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TSN Announces Long-Term Rights Extension With CFL

“Details of the agreement were not announced, but according to Postmedia’s Dan Barnes, the deal will extend through 2025, worth at least $50 million annually.”

Brandon Contes

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As they get set to play their championship game this Sunday, Nov. 24, The Canadian Football League announced a long-term extension of their broadcast partnership with TSN. 

Details of the agreement were not announced, but according to Postmedia’s Dan Barnes, the deal will extend through 2025, worth at least $50 million annually. The new contract continues a longstanding partnership between the CFL and TSN.

“To us, this is by far the best partnership in Canadian sport – one built on trust, respect and a shared love of the great game of Canadian football,” CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in the announcement. “Our league’s growth strategy, CFL 2.0, is about expansion, innovation, and literally taking on the world. We are thrilled to reach an agreement that allows us to look to the future as we continue to grow with our loyal and committed partners at TSN and RDS by our sides every step of the way.”

The current contract, set to expire in 2021 was worth $43 million annually and originally began as a five-year deal in 2013.  In 2015, however, both sides agreed to a three year extension that was tacked on to the end of the deal.  Now, two years before their most recent agreement is up for renewal, the CFL has agreed to a new and more lucrative $50 million contract with TSN.  Prior to the $43 million contract agreed to in 2013, the CFL and TSN had a five-year deal worth just $15 million annually.

“As one of our biggest and most iconic sports properties, the CFL has become synonymous with TSN and RDS. The league is built upon a rich history and a dynamic on-field product that’s beloved by millions of passionate fans across the country,” said Stewart Johnston, President, Media Sales and Marketing, Bell Media, and President of TSN. “We are very excited to work with Randy and his entire team on their forward-thinking CFL 2.0 vision, and to continue to shine the national spotlight on this amazing league across TSN platforms for years to come.”

Through their partnerships, TSN has helped viewership increase for the Canadian Football League.  TSN and RDS will continue to hold exclusive rights to all CFL broadcasts including their championship game, the Grey Cup which takes place this Sunday.

Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here

Sports TV News

Steve Rosenberg Out As President of Diamond Sports Group

“John Ourand of Sports Business Journal reports that a memo went out to the company on Monday morning announcing the change.”

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A company declaring bankruptcy is never good for the people at the top. Steve Rosenberg is experiencing that right now. He is out as the president of Diamond Sports Group.

John Ourand of Sports Business Journal reports that a memo went out to the company on Monday morning announcing the change. In it, Diamond CEO David Preschlack wrote that CFO David DeVoe will assume Rosenberg’s responsibilities for now.

Steve Rosenberg joined Sinclair in 2020. He replaced Jeff Krolik as the company’s president of local sports.

Last week, Diamond Sports Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company intends to work out new deals with the NBA and NHL for its Bally Sports RSNs in hopes that it will remain in tact. Ourand writes that an attempt to do the same with Major League Baseball has not yielded meaningful results as of yet.

“With the recent appointments we have made to the senior leadership team, and the talented staff we have throughout the organization, I am confident in this team’s ability to work together to execute our strategic goals at this time,” Preschlack wrote in his memo.

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Sports TV News

Variety Predicts Sports Betting Broadcasts Future of RSNs

“With the state of the RSN business a little hazy for some networks, closer integration with gambling is something that VIP+ expects to be leant into more in an effort to engage the most passionate local fans.”

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The sports betting market grew in 2022. With five new states legalizing mobile wagering last year, that is not a surprise. The overall take for sportsbooks was $93.4 billion. That is a whopping 84% growth over 2021.

With so much money coming from new markets, Variety wanted to get an idea of how much the sports betting industry is actually growing versus how much of the growth is artificial.

The study from the publication’s VIP+ shows that in markets with a full year of mobile wagering on the books before 2022, the growth is slower but still significant at 19%. Writer Gavin Bridge suggests that the statistic could hold the answer for the future of regional sports networks.

“While winning money was the most popular reason for sports betting, data provided by VIP+’s research partner CRG Global in our ‘Sports Gambling & Media‘ report show that one of the most popular reasons was that betting ‘makes the games I watch more exciting,’ with several other reasons relating to watching televised games also important to some betters,” he writes.

With regional sports networks looking for a new model in the face of serious economic uncertainty, Bridge points to Comcast’s regional NBC Sports networks as a reasonable path forward.

Through its partnership with PointsBet, NBC offers alternate broadcasts of the local teams it covers that have a gambling focus. The alternate feed have not been available for every game on the RSNs, but Bridge writes that we could see more of that in the future.

“With the state of the RSN business a little hazy for some networks, closer integration with gambling is something that VIP+ expects to be leant into more in an effort to engage the most passionate local fans. Ultimately, sports betting overlays and alternative game feeds can be anticipated for most major sports in the coming years as media partners look for new revenue streams and ways to engage fans for longer.”

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Sports TV News

NCAA Tournament Delivers Highest-Rated Round of 64 Ever

“ For the first round on Thursday and Friday of last week, games accomplished a total audience delivery of 9.2 million viewers.”

Jordan Bondurant

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The first two rounds of the 2023 NCAA tournament are in the books, and the TV ratings indicate historic viewership.

For the first round on Thursday and Friday of last week, games accomplished a total audience delivery of 9.2 million viewers. This was for contests on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV in addition to streaming on March Madness Live.

Action on Thursday averaged 8.4 million, up 2% compared to 2022.

On Friday, game broadcasts averaged 9.3 million, making it the most-watched first round ever.

The Sweet 16 tips off on Thursday this week.

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