Rogers SportsNet, OMNI.2, CTV and TSN To Become The New Official Broadcasters of the NFL in Canada Sports Programming / Rogers Sportsnets Posted by RAD on May 22, 2007 - 03:54 PM Rogers Sportsnet and Rogers OMNI Television have scored a touchdown thanks to an exclusive three-year agreement with the National Football League to broadcast the Sunday 4 p.m. (ET) games starting this season. Also, CTV secures the exclusive Canadian broadcast rights for (i) the NFL regular season Sunday early afternoon game package (1 p.m. ET), (ii) every NFL Playoff game, and for the first time ever, (iii) exclusive rights for the Super Bowl, the most watched single sporting event in North America. With Rogers, Canadian NFL fans will see more games than ever before, and more games in high definition, with up to two games available at 4 p.m. thanks to a combination of OMNI. 2 and Sportsnet's four channels - Rogers Sportsnet East, Rogers Sportsnet Ontario, Rogers Sportsnet West, and Rogers Sportsnet Pacific. Sportsnet Ontario and OMNI .2 will broadcast different games. "This is a huge step forward for our network," said Sportsnet President Doug Beeforth. "There is no sport in North America with a stronger following than the NFL, particularly among young people. We are excited to be their NFL destination Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m." “Omni is delighted to bring the NFL back to our stations,” said Leslie Sole, CEO, Rogers Media Television. “This partnership is for football fans in our broad dynamic audience.” Sportsnet and OMNI.2 open their NFL schedules on Sunday, September 9th. “We are very pleased to expand our relationship with Rogers in the form of this exciting new agreement,” said Charles White, NFL Vice-President of International Media. “We are thrilled that Rogers will provide more NFL content than ever before and as a result, more fans in Canada will have access to all the excitement of NFL football on Sunday afternoons.” Sportsnet already broadcasts the NFL Thanksgiving Day games at 1 p.m. (ET) and 4 p.m. (ET) and the Pro Bowl. The Rogers sports network is the live-event leader in Canadian broadcasting, televising over 700 live events, with more than one third of those being in high definition on Sportsnet HD. For CTV, the deal covers the upcoming 2007, 2008 and 2009 NFL seasons and marks the beginning of a long-term relationship between Canada's #1 broadcaster and the NFL. In announcing the deal, CTV confirmed plans to deliver every NFL telecast in stunning High Definition. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. The agreement delivers the first ever Super Bowl broadcast on CTV. In fact, it's the first broadcast deal ever reached between the NFL and CTV. "CTV is committed to growing an exciting partnership with the National Football League, a brand synonymous to Canadians with excellence and leadership," said Brace. "The NFL and its crown jewel, the Super Bowl, represent a strategic fit for CTV and we look forward to delivering all the exhilaration beginning September, 2007." "We are very pleased to extend our partnership with the CTV family as they have been terrific programmers for us for many years. As a result of this agreement, more fans in Canada than ever before will have access to all the excitement of NFL football on Sunday afternoons," said Charles White, NFL Vice-President of International Media. Today's announcement delivers a new-look and potent lineup for CTV Sunday afternoons. And for the first time in Canada, the Super Bowl joins The Academy Awards on the same Network schedule. It's television's #1 ranked entertainment special together with the #1 sports event; all part of CTV's upcoming 2007-2008 schedule. "Securing a strong appointment brand like the NFL is in keeping with our program strategy of generating continued upward momentum across the entire CTV schedule," said Susanne Boyce, CTV President of Programming and Chair of the CTV Media Group. Brace confirmed that CTVglobemedia is committed to providing unmatched multi-platform exposure of its NFL slate through promotion inside CTV's #1 ranked lineup and throughout its family of networks and services, including cross-promotional support and coverage on TSN, Canada's most watched sports network, and The Globe and Mail, Canada's #1 national newspaper. CTV's NFL rights package perfectly complements the suite of NFL rights held by TSN. This Fall, TSN will continue to deliver NFL regular season games as part of its 42-game broadcast package, including exclusive Canadian coverage of Sunday and Monday Night Football and the Thursday/Saturday package. Last February, QB Peyton Manning led the Indianapolis Colts to a thrilling 29-17 victory against the Chicago Bears en route to earning MVP status in Super Bowl XLI. The broadcast generated an audience of 3.4 million Canadians, once again making the Super Bowl the biggest single-day sporting event of the year in Canada. 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