You didn't believe us? Hey... would we lie to you?Word today, finally, from both CBC and TSN at 10:00am eastern time that the deal is done. A three-year television agreement with some flexibility, apparently, including a "minimum two games a day" of TSN's round-robin coverage of the big three – STOH, Brier and Worlds (Women's, ie. in Canada only).
Excerpts, first from the Corporation:
"Under this new deal CBC Sports will show the championship weekends of the Scott Tournament of Hearts, the Tim Hortons Brier and the Tim Hortons Curling Trials, (Olympics), as well as the Ford World Championships – which, this year, are the Women’s World Championships in Canada – plus the Junior National Championships, The Strauss Canada Cup, and the final weekend of the Ford World Men’s Championships from Lowell, Mass.
CBC has brought TSN on board to cover the first seven days of the events.
'We’re very pleased with this deal,' said Nancy Lee, Executive Director, CBC Sports. 'The CBC wants to ensure curling fans see the greatest number of draws and this new deal achieves it.' ”
And from The Sports Network:
"TSN will televise afternoon and evening draws for the first seven of nine days (Saturday through Friday) from the Scott Tournament of Hearts, Tim Hortons Brier, and the Ford World Curling Championships held in Canada. This upcoming season, TSN will also televise the highly anticipated Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings Canadian Curling Trials, the first event of the season, which takes place from Halifax beginning December 3.
'Public support for TSN's curling coverage has been overwhelming, and I'm thrilled to announce that we're back on the ice,' said Phil King, President, TSN. 'Since Day One, curling has been synonymous with TSN and we're looking forward to returning it to the TSN schedule.'"
The Curling News was the first – naturally – to speak with Dave Parkes, CEO of the Canadian Curling Association, and some of his comments were that "it's been a challenging summer, but it's a very competitive (broadcast) environment. The CCA, all of us working on this issue, stayed focussed on our objective, which was to deliver the best television solution for the sport, for all our constituents."
See the Sept. 29 posting right here on The Curling News Blog for first thoughts on the deal, and how that landscape compares with the "official" news that is sure to flow fast and furious in the days ahead.
More from Parkes, the broadcasters, the talent and of course you, the fans, in the November issue of The Curling News... just days away!
2 comments:
At a glance, it sure looks like the old deal. Hopefully, the CCA did not wind up losing their shirts on it. The coverage will be better, but I wonder what the CCA lost with its bizarre negotiating tactics.
Of course, this was all old news to me, since I've been reading this blog all along.
I'd be shocked and appalled (yes, both) if the deal didn't include an agreement to drop any legal action. There may have been financial penalties for renogotiating the deal, but even if there were, the new deal reestablishes a solid sponsorship revenue stream.
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