ESPN Canada?

Tuesday, April 01, 2008


Found this story in the Toronto Globe and Mail and thought I'd pass it on for our good friends in the Great White North. ESPN might have been looking to add a Canadian channel to it's repotoire, but it looks like the possibility of it happening is slim to none....

Despite pressure from cable companies to open up the Canadian market to more foreign content, the likelihood of ESPN coming into the country is virtually zero, executives said yesterday.

"We've said let in the American channels unless they threaten the economic viability of the Canadian channel," he said. "If they could put a Canadian channel under and drive them out of business, then we would say don't let them in."

ESPN would represent competition to Canadian sports channels, including Rogers-owned Sportsnet. TSN would be most severely hit by ESPN's entry into the market. They're both national services that carry a wide selection of high-end programming, some of it the same.
The collection of Canadian channels own the rights to just about every Sport in the Country, but ESPN definitely has the funds to wrestle them away. For the time being it appears you're safe Canada. Well I guess you still have to deal with Berman when he picks up his deux deux deuxs.

Executive scoffs at prospect of ESPN in Canada (Globe and Mail)

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 2:03 PM

6 Comments:

Don't forget Wilbon's trips to Windsor for the "Canadian Ballet."

Apr 1, 2008, 2:19:00 PM  

Doesn't ESPN at least partly own TSN already?

Morgan Wick said...
Apr 1, 2008, 2:37:00 PM  

Cool; they can show "DaVinci's Inquest" reruns at 3 A.M.

UnHoly Diver said...
Apr 1, 2008, 3:54:00 PM  

I still don't get why ESPN cannot just simply simulcast the TSN feed on The Deuce during hockey season. It would double Vs.'s ratings.

Anonymous said...
Apr 1, 2008, 6:22:00 PM  

This will seriously cramp Berman's plans to score some more deux, deux, deux.

Mal said...
Apr 1, 2008, 8:04:00 PM  

ESPN owns 20% of TSN. Also, TSN shows alternate programme (lol) during Maple Leafs games when there is blackout. Sometimes they are ESPN2 programming or the second channel is offered referred to as TSN2.

If you look ever see TSN, there grahpics are nearly identical to ESPN and they often have similar segments on their SportsCentre as compared to Sportscenter here in the States.

therod said...
Apr 2, 2008, 1:58:00 AM  

Post a Comment