TORONTO and NEW YORK – TSN and RDS have extended their long-term, multi-year programming agreement with ESPN International, the sports networks announced Tuesday.
The new deal allows TSN and RDS platforms to retain exclusive Canadian access to original ESPN programming, including ESPN Films and thousands of hours of live sports events and news and information programming each year.
A highlight of the agreement includes the Canadian broadcast rights to ESPN’s slate of college football programming, including the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in 2014 and the new College Football Playoff (CFP) beginning in January of 2015, as well as other key Bowl match-ups. Additional highlights include NCAA basketball, the Australian Open, and ESPN’s extensive football news programming.
As part of the agreement, Bell Media Radio holds radio broadcast rights, while TSN and RDS digital platforms acquire Canadian media rights to ESPN digital content, including video, fantasy games and ESPN.com’s team of columnists and Insider analysis.
“ESPN is the one of the world’s leading sport entertainment companies and we are thrilled to extend our long and successful partnership to bring Canadians the best of ESPN programming, including its extensive coverage of the Bowl Championship Series and College Football Playoff,” said TSN president Stewart Johnston, in the news release. “The strength of TSN has always been the breadth and depth of our broadcast schedule and this partnership underscores our commitment to bringing our viewers, clients, and partners sports and news content from the United States’ top sports media brand.”
ESPN holds a 33% equity interest in TSN and RDS. The relationship dates back to 2001.
