CHANNEL CANADA :: TSN Announces Unparalleled Broadcast Lineup for 2006/07

TSN Announces Unparalleled Broadcast Lineup for 2006/07
Posted on Thursday, June 22, 2006 - 05:02 PM
The launch of SportsCentre in High Definition, the addition of Monday Night Football, an enhanced look and feel to the CFL on TSN broadcasts, two significant national/international hockey deals, and substantial audience growth for all major sports properties firmly puts TSN at the top of its game, reinforcing the network’s position as Canada’s Sports Leader. Leading the way is the network’s ongoing commitment to High Definition programming, enhanced by the launch of SportsCentre in HD, coming this September. TSN is in the midst of its most intensive HD slate yet with HD programming from 275 national and international events. By fall 2006, nearly 50 per cent of the network’s broadcast schedule will be presented in HD. TSN offers more overall sports coverage, hockey coverage, Canadian and internationally-produced sports events, and more hours of HD sports action than any other broadcaster in Canada. TSN’s HD programming includes NHL, CFL, NFL, NBA, International Hockey (including the IIHF World Junior Championship), Blue Jays baseball, NASCAR, golf, tennis, soccer, boxing, poker and NCAA football. Below is TSN’s jam-packed sports lineup for the upcoming year: SportsCentre in High Definition Representing the network’s single biggest commitment to High Definition, TSN’s flagship news and information program, SportsCentre, will be presented in HD beginning September 5, 2006, becoming the first Canadian daily news program – sports or non-sports – to be delivered in High Definition. The SportsCentre newsroom will employ state-of-the-art HD equipment, including upgrades to its studio and control room. All studio cameras will shoot in HD, an HD server will record and edit available HD sports events for game highlights, and HD cameras will be used in the field to shoot features and reports. Included in this landmark re-launch of SportsCentre will be a new HD animation package and new set elements within the SportsCentre working newsroom. With SportsCentre’s Evening, Late, Overnight and Morning loop broadcasts, viewers are guaranteed at least nine hours of SportsCentre HD coverage each weekday, with an additional 15 hours on weekends. SportsCentre is the number-one source for sports news, as voted by sports fans from across the country*. With bureaus in nine Canadian cities, SportsCentre brings viewers the most comprehensive news, highlights, scores and exclusive interviews from across the sports spectrum. SportsCentre’s popularity continues to soar, as the program is experiencing significant audience increases for all editions in 2006 compared to 2005 (season-to-date): Weekday Evening edition with Rod Smith (6:30 p.m. ET) – up 57 per cent Late edition with Darren Dutchyshen and Jennifer Hedger (10 p.m. ET) – up 71 per cent Overnight edition with Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole (11 p.m. PT) – up 78 per cent Morning loop (6 a.m. to 12 noon ET) – up 65 per cent Weekend Evening edition with Cory Woron (6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET) – up 79 per cent Late edition with Holly Horton and Bryan Mudryk (10 p.m. ET) – up 68 per cent Overnight edition with Horton and Mudryk (11 p.m. PT) – up 129 per cent Morning loop (6 a.m. to 12 noon ET) – up 38 per cent TSN’s award-winning ‘This is My SportsCentre’ campaign continues this year, featuring a range of marquee athletes offering first-hand testimonials on the intangible elements and feelings that define their own ‘SportsCentre moments’. Upcoming featured athletes for 2006/07 include 2004 MLB NL Rookie of the Year Jason Bay of Trail, B.C., Calgary Stampeder QB Henry Burris, NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson, and PGA TOUR Canadian Stephen Ames. Featured athletes already include Canadian two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, PGA TOUR star and Canadian favourite Mike Weir, NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon, and NHLers Martin Brodeur, Sidney Crosby, Tie Domi, Ryan Smyth and Rick Nash. Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ Hockey Lives Here* Two significant broadcast/multimedia deals for national and international events, increased audiences for NHL telecasts, and record ratings for the World Juniors solidify TSN’s number-one status as the home of everything hockey. NHL on TSN TSN enjoyed one of its most successful NHL broadcast seasons ever in 2005/06 with a per game regular season national average audience of 476,000 viewers for 69 games – a 48 per cent increase over 2003/04. TSN also achieved increased audiences during the post-season with a combined 11 per cent increase for the first three rounds of the NHL Playoffs in 2006 compared to 2004. In 2006/07, TSN gears up for another exciting NHL campaign with 70+ national broadcasts, of which nearly half are slated to be in High Definition. TSN will also air 27 Toronto Maple Leaf broadcasts (including 25 regional games), and the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. TSN will once again offer fans a break from the mid-week doldrums with Wednesday Night Hockey, a weekly dose of frozen fury featuring an NHL game each and every Wednesday night throughout the regular season. Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ and exclude pre- and post-game TSN announced two significant hockey broadcast/multimedia deals this past year that will keep national and international hockey on TSN for years to come: TSN and RDS signed a seven-year extension with Hockey Canada for exclusive broadcast and multimedia rights to 11 key Hockey Canada events, including the popular IIHF World Junior Championship. The deal begins in 2007 and runs through the 2014 season, renewing an ongoing partnership dating back to 1991. The deal is for both English and French rights, and also provides the opportunity to broadcast on radio and broadband, plus emerging technologies such as video on mobile devices, video-on-demand, podcasting and interactive TV. TSN and RDS, through its partnership with Hockey Canada, announced a four-year broadcast extension for broadcast and multimedia rights to the IIHF World Men’s Hockey Championship. The deal, which runs from 2008 to 2011, was negotiated through Swiss agent Infront Sports & Media on behalf of the IIHF. TSN will increase its coverage of the tournament to 15 games annually, ensuring TSN will be at the forefront when the 100th anniversary of the tournament takes place in Canada for the first time in Quebec City and Halifax in 2008. IIHF World Junior Championship TSN continues its annual holiday hockey tradition with extensive coverage of the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship from Sweden in late December/early January. In 2006, TSN’s coverage of Team Canada’s six games averaged a record-setting 1.66 million viewers, making it the most successful World Juniors in TSN’s 16-year history of televising the tournament. The 2003 gold medal game in Halifax remains the most-watched program of all time on TSN with 3.5 million viewers. Seven of the Top 10 programs on TSN are World Junior broadcasts. Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ and exclude pre- and post-game IIHF World Men’s Hockey Championship TSN has coverage of the 2007 IIHF World Men’s Hockey Championship from Russia in May. TSN’s 12-game average audience this year was 59 per cent higher than in 2002 – the last time Team Canada failed to advance to the gold medal game (note: TSN finished fourth at this year’s Men’s Worlds). The 2005 tourney was a record-setter with Team Canada’s nine games averaging 518,000 viewers and the gold medal game attracting 1.4 million viewers – the most watched World Men’s Hockey game ever on TSN and the network’s 17th most watched program of all time. Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ and exclude pre- and post-game Additional Hockey TSN has extensive coverage of additional national and international tournaments/events on the hockey calendar during the 2006/07 season: NHL Entry Draft, NHL Trade Deadline Day, Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, World Women’s Hockey Championship, ESSO Women’s National Hockey Championship, Four Nations Cup, World Under-18 Hockey Championship, RBC Royal Bank Cup and TELUS Cup. CFL on TSN Wendy’s CFL on TSN returns in 2006 with a 50-game broadcast schedule, of which a minimum 27 games are available in High Definition with most of the HD telecasts airing during the weekly staple Friday Night Football. The CFL continues to grow in popularity, as evidenced by TSN’s record audiences in 2005. Last year marked the most successful CFL season in TSN history, with a per-game average audience of 395,000 viewers – a 27 per cent increase over the 2004 season. In celebration of Friday Night Football’s 10th anniversary, TSN has created an enhanced look and feel to the CFL on TSN this season, raising the bar for football broadcasts in Canada. The new package delivers more passion, energy and excitement – all attributes of CFL football and TSN telecasts. TSN will unveil a new CFL studio set on opening night (June 16), providing a more entertaining and intimate atmosphere with the immensely popular ‘CFL boys’ – analysts Chris Schultz, Matt Dunigan and Jock Climie, and host Dave Randorf. Also on tap is a new CFL on TSN logo, animation package and theme music, designed to enhance the viewing experience for fans. TSN’s Top 50 CFL Players is an initiative created by the network in 2006 to celebrate the CFL’s Canadian heritage, acknowledge the best players all time, and educate younger fans on the game’s heroes. TSN has coordinated an independent expert panel to select the top 50 CFL players to ever hit the field. Details of the initiative will be revealed Labour Day Weekend, with the Top 50 players announced during Grey Cup Week. Coming off a windfall in its debut last season, the Wendy’s Kick for a Million promotion, which made headlines across North America, returns in 2006. Details of the campaign will be unveiled in the coming weeks. Also back for its fourth season is the award-winning Purolator Tackle Hunger campaign, which raised 275,000 lbs of food in 2005 for food banks across Canada. Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ and exclude pre- and post-game NFL: Sunday and Monday Night Football In a network first, TSN will televise NFL games back-to-back on Sunday and Monday nights during the 2006/07 season with a total of 34 NFL games, all in prime time and all in High Definition. TSN is the exclusive prime time home of the NFL in Canada after landing a milestone acquisition for Monday Night Football – the most successful series in sports television – and also reaching a three-year broadcast extension for the Sunday Night NFL broadcast package through the 2008 season. TSN has exclusive Canadian rights to Monday Night Football, airing a total of 17 games annually, while the network will televise 16 games on Sundays plus opening night of the season on Thursday, Sept. 7. Adding to its prime time NFL lineup, TSN will also televise a minimum of five NFL games from the Thursday/Saturday night NFL broadcast package (broadcast schedule TBA). In addition to the live game broadcasts, TSN’s NFL coverage also includes the return of ESPN’s Emmy Award-winning NFL Countdown on Sundays at 11 a.m. ET, NBC’s Football Night in America on Sundays at 7 p.m. ET leading into live game action at 8 p.m. ET, and Monday Night Countdown on Mondays directly prior to the game at 8:30 p.m. ET. All NFL games and magazine shows are available in High Definition. NFL on TSN ratings have increased dramatically over the past five years. TSN’s per-game average audience in 2005 was 340,000 viewers, marking a 34 per cent increase over the season average in 2000 (254,000 viewers). Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ and exclude pre- and post-game 2006 FIFA World Cup TSN, CTV and Rogers Sportsnet are teaming up this summer to bring fans complete coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. For the first time in Canada, all 64 games will be televised live and in High Definition during the month-long tournament in Germany from June 9 to July 9. TSN and TSN HD will broadcast 31 matches, Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD will televise 32 matches, while the final will air live on CTV and in High Definition on CTV HD East/West on July 9 at 1:30 p.m. ET. TSN and TSN HD will also broadcast numerous encores of the live matches nationally, while Sportsnet will televise encores on its four regional channels (Rogers Sportsnet East, Rogers Sportsnet Ontario, Rogers Sportsnet West, Rogers Sportsnet Pacific). The pre-game, half-time and post-game shows will be hosted by Vic Rauter and Gerry Dobson, with analysis from soccer experts Dick Howard and Craig Forrest. Golf TSN and CTV once again team up for exclusive Canadian coverage of the Canadian Open – the only Canadian stop on the PGA TOUR – from September 7 to 10 from the Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ont. For the second consecutive year, all four rounds will be available in High Definition on TSN HD, CTV HD East and CTV HD West. TSN will televise live coverage of the first two rounds on September 7 and 8 beginning at 1 p.m. ET, while TSN and CTV share live coverage of the third and final rounds on September 9 and 10 (TSN – 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET; CTV – 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET). Rod Black will have all the action alongside analysts Jim Nelford and Sandra Post. TSN’s golf schedule in 2006 includes more than 580 hours of coverage, featuring all four Majors (including The Masters from Augusta National Golf Club), all four World Golf Championships, the Ryder Cup, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, THE PLAYERS Championship, THE TOUR Championship, and Canada’s own TELUS Skins Game. TSN’s remaining golf broadcast schedule for the Majors this season includes the U.S. Open (June 15-18), British Open (July 20-23), and PGA Championship (August 17-20). TSN’s coverage of the four Majors in 2005 attracted an average audience of 314,000 viewers, representing a 30 per cent increase over 2004. Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ and exclude pre- and post-game Rogers Jays on TSN TSN is televising 23 Toronto Blue Jays broadcasts this season, marking 23 consecutive years of Blue Jays Baseball on TSN. TSN will produce and broadcast a minimum of 20 games in High Definition on TSN HD. TSN is coming off a strong 2005 baseball season, which saw ratings for Blue Jays games skyrocket with a per-game average audience of 412,000 viewers – a 72 per cent increase over 2004’s season average of 239,000. Rod Black and Pat Tabler have teamed up for the fifth year to anchor the Jays on TSN. Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ and exclude pre- and post-game NBA TSN continues to roll out a comprehensive NBA Playoff schedule this season with exclusive Canadian coverage of the NBA Finals from June 8-22, with all games available in High Definition. During the 2006/07 season, TSN will televise 15 Toronto Raptors tilts, a minimum of 10 playoff games up-to and including the Conference Finals, plus exclusive Canadian coverage of the NBA Finals. Curling TSN will televise approximately 140 hours of curling during the 2007 season with coverage from three key tournaments – the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (February 17-23), Tim Hortons Brier (March 3-9), and the Ford World Men’s Curling Championship (March 31-April 6). TSN’s coverage includes afternoon and evening draws for the first seven of nine days of each tournament. TSN has televised curling for 21 years and the network’s commitment to the sport helped put curling on the map in Canada, making commentators Vic Rauter, Linda Moore and Ray Turnbull household names along the way. Tennis TSN serves up a winner with 600 hours of tennis action this season, including comprehensive coverage of all the key events: the four grand slam tournaments (Wimbledon in June/July; U.S. Open in August/September; Australian Open in January 2007; French Open in May/June 2007), the men’s Rogers Cup in Toronto (August 7-11), the women’s Rogers Cup in Montreal (August 14-18), and the other nine Masters Series tournaments including the season finale Masters Cup from Shanghai (November 12-19). TSN’s coverage of the four grand slam tournaments in 2005 averaged 102,000 viewers, marking a 17 per cent increase over the four tourneys in 2004. Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ Auto Racing TSN has 175 hours of auto racing coverage this season from a total of 49 key races on three different circuits. TSN’s schedule features 21 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races – all of which are available in High Definition, all 19 Formula One races, and nine races from the Indy Racing League. Auto racing audiences continue to soar. TSN’s coverage of this year’s Daytona 500 was the most watched motorsport race in TSN history, with a national average audience of 568,000 viewers. Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ and exclude pre- and post-game UEFA Champions League Soccer Canadian soccer fans have a lot to cheer about during the 2006/07 soccer season as TSN will televise up to four UEFA Champions League games each week, plus comprehensive playoff coverage that includes the championship final. The season gets underway September 12, 2006 and concludes with live coverage of the championship final in Athens, Greece on May 23, 2007. This year’s final between Barcelona and Arsenal attracted the largest audience ever on TSN for a UEFA Champions League game with 259,000 viewers, more than three times this year’s season average (77,000 viewers). Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ and exclude pre- and post-game Boxing TSN’s comprehensive boxing schedule features some of the biggest fights with the biggest names in the sport. Each week, viewers are invited into the squared circle for the popular shows IN THIS CORNER with Russ Anber, HBO Championship Boxing, Wednesday Night Fights and Friday Night Fights. Poker TSN is searching for Canada’s next undiscovered poker talent with the second annual Degree Poker Championship airing September 14-23 on TSN and TSN HD in seven one-hour episodes. The event is the country’s largest and richest free-roll Texas Hold ‘Em tournament with a first place prize of more than $100,000 and a chance to win an additional $1 million. An exclusive TSN Events property, the Degree Poker Championship will once again be hosted by TSN’s Michael Landsberg alongside returning commentator Alistair Cameron. Last year’s event attracted a per-episode average audience of 318,000 viewers for six one-hour broadcasts. TSN’s poker roster also includes the World Series of Poker, Poker Million, European Open Poker Championships, U.S. Poker Championship, as well as the newly acquired Legends Cup Poker and European Poker Tour. Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ Figure Skating TSN and CTV team up to bring figure skating fans comprehensive coverage of the 2006 MasterCard Skate Canada International from Victoria, B.C. (November 2-5) and the 2007 BMO Financial Group Canadian Championships from Halifax (January 18-21). Coverage from both events includes the short and free programs from the Men’s, Women’s and Pairs disciplines, as well as the compulsory, original and free Dance programs. CTV will also televise the always-entertaining Parade of Champions. TSN will produce both events in High Definition, airing on TSN HD and CTV HD East/West. ‘TSN Talk Block’ Weekday Magazine Programs Off The Record – Heading into its 10th season, Off The Record, TSN’s highly acclaimed 30-minute daily sports debate show, is currently enjoying a 40 per cent audience increase over last year’s season-to-date average. For Men 18-34, OTR has nearly doubled its audience with a 96 per cent increase in viewership this year over last year. Never one to pull punches, host Michael Landsberg asks the tough, thought-provoking and often controversial questions sports fans want and need to hear. Added to the show this past season are the popular opening and closing segments: Up Front – a hard-hitting five-minute interrogation at the top of the show with key newsmakers and shakers in the world of sports; and Next Question – a rapid-fire Q&A at the end of the show, putting guests in the hot seat. The debates and interviews are also available as podcasts on TSN.ca. Key guests this year include Pat Burns, Pat Quinn, Sidney Crosby, Darryl Sittler, Pinball Clemons, Bret Hart, Jeremy Roenick, Justin Morneau, Jacques Martin, Jacques Demers, Dick Pound and Dominik Hasek. Off The Record airs weekdays at 6 p.m. ET (encores at 11:30 p.m. ET, 3 a.m. ET and 12 noon ET). Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ (unless otherwise specified) Molson That’s Hockey Hosted by Gino Reda, Molson That’s Hockey keeps viewers up-to-date on all the latest headlines from the world of hockey with late-breaking news and roster updates, game previews, and interviews with players, coaches and hockey newsmakers. During this year’s regular season, Molson That’s Hockey enjoyed an average audience of 168,000 viewers, marking a 58 per cent increase over the 2003/04 regular season. Molson That’s Hockey airs nightly during the NHL regular season at 7 p.m. ET and 7 p.m./7:30 p.m. ET during the NHL Playoffs. Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ Pardon The Interruption The live, unconventional, hard-hitting 30-minute daily sports debate show features Washington Post columnists Mike Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser locking horns in a battle of opinions about the day’s hottest sports topics. The two co-hosts have debated each other in the sports and style pages of the Washington Post for more than two decades. Timely interviews with newsmakers frame the debates and viewers have the opportunity to voice their opinions during the program. Ratings for PTI are up 32 per cent in 2006 over last year’s season-to-date average. Pardon The Interruption airs on TSN weekdays at 5:30 p.m. ET. Source: Nielsen Media Research; All audience figures are 2+ Weekly Magazine Programs IN THIS CORNER with Russ Anber TSN delivers a weekly knockout with the 30-minute boxing program IN THIS CORNER with Russ Anber. Hosted by Darren Dutchyshen, IN THIS CORNER features analysis and commentary from opinionated boxing guru Russ Anber as he gives insight on major professional and amateur fights and also previews upcoming matches. High profile guests/interviews this past year included Mike Tyson, Fernando Vargas, Oscar de la Hoya and George Chuvalo. IN THIS CORNER airs Tuesdays at 11:30 p.m. ET in the fall and Mondays at 7:30 p.m. ET the rest of the year. TSN The Reporters with Dave Hodge This live 30-minute roundtable Canadian sports debate show tackles the week’s most pressing and controversial sports issues. Three outspoken sports journalists – Damien Cox, Michael Farber and Steve Simmons – join host Dave Hodge each Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. ET. ESPN Magazine Sports Reporters The unscripted, unrehearsed and uncensored live roundtable sports discussion show hits the TSN airwaves every Sunday at 10 a.m. ET, just prior to the popular Canadian version TSN The Reporters With Dave Hodge. The 30-minute weekly program is hosted by Canadian John Saunders, who moderates the unfettered opinions and thought-provoking views of America’s best and brightest sports columnists, including New York Daily News‘ Mike Lupica, Boston Globe‘s Bob Ryan, Detroit Free Press‘ Mitch Albom and Pardon The Interruption’s Mike Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser. TSN.ca TSN.ca is Canada’s leading sports website with an average of 2.5 million unique visitors and 77 million page viewers per month. Currently there are more than 415,000 registered users, while 110,000 users receive TSN.ca’s morning email blast. An average of 50,000 user comments are submitted to the site’s Your Call feedback section each month. TSN.ca offers 130,000 pages of content, 650,000 minutes of audio and video clips each month, scores/updates/standings/stats from 30 different sports, daily fan forums and fantasy pools, podcasts of favourite TSN shows and commentaries from TSN on-air talent, and the most insightful and provocative analysis from Canada’s most respected sports writers and reporters. Schedule subject to change **2004/2005 Roper Canada – Winter
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