-Vintage Canuck- Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Rogers Media inc. have their eyes on Hockey Night in Canada rights: Rogers Media Inc. has its eye on the venerable Hockey Night in Canada franchise, which has been a Saturday night staple for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. since 1952. Having recently expanded its network nationally through a series of deals and partnerships, Rogers Media president Keith Pelley said the broadcaster is taking a serious look at bidding on rights to Saturday night hockey when they come up for renewal in two years. “Sports is a major focus,” Mr. Pelley said. “Is Hockey Night part of our plan? It’s a little premature to talk about details, but we certainly have to take a look.” Earlier this month, Rogers (RCI.B-T35.95-0.65-1.78%) bought Métro14 Montréal CJNT in Montreal and partnered with the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group to deliver CityTV content to communities in British Columbia and Alberta. Mr. Pelley said the broadcaster can now offer advertisers national packages with the promise of about 9 million potential viewers, and can pursue programming that is intended to reach audiences across the country . CityTV doesn’t have an Atlantic presence, but Mr. Pelley said there is a plan that is “not quite ready to be announced yet” that will address the gap. Rogers unveiled its lineup of shows for the new season on Tuesday in Toronto, and one slot it would like to improve in coming years is Saturday night. Hockey would certainly fill that space, especially considering that Rogers is about to become part owners, with BCE Inc., of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. “Saturday is still a very difficult night for us,” Mr. Pelley said. “With our distribution now, maybe we could actually bid for Hockey Night in Canada... this is a conversation we couldn’t have last year because we didn’t have national distribution.” The rights to Hockey Night in Canada were last renewed in 2005, and come up for renewal again in 2015. With budget cuts biting deep, there has been speculation CBC could lose the rights, but at a recent industry event executive vice-president of English services Kirstine Stewart said the public broadcaster would aggressively pursue a renewal. The message was underscored at the CBC’s annual new programs showcase two weeks ago, as NHL commissioner Gary Bettman trumpeted the benefits of a CBC-NHL partnership. “There's probably no more iconic brands in Canada than the CBC, Hockey Night in Canada and the NHL,” he said. “That accounts for 60 years of a great relationship, which is unprecedented because we work so well together.” Ms. Stewart has said her network targets a broader audience than the sports broadcasters, which makes it an important player in any negotiations. But that was assuming that Rogers would want to put games on its Sportsnet channel, which it does not. CTV, which owns TSN, could also be a contender if the bidding heats up. “What we provide is different from what TSN and Sportsnet does,” she said at the event. “We provide a generalized audience, and these guys are at the top of the sports market.” CTV Inc., which owns TSN, could also be a contender. Scott Henderson, vice-president of communications for CTV’s parent company Bell Media Inc., said the broadcaster would “most likely take a look at it when the time comes, as we would look at any sports contract that becomes available and that could strengthen our business.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/rogers-eyes-hockey-night-in-canada-rights/article2446306/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlayStation Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Damn, Bell already has TSN, Rogers has Sportsnet, so basically they'll own all the hockey thats broadcasted in Canada. Not to mention the stakes in teams and Arena naming rights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SynysterGates Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Leafs owners also owning Hockey Night? Oh boy, more Leafs games for all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dKs89 Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 I actually wouldn't mind this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etsen3 Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 I'm pretty sure CBC won't be very willing to give up the rights to HNIC. Yes, they are facing budget cuts, but HNIC is one of their biggest money makers, so it would make no sense to not renew the contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokasmoka Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Great if there is one TV crew worst than CBC its Sportsnet.... Just be like the NFL and allow all 3 networks to broadcasts games nationally no matter what day it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opmac Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 I think we might see Rogers Media and CBC bid together for the NHL rights like they are for the 2014 Winter Olympics to counter what will for sure be a very strong bid from Bell Media. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobble Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Either TSN or CBC... Please not Sportsnet. More bush-league than CBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Walrus Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I'm not sure why but tsn games sound and look so much better for me. It feels like sportsnet use garbage mics or something. Tsn games sound and look exciting compared to sportsnet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opmac Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I'm not sure why but tsn games sound and look so much better for me. It feels like sportsnet use garbage mics or something. Tsn games sound and look exciting compared to sportsnet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyville88 Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 TSN needs to land this one They are already far more enjoyable to watch, their commentators are far superior to those at CBC, and their panelists and analysts are more credible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyville88 Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Wow how about this: RT @SNJamieThomas: Big moment for #Sportsnet. We will broadcast all of HBOs 24/7 series that leads up to 2013 Winter Classic. Good start for them in increasing viewership Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnews Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I don't know what I would do if I didn't have PJ Stock, Don Cherry, Mike Milbury, Ron McLean, and Mark Lee to look forward to... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argon Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 common Bell, I dont care the price, just make sure Sportsnet doesnt get the rights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theo5789 Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Is there any other reason to watch CBC other than for HNIC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Is there any other reason to watch CBC other than for HNIC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoneypuckOverlord Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Hell yea. I am sick and tired of CBC. Bring Rogers, who I assume owns Rogers sportsnet? To broad cast our games. We need some Canucks supporters to do the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smyl ( : Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 bye ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrill-House Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I'm not sure why but tsn games sound and look so much better for me. It feels like sportsnet use garbage mics or something. Tsn games sound and look exciting compared to sportsnet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobble Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 If Rogers gets HNIC we can expect the Leafs every weekend... So no change whatsoever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.