rogers Sportsnet

Infobox_TV_channel
name = Rogers Sportsnet
logofile = Rogers Sportsnet.svg
logoalt= Rogers Sportsnet
logosize= 175px
launch = October 9, 1998
closed date =
picture format =
share =
share as of =
share source =
network =
owner = Rogers Sportsnet Inc.
(Rogers Media)
slogan = Your Home Team First
country = Canada
broadcast area = National
headquarters = Toronto, Ontario
former names = CTV Sportsnet
replaced names =
sister names =
timeshift names =
web = [http://www.sportsnet.ca Rogers Sportsnet]
terr serv 1 =
terr chan 1 =
sat serv 1 = Bell TV
sat chan 1 = Channel(s) 405 - 408
sat serv 2 = Star Choice
sat chan 2 = Channel(s) 416 - 419
cable serv 1 = Available on most Canadian cable systems
cable chan 1 = Check local listings, channels may vary
sat radio serv 1 =
sat radio chan 1 =
online serv 1 =
online chan 1 =

Rogers Sportsnet (often referred to only as Sportsnet) is a Canadian English language cable television sports specialty channel, operating four regional feeds and one national high-definition feed. It is owned by Rogers Sportsnet Inc., a subsidiary of Rogers Media.

History

Sportsnet was launched on October 9, 1998 as CTV Sportsnet. The name was chosen to match the regional "Fox Sports Net" operations across the United States. CTV owned 40% and was the managing partner of the new network; Rogers, Molson and Fox owned 20% each.

When CTV purchased NetStar, the former parent company of TSN, in 2000, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ordered CTV that it must sell either CTV Sportsnet or TSN. CTV ultimately chose to sell Sportsnet, on which the other shareholders had first right of refusal; as Rogers was the only interested party, Rogers acquired the channel from CTV and therefore it was renamed "Rogers Sportsnet" in 2001. During the transition period, CTV was allowed to control programming on both networks, and some cross-affiliation and programs that were going to be tape-delayed on TSN, most notably figure skating, were given to Sportsnet. Rogers has since acquired the shares of Molson and Fox, but does air some programs from Fox networks, notably including Major League Baseball, though MLB coverage outside of the Blue Jays has not always been the Fox domestic feed.

The new network gained credibility before it went on the air, wrestling the NHL Canadian cable package away from long-time holder TSN. From 1998-99 until 2001-02, Sportsnet aired "Labatt Blue Tuesday Night Hockey" to a national audience throughout the regular season, and covered first-round playoff series not involving Canadian teams. On the day CTV Sportsnet went on the air, its first live sports event was an NHL opening-night telecast between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers from Madison Square Garden. The national cable rights have since returned to TSN, though Sportsnet retains regional rights to five of six Canadian-based clubs.

Regional feeds

Broadcasting nationally across Canada, Rogers Sportsnet is actually similar to a regional sports network in the United States, with four regional feeds airing different sporting events tailored to the region they serve. Sportsnet also operates a national high-definition programming service. The four regional feeds are:

*"Sportsnet East", which serves Eastern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

*"Sportsnet Ontario", which serves all of Ontario excluding the Ottawa region.

*"Sportsnet West", which serves Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

*"Sportsnet Pacific", which serves British Columbia and the Yukon.

Although cable companies in Canada are permitted to carry only the local Sportsnet feed on analogue cable packages, all four feeds can be carried on satellite television or digital cable. However, in some instances programming on the out-of-market Sportsnet feeds, such as regional NHL games, are blacked out.

Programming

Rogers Sportsnet is the main television outlet for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team which, like the network, is owned by Rogers Communications. Blue Jays games are broadcast nationally, across all Sportsnet feeds. Sportsnet also offers ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" package nationally as well.

Sportsnet Pacific carries selected Seattle Mariners games produced by FSN Northwest as part of a rights deal with the Mariners. Other Sportsnet feeds carry selected regional baseball games produced by other American networks (such as the YES Network and NESN), although the MLB Extra Innings package is available for purchase in Canada.

Sportsnet is also a major Canadian broadcaster of National Hockey League games. The network's four regional feeds carry selected games of the NHL teams based in their respective regions: the Ottawa Senators on Sportsnet East, the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sportsnet Ontario, the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers on Sportsnet West, and the Vancouver Canucks on Sportsnet Pacific. The Montreal Canadiens are the only Canadian NHL team not to air games on Sportsnet, as they currently have an exclusive television contract with the French-language RDS network.

In addition to the NHL, Sportsnet is the national carrier of the Canadian Hockey League, broadcasting a package of national and regional games, culminating in the Memorial Cup each May.

Sportsnet additionally covers live English Premier League soccer matches on weekends.

In early 2005, Rogers Sportsnet was part of the consortium that won the Canadian broadcast rights to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, as well as the London 2012 Summer Olympics. This was considered a serious coup, as the CBC had consistently won Olympic broadcast rights from the 1996 Summer Olympics through to the 2008 Summer Olympics. CTV and TQS will be the primary broadcasters; Rogers Sportsnet, TSN and RDS will provide supplementary coverage.

As a result of the Rogers Media's acquisition of the Citytv stations, Rogers Sportsnet produces sports updates for those channels.

For the 2005 season, Rogers Sportsnet also began airing NFL football, splitting late games across the Pacific and West feeds, and the East and Ontario feeds. The games not shown in the opposite regions are also carried by Rogers-owned CJMT-TV in Toronto and on CKVU-TV in Vancouver.

Original programs

*"Pratt & Taylor" - Simulcast of the popular Team 1040 sports radio program out of Vancouver. Hosted by David Pratt and Don Taylor. Available only on "Rogers Sportsnet Pacific".

*"Hockeycentral" - News and reports from the NHL with Daren Millard, featuring the following team of hockey personalities- Nick Kypreos, Bill Watters and Gord Stellick.

*"Hockeycentral at Noon" - News and reports from the NHL. Hosted by Daren Millard and features either Nick Kypreos or Bill Berg as co-host. It is simulcast on "Rogers Sportsnet Ontario" and Fan 590 weekdays.

*"IBM Golf Report" - All the latest Golf news as well as previews of upcoming tournaments with Gerry Dobson & Mark Evershed.

*"Prime Time Sports" - Simulcast of the popular Fan 590 sports radio program out of Toronto. Takes a look at current and popular sports stories with host Bob McCown and various sports journalists.

*"Soccercentral" - News and reports from the Canadian and World Soccer scene, highlights from matches from all the major leagues in Europe and around the world with Gerry Dobson and Craig Forrest.

*"Sportsnet Connected" - Formerly sportsnetnews is the sports news program of Rogers Sportsnet.

On-Air Talent

The "Parking Lot"

Until April 30, 2008, both Rogers Sportsnet and its main competitor TSN were based at CTV's studio complex in the Toronto neighbourhood of Agincourt. Sportsnet, originally controlled by CTV prior to its acquisition of TSN in 2000, has been based there from the start and never moved out. Hence, when on-air hosts, such as Darren Dreger, move from one channel to the other, it has been referred to as "crossing the parking lot" or, less commonly, "crossing the street". Some at Sportsnet had complained about feeling like "poor country cousins" to CTV and TSN at Agincourt cite web|title=Going Downtown|publisher=Globeandmail.com|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070321.TRUTH21/TPStory/TPSports/Television/|accessdate=March 23|accessyear=2007] .

This peculiarity has been made light of by a couple of notable hosts on Rogers Sportsnet. Bob McCown, a radio host on Rogers-owned The Fan 590, has constantly commented on his show Prime Time Sports (a simulcast of his radio show on The Fan 590) that Sportsnet executives throw bottles across the street at the TSN studios. In addition, "Sportsnet Connected" anchor Sean McCormick has openly stated on-air that he drives to work with his wife, Jennifer Hedger, who anchors "SportsCentre" on TSN.

On April 30 2008, Rogers Sportsnet moved broadcast operations from the CTV compound in Agincourt to Downtown Toronto to the Rogers Building, a cluster of buildings in the Mount Pleasant-Jarvis Street area.cite web|title=Going Downtown|publisher=Globeandmail.com|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070321.TRUTH21/TPStory/TPSports/Television/|accessdate=March 23|accessyear=2007]

Sportsnet HD

.] This is accomplished through the use of a second HD feed, activated for viewers in the appropriate market.

portsnet 2

On October 18, 2007, Rogers was granted a licence for Sportsnet 2, a Category 2 cable channel which will air programming devoted to soccer, cricket and rugby. [ [http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2007/db2007-384.htm CRTC decision 2007-384] ] The channel has not yet launched. Setanta Sports is a minority partner in the channel.

Competition

* TSN
* The Score

External links

* [http://www.sportsnet.ca Rogers Sportsnet]

References