TORONTO – Rogers Sportsnet tore the wrapper off its new flagship show, Sportsnet Connected, on Monday evening, aimed squarely at the young male audience.
It was a little irreverent and a little silly (even moreso than sports news programs usually are), the anchors wore jeans, ties are now verboten and I think I saw one host’s hirsute bellybutton (no, not Martine Gaillard’s), while some of the other reporters grew out a soul patch.
Most of the chairs have vanished and the anchor desks are either gone or redesigned – and 6 p.m. host Brad Fay looked maybe a little uncomfortable at the show’s start, dwarfed as he was by the huge 103-inch Panasonic plasma TV that is now the set’s calling card (Pictured below is host Jim Lang and one of the channel’s cameramen with the enormous screen).
“Sportsnet Connected aims to be the most entertaining, informative and fast-paced sports highlights and information show in Canada,” said Dave Akande, vice president, content, Rogers Sportsnet, in a press release. “This will all be accomplished by not only preserving our commitment to home team coverage but building upon it.”
The new name is just the beginning, says the company. Sportsnet Connected also features a new set, graphics, music and show segments, such as the new "In-Box" segment that looks at other sports and sports-related content from the web.
“Sportsnet Connected is not a news offering," added Akande. "Sportsnet is in the entertainment business and we will strive to entertain our viewers in every aspect of the show.”
– Greg O’Brien
