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Sportsnet gets Canadian World Cup rights and more


Daniel

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http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/article.jsp?content=20041116_105952_920

FIFA World Cup Germany 2006

Futsal World Championship 2004

FIFA World Youth Championship 2005

FIFA U-17 World Championship 2005

FIFA Confederations Cup 2005

FIFA U-19 Women's World Championships 2004 and 2006

Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cups 2005 and 2006

2004, 2005 and 2006 FIFA World Player Galas

It has not snatched up French-language rights.

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The good part of this is that Craig Forrest can be part of the studio commentary. I missed him during Euro 2004. Hopefully they'll get the BBC/ITV match commentary like TSN has done in the past.

It won't get quite the wide exposure that it did on CBC, but Sportsnet is still pretty widely distributed. As long as we get all the games, I'm happy. With four regional feeds, hopefully they'll provide all the games live.

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It's almost a perfect mix for SN given the dates of the World Cup (late June-early July, when basketball and hoceky are over, and they don't carry CFL matches), and the fact that they can vary the delayed or replayed matches on their various channels. They will cover most of the matches live (unlike for the other FIFA events), I just hope they don't penalize us non-digital types by having the best live broadcasts on only one band. If so, I'll be propping up my elbows at many a bar.

Interesting that they also have the rights for the non-English broadcasts for many of the non-French languages. Given the incoming licensed foreign channels, they could start a bid between them and domestic ethnic channels (particularly TLN) for the rights to show the matches, potentially a fair money-maker.

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I wouldn't discount a possible association with CBC like we saw in 2002 for some prime-time repeats.

Some thing that touches our soccer: I think this would guarantee that if Canada makes any FIFA tournament, we get the games (ie no more WYC2003 scenarios).

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Futsal is really relevant to our game. Thank god the CSA puts money that we could spend on our MNT into futsal. Now the MILLIONS of young Cdn kids playing futsal will be able to see it played at the highest level. I hope the mighty Pharoahs of Egypt are in the running again. Thank you Sportsnet for putting our MNT on at an unwatchable hour but not depriving us of FA Cup opening round games and Futsal.

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Well, according to the excellent article posted on the other thread about Robinho

http://64.4.43.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=d15d975e917eff28a7fa32d1f46e5a56&lat=1100662752&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2efutebolthebrazilianwayoflife%2ecom%2fread%2easp%3fArticleId%3d9

most of the Brazilian skill at football is learned playing futsal. Most elite players never get on a grass field until thay are about 16 there. It is great training for regular football, unlike "indoor soccer" which is an alien species that has gone on to reduce the effectiveness of many North American players.

So, it is relevant, and I expect it is one key to developing better players in Canada, where we have great grass fields but only available about 7 months of the year in most places.

Of course, it shouldn't be broadcast in lieu of real soccer matches involving our MNT.

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Well, I don't really care which channel carries the World Cup, because I know someone always will. I am much more interested in the announcement about those other tournaments, because we don't usually get to see them.

However, note that the announcement does not actually say that Sportsnet will be broadcasting any of those other events. All that is said is "a second agreement between Infront and Sportsnet covers a package of additional FIFA events". Perhaps this just gives Sportsnet priority to acquire the actual rights, or something like that (sort of like the way Sportsnet must deal with obtaining Canada matches on a case-by-case basis).

I find it hard to believe that Sportsnet would pay the amounts required to obtain the rights to all those tournaments. The rights to any FIFA men's tournament are expensive, and, unlike the World Cup, I don't think the return on those tournaments would be very good. So I'm guessing that, if anything, we'll get only a few late-round matches (in addition to any Canada matches) from each.

If it turns out that Sportsnet will pay large sums to broadcast any of those other tournaments, then I would be even more disappointed that they do not broadcast all Canadian national team matches at all levels and no Canadian club matches whatsoever.

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Interesting note about French and Arabic rights in Canada going to a Swiss concern, on soccertv.com:

"Rogers Sportsnet acquires Canadian TV rights to World Cup 2006

November 16, 2004

Canadian regional sports network Rogers Sportsnet has signed an agreement to acquire exclusive Canadian TV rights, in 6 languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Cantonese, and Mandarin), to FIFA World Cup 2006.

The agreement does NOT cover French or Arabic-language rights, which will be sold by Swiss sports marketing agency Infront Sports and Media AG to other Canadian broadcasters.

Rogers Sportsnet has also signed a second agreement with Infront to acquire Canadian TV rights in 6 languages to all other FIFA events with the exception of the FIFA Club World Championship through 2006."

It would be interesting to see an expose about "Infront", but Blatter and his buds have everything so tied up even the former General Secretary Ruffinen (before he got canned for rocking the boat) couldn't get the goods against him just prior to the last WC.

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I do remember not so long ago, that during World Cup TV matches on TSN, a " reduced screen" with commercials was used , while the match broadcast was muted. If you think this sort of thing will not happen again, or some type of "sneaky" commercial intervention will not occur, then you are in the wrong country. I can remember the mighty US of A tentatively suggesting a good few years back ,that soccer be divided into 4 quarters, therby allowing many moola -making ads, FIFA were not impressed! Don't underestimate these bastards, they care about the big dollar, and NOT soccer!! Anyway I'm still writing nasty letters to all and sundry, get on the bandwagon and continue contacting people. CANADA--"The World's Soccer Wasteland"

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