TORONTO – Think Toronto’s the centre of the universe? Okay, maybe it isn’t, but the city’s hockey team is surely the centre of the Canadian sports broadcaster universe.
No less than three press releases arrived within about 30 minutes of each other yesterday trumpeting long-term deals that boasted of lots of Leafs coverage. Terms of the deals were not disclosed but calling them “multi-million-dollar deals” is bang-on.
Rogers Sportsnet, on account of it has the most games among the cable channels with 22 this year and for seven more seasons after this, can also call itself the club’s Official Broadcaster.
(CBC holds the primary National Hockey League contract and will show the blue and white 28 times this year.)
"The Leafs are thrilled to have Rogers Sportsnet as our primary television rights holder for the next eight years," said Tom Anselmi, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, in the press release. "They take a leading-edge approach to their hockey coverage, which is great for both the Leafs and our fans.”
“We share the Leafs’ excitement at our new long-term partnership” said Rogers Sportsnet president Doug Beeforth. “We look forward to working with the team to ensure Leaf fans get the coverage they expect.” Sportsnet also holds the regional rights to a number of Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks games on its regional channels.
Until this season, TSN had the larger Leafs deal, but TSN wasn’t able to place LeafsTV on digital basic like Rogers Cable was and that deal was a precursor to this rights coup for Rogers Sportsnet.
The Leafs make their 2007-08 season debut on Sportsnet on Tuesday, October 9 when they host Carolina. A divisional showdown at Buffalo follows October 15.
Next up is the team’s own channel as Leafs TV announced it will broadcast 20 games during the 2007-08 NHL season, with an extra promise: All of the team’s games carried by LeafsTV will be shown in high definition, in the hopes that Ontario’s carriers west of Ottawa carry the LeafsTV feed in HD.
In addition, Leafs Nation can tune in to all eight preseason games on Leafs TV beginning with the September 18 opener at Edmonton.
Finally, TSN announced its own eight-year deal agreement for the team’s regional telecasts, meaning it will air 12 games, in addition to the channel’s large league deal which will see TSN air 70 NHL games. Seven of the Leafs games will air nationally and will be in HD.
The NHL on TSN Maple Leafs broadcast schedule gets underway on October 3 – opening night of the NHL season in North America – with a national telecast featuring the battle of Ontario with Ottawa @ Toronto
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