Registered: Jan 2004
Location: Milton, Ontario
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(From TSN.ca)

TSN and the Canadian Curling Association (CCA) today announced a landmark six-year broadcast and multimedia deal, providing TSN with exclusive Canadian rights to Season of Champions events each year, making TSN the one and only home of curling in Canada. The deal commences in 2008 and runs through the 2013/14 season, fortifying TSN's long-standing partnership with the CCA that dates back to the network's inception in 1984.

Under terms of the deal, TSN will carry exclusive coverage of all eight Season of Champions events, including the semis and finals. In addition, along with afternoons and evenings, viewers will be treated to the return of the morning draws. Fans can turn to TSN for complete coverage of the Tim Hortons Brier, Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Ford World Men's and Women's Curling Championships, as well as timely coverage of the 2009 Tim Hortons Canadian Curling Trials leading into the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. The opportunity also exists to carry select matches on CTV. (See below for the complete list of curling coverage on TSN.)

"TSN has always been a staunch supporter of curling in Canada, and this deal further establishes curling as a cornerstone of the network's programming leading up to the 2010 Olympic Games and beyond," said Phil King, President, TSN. "TSN's commitment to the sport for the past two decades has been paramount in making curling the TV-friendly broadcast it is today and helped put curling on the map in Canada."

"Unprecedented coverage and the return of morning draws will be embraced by our fans and viewers across the country and around the world," said Dave Parkes, CEO, Canadian Curling Association. "This agreement and a strengthened relationship with TSN ensures a positive, exciting and long-term future for our sport."

As announced, the new six-year deal includes a comprehensive suite of multimedia rights, including broadband, mobile, video-on-demand, interactive television, podcasts and even rights for radio broadcasts. TSN intends to fully leverage these rights to continue in its efforts to build and grow Canada's curling audiences, reaching out for the first time to new and existing fans on multi-platforms. For the first time ever, Canadians will be able to watch Canada's national curling championships outside the country on the broadband platform.

TSN has confirmed that its acclaimed curling broadcast team of Vic Rauter, Linda Moore and Ray Turnbull will continue to call the action for all of the network's curling coverage. Over the years, the trio has created a broad and supportive fan base and their names have become synonymous with curling in Canada.

Partners, event sponsors and other supporters of the sport were quick to respond to today's announcement.

"The World Curling Federation recognizes the value of securing long-term predictability in a broadcast partner and is very pleased that the CCA's agreement with TSN will span two Winter Olympic Games," said Les Harrison, President, World Curling Federation.

"When a major national broadcaster like TSN commits to a 50 per cent increase in the amount of live curling coverage, it's clear that the players are extremely happy," said Paul Boutilier, President, World Curling Players Association.

"Ford of Canada is proud to have been a sponsor of Canadian curling for the past 12 years and we look forward to our joint partnership with TSN, continuing to build the sport of curling in Canada and encouraging participation from coast to coast," said David Greenberg, Vice-President, General Marketing, Ford Motor Company of Canada Limited.

"Scott Paper is excited by the return of morning broadcasts and the stability this new television agreement will provide as curling and the CCA build toward 2010 and what many believe will be the best Winter Olympics ever. We applaud the CCA for this proactive move and look forward to working with the CCA and TSN over the term of this agreement," said John McClelland, Corporate Vice-President, Consumer Business, Scott Paper Ltd.

"Tim Hortons is proud to support curling communities across the country," said David McMullen, Vice-President, Regional Marketing and National Promotions, Tim Hortons. "It has been exciting to witness the growth of the sport from community rinks to national and international competitions, such as the Tim Hortons Canadian Curling Trials and Tim Hortons Brier. The Canadian Curling Association's new partnership with TSN offers a great opportunity to continue to bring curling to Canadian audiences coast to coast. We look forward to being part of the action this winter."

TSN's curling coverage will include the following (note - coverage features weekday morning, afternoon, evening and weekend draws leading up-to and including the final draw(s) unless otherwise specified):

* Tim Hortons Brier - Teams from each province and territory compete for the title of Canadian men's champion and the right to represent Canada at the Ford World Men's Curling Championships
* Scotties Tournament of Hearts - Teams from across Canada take on the defending Team Canada champion for the Canadian women's curling championship title
* Ford World Women's Curling Championship - 12 countries hit the ice to battle for international female curling supremacy (TSN will televise all draws featuring Canada as well as the semifinals and finals when the event is held in Canada. When the tournament is played abroad, TSN will televise a minimum of the semifinals and finals)
* Ford World Men's Curling Championship - 12 countries battle to the button to decide the world's best men's curling team (TSN will televise all draws featuring Canada as well as the semifinals and finals when the event is held in Canada. When the tournament is played abroad, TSN will televise a minimum of the semifinals and finals)
* Tim Hortons Canadian Curling Trials - Arguably the biggest event on the 2009 curling calendar, the Trials features the country's elite curlers competing for the right to represent Canada at the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver 2010
* Continental Cup of Curling - A unique Ryder Cup-style tourney with players competing in men's, women's and mixed events to challenge the skills of the game's premier shot-makers
* M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors - An annual event which determines the best under-20 men's and women's curling teams in Canada (TSN will televise Saturday and Sunday final draws)
* Strauss Canada Cup of Curling - Twenty of Canada's top men's and women's curling teams battle to the button (TSN will televise Friday, Saturday and Sunday draws, including the final)

Leading into the 2008/09 curling season, TSN will continue to televise afternoon and evening draws for the first seven of nine days (Saturday through Friday) from the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Tim Hortons Brier and the Ford World Curling Championships.

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Registered: Jan 2004
Location: Milton, Ontario
Posts: 1139

This is huge news for curling

Looks like the boys at the CCA finally did something right, they deserve credit for this one.

Looking forward to Linda Vic and Ray for for the next six years! This'll be great for the sport

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Registered: Dec 2004
Location: Toronto, ON
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Great News! Way to go TSN and CCA.

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Registered: Feb 2005
Location: 24 Sussex Dr, Our Town
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And not a peep from the CBC ...

Sounds like a re-org is in order for the CBC Sports department given their recent losses - Olympics, announcers and now curling.

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CBC spokesperson Ruth-Ellen Soles said the network received a "perfunctory call" Thursday morning from the CCA telling them of the deal.

"For the first time ever there was no tender process," said Soles, meaning CBC had no chance to submit a counter-offer.

"After a more than 40-year relationship, this was disappointing."

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Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:

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Originally posted by Unregistered
CBC spokesperson Ruth-Ellen Soles said the network received a "perfunctory call" Thursday morning from the CCA telling them of the deal.

"For the first time ever there was no tender process," said Soles, meaning CBC had no chance to submit a counter-offer.

"After a more than 40-year relationship, this was disappointing."

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Disappointng

Perhaps they should have done a better job when they won the rights two seasons ago.

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Guest wrote:

"Perhaps they should have done a better job when they won the rights two seasons ago."

Accurate, elegant and correct. CBC, you had the chance to do it correctly and screwed the pooch. Don't whine because you didn't get included in the process-you didn't deserve to be.

Good thing Mike Harris got that job in Banff...

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Registered: Sep 2003
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Yay! + more curling from the canada cup
I guess I shouldn't get too excited still two years until it comes into effect.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Unregistered
CBC spokesperson Ruth-Ellen Soles said the network received a "perfunctory call" Thursday morning from the CCA telling them of the deal.

"For the first time ever there was no tender process," said Soles, meaning CBC had no chance to submit a counter-offer.

"After a more than 40-year relationship, this was disappointing."

---

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Registered: Mar 2006
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mike harris must have smelled this one a mile away... no wonder he jumped at the chance to be gainfully employed in beautiful banff.

now maybe don whitman can do the world a favour and retire for good.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Boot4
Great News! Way to go TSN and CCA.

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quote:

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Originally posted by duct_tape



Had their coverage quality two years ago not sparked national outrage i'm sure CBC would have been given a chance to bid

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Registered: Mar 2005
Location: Saskatchewan. Say NO to bill 80!
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I had to check tsn.ca for myself,to make sure this wasn't a sick joke.(Sorry for not trusting you,duct tape,but there have been many highs and corresponding lows through out this tv saga,I had to be sure.)It looks like an amazing amount of coverage,great to see morning draws coming back.Let the whineing on Front St. begin!!(Oh,Ruth Ellen Soles,I see it has.)

Has Neil Marriot been informed!! (Oh happy day!!! : :chug

Last edited by dinorock2005 on 06-16-06 at 12:27AM

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Oh yes and if Dave Parkes did this deal a few years ago, he would still have a job and get a raise... Duhoooo! as Homer Simpson would day...

He should take a pay cut for this now...

Curling fan...

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quote:

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Originally posted by Unregistered
Oh yes and if Dave Parkes did this deal a few years ago, he would still have a job and get a raise... Duhoooo! as Homer Simpson would day...

He should take a pay cut for this now...

Curling fan...

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Exactly how old will Ray be in 2014? And how long since he played the game? And how many decisions on his choice of red wine will we hear about? good god

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Before we get all warm and fuzzy about this deal. What are the numbers? The reason CBC got the last contract was because they paid for it. As far as I know TSN has paid very little for any television rights in the past.
On a good day the CCA makes suspect decisions and why were there no rumours of this, it sounds iffy

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quote:

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Originally posted by Rain Man
Before we get all warm and fuzzy about this deal. What are the numbers? The reason CBC got the last contract was because they paid for it. As far as I know TSN has paid very little for any television rights in the past.
On a good day the CCA makes suspect decisions and why were there no rumours of this, it sounds iffy

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Don't look too hard for contract numbers. I would imagine that it would be confidential. Numbers may slip out over time or speculated by people but you won't find them written officially on the internet anywhere.

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A media summary on yesterday's explosive news today at The Curling News Blog...

-----
Subscribe TODAY to THE CURLING NEWS!
http://www.thecurlingnews.com

READ the BLOG!
http://curlnews.blogspot.com

RAISE FUNDS for your CLUB!
http://www.travelrebates4curling.com

SUPPORT wheelchair curling!
http://www.shootforacure.org

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The CCA probably got the type of deal that one would expect from a very motivated seller after just getting burned by an earlier deal. At least they won't have to go through this again for a long time, giving the CCA a chance to figure out how to negoiate a good TV deal.

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I know the CBC has made enemies in the curling community, but this is a bad deal for the CCA. Any sports organization that issues a no-tendered contract is limiting its opportunity to increase revenue by restricting competition. It is also poor form not to give first-refusal to a partner of 40 years. Why should any network trust the CCA in anything anymore after this? It damages the reputation of the CCA.

Also, this deal also means we're closer to the end of the era where sports are broadcast over-the-air. Not everybody has cable! I hope CTV allows the final to be over-the-air.

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At last. Nice to see some others hop off the drooling bandwagon.

duct_tape is a TSN employee, dinorock is an avowed anti-Harrisite and most others are gushing fanboys of the Toronto Sports Network, the kings of tape-delayed curling in Canada.

1. How much $$ for curling? Globe today says it’s the same old, same old donation of TV time for the sponsors so it’s up to CCA to sell the commercials to get curling some revenue. They’ve done a great job on that over the years right? Why do the Raptors get RIGHTS FEES for less than 100,000 game viewers and curling gets butkus for double and triple those ratings? That was then and this is now, it's an Olympic sport and we deserve the $$. How much $$ for curling?
2. When will TSN realize their country bumpkin, folksy approach to coverage is doing a disservice to the sport? We're hosting the next Olympics, can we please start to treat this sport with some professional respect? And they talk about attracting a younger demographic. But that won’t happen with shows that cater to established curling fans.........old geezers. When will TSN overhaul the shows and get some fresh talent?
3. How much $$ for curling?
4. Great to see podcasting, broadband and all this stuff included. But what about high-definition? Not a word about that from either side. If TSN will put 30 of their 50 CFL games on HD then curling demands HD.
5. How much $$ for curling?
6. We need to hear from the TV curling guru himself. Covey: HOW MUCH $$ FOR CURLING???

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Registered: Mar 2005
Location: Saskatchewan. Say NO to bill 80!
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]And you are Nancy Lee.Keep up the whineing.Maybe somebody gives a damn.(Anti-Harrisite?You spit it out like I am the anti-******.For the record I don't dislike Mike Harris,I just find his curling coverage boring,like dry toast made with the whitest of white bread.I feel much more comfortable with the country bumpkins,but then again,there are thousands of us who are not as sophisticated as you are my unregistered friend.)More curling coverage is GOOD for the game.Country canada (the Cow channel),was,let me spell it out for you,B.A.D. for the game.Good riddance to CBC.(I have asked this question before.Are you the unregistered who sells gay porn on this site?Not that I am looking mind you.)
[B]At last. Nice to see some others hop off the drooling bandwagon.

duct_tape is a TSN employee, dinorock is an avowed anti-Harrisite and most others are gushing fanboys of the Toronto Sports Network, the kings of tape-delayed curling in Canada.

1. How much $$ for curling? Globe today says it’s the same old, same old donation of TV time for the sponsors so it’s up to CCA to sell the commercials to get curling some revenue. They’ve done a great job on that over the years right? Why do the Raptors get RIGHTS FEES for less than 100,000 game viewers and curling gets butkus for double and triple those ratings? That was then and this is now, it's an Olympic sport and we deserve the $$. How much $$ for curling?
2. When will TSN realize their country bumpkin, folksy approach to coverage is doing a disservice to the sport? We're hosting the next Olympics, can we please start to treat this sport with some professional respect? And they talk about attracting a younger demographic. But that won’t happen with shows that cater to established curling fans.........old geezers. When will TSN overhaul the shows and get some fresh talent?
3. How much $$ for curling?
4. Great to see podcasting, broadband and all this stuff included. But what about high-definition? Not a word about that from either side. If TSN will put 30 of their 50 CFL games on HD then curling demands HD.
5. How much $$ for curling?
6. We need to hear from the TV curling guru himself. Covey: HOW MUCH $$ FOR CURLING??? [/B][/QUOTE]

Last edited by dinorock2005 on 06-17-06 at 02:11AM

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Registered: Jan 2004
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Wow, you appear to be a very bitter man, Last thing I expected on this thread was personal jabs. And no, I do not, and never have worked for TSN

On the Contrary, TSN's coverage over the years has been dynamite, the reason televised curling is where it is today is because of TSN.

I agree curling deserves significant money, but where are you going to get it from? CBC? sure, however if you want to severely limit the amount of coverage, and put many games on Country Canada (who nobody gets), that's great. Doing this, any money you'll recieve in a broadcasting contract, you'll lose by pissing off your sponsors and lower exposure is a killer long-term. Try catering to a younger demographic when three quarters of the games are on Country Canada. That's a brilliant business move.

Curling is still an amateur sport, there's some money to be had, but there are no fully professional curlers. You can't honestly and realistically compare it to a multi-billion dollar league like the NBA. I'm as big a curling fan as any, but if you expect any TV station to pay as much for day 2 of the brier as an NBA deal, you're in dreamland. Hey, i'd love that to be a reality too, but it's just not the case. There isn't the same kind of money in it.

The major flaw in your arguement, is that you admit many times over, you have no idea how big the TV contract is for. How can you start bashing it as a horrible deal when you don't have any clue to what the deal is, apart from a greatly expanded broadcasting schedule? Your opinion is completely uninformed and ignorant.

My point, as stated above in another post, the greatest exposure the sport can get is the greatest deal, i'd take a smaller contract if it means more exposure. If you want curling to become professional, you'll have to attract an even larger audience, and more sponsorship dollars. You're not going to do that on Country Canada. This is an excellent deal to help grow the sport. I've been very critical of the CCA before, but they deserve credit on this one.

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