TSN2
Encyclopedia
TSN2 is a secondary feed of the Canadian
English language
Category C
specialty channel
TSN
, owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc., a joint venture of Bell Media (80%) and ESPN
(20%). It was launched in its current form on August 29, 2008.
TSN and TSN2 operate under a single Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) licence, which originally meant that TSN2 was restricted to a few hours of live programming a day, with all other programs on a three-hour tape delay
from TSN's main feed. With the implementation of new conditions of licence from the CRTC in early 2010, which permit multiple feeds with no limits on additional programming, the tape delay is no longer observed, with other original or repeat programming from the TSN and ESPN libraries airing alongside live events.
TSN2, unlike the main TSN feed, is only available to be distributed by digital cable
and satellite
, rather than analogue cable, although it has been carried by some cable operators on analogue on a short-term "preview" basis.
for TSN programming in some areas. In its original iteration, the alternate feed could only air on analog cable in specific areas, replacing the national service. Alternate programming could make up a maximum of 10% of the TSN schedule — an average of 2.4 hours a day.
In fall 2006, TSN was allowed by the CRTC to air multiple feeds nationally, with the alternate feed only available on digital platforms, as had previously been permitted for Rogers Sportsnet
's regional feeds. In essence this meant that for digital cable
and satellite
subscribers, TSN now had two channels on which to air programming. The broadcaster's use of the alternate feed changed significantly following this decision, as the alternate feed began to carry a much larger number of live events that could be aired nationally when the main feed was carrying another ongoing event.
The Globe and Mail
announced on August 6, 2008 that the TSN alternate feed would be replaced by a new network known as TSN2. The new channel promised "major league programming" throughout the day, and would have extensive coverage of auto racing and tennis. Unlike the existing TSN alternate feed, which was available free of charge, service providers (and potentially, in turn, consumers) would be required to pay extra in order to carry TSN2, and providers that had not yet agreed to carry the new channel were required to stop carrying the alternate feed in August 2008. Unlike the alternate feed, TSN2 would also be available in high-definition.
Initially, TSN2 was restricted to acting as a timeshift channel
for TSN, with most non-live programming being aired on a three hour tape delay
from TSN proper, allowing TSN2 viewers in the Pacific Time Zone
to watch many programs at the same local time as TSN viewers in the Eastern Time Zone
. However, as had been the case with the alternate feed, up to 10% of the TSN2 schedule could consist of alternative live sporting events that cannot air on TSN due to other programming commitments.
A separate TSN2 channel had been approved by the CRTC in 2000, but was never launched due to a prohibition on live programming. The authority for this channel expired in 2004 and never re-applied for, so the present TSN2 is not directly connected to the 2000 licence.
The new channel was launched on August 29, 2008 at 7 p.m. EST, with live coverage of the US Open tennis tournament continued from TSN, followed by an encore presentation of a Friday night CFL game aired earlier on TSN.
TSN2 HD, a high definition simulcast of TSN2, launched simultaneous to that of the standard-definition channel.
Since February 1, 2010, TSN has been subject to revised conditions of licence that allow TSN2 to operate autonomously from TSN's main channel.
) would fill out the schedule.
TSN2's alternative programming typically consists of NHL games, including alternative Stanley Cup Playoff games when TSN proper is carrying another playoff game; NBA games featuring the Toronto Raptors
; and NASCAR
Nationwide Series races. However, it has also included tennis
, boxing
, baseball
and Major League Lacrosse
coverage.
On October 22, 2008, it was announced that TSN2 would air 25 Toronto Raptors basketball games during the 2008-2009 NBA season. However, due to the lack of carriage agreements at the time, these games were not available to cable subscribers in the team's home market of Toronto and other regions served by Rogers, as well as Vidéotron subscribers in Quebec.
On May 19, 2010, it was announced that Rogers Sportsnet & TSN2 had signed a multi-year agreement whereby TSN would acquire the rights to air English Premier League soccer matches. Under the terms of the deal, TSN2 acquires the rights to 1 early Saturday morning match and all Monday matches.
On August 11, 2010, TSN2 announced it had acquired the rights to air UEFA Champions League
Soccer matches. Under the terms of the deal, TSN & TSN2 will combine to air 20 matches per year for the next two years starting with the 2010-2011 season.
On August 20, 2010, TSN2 announced it had signed a multi-year agreement with Canada Basketball
to become the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of various international basketball tournaments. Under the terms of the 2-year deal, TSN2 will be the exclusive broadcaster of the 2010 FIBA World Championship
, 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women
, FIBA Americas Championship 2011
& FIBA Americas Championship for Women 2011.
For its 2010 edition
, TSN and TSN2 became the new Canadian broadcasters of the Spengler Cup
hockey tournament. TSN2 would broadcast most of the tournament's games.
On October 27, 2011, Bell Media, TSN and TSN2 announced that they had secured broadcast rights for FIFA soccer from 2015 to 2022. The rights include the 2018 FIFA World Cup
, 2022 FIFA World Cup
and 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
.
, Bell Aliant, Bell TV, Cogeco
, EastLink
, Rogers Cable
, SaskTel
, Shaw Cable
, Shaw Direct, Vidéotron
, and a number of independent cablesystems.
Rogers Cable
, which serves much of the Greater Toronto Area
, notably did not carry TSN2 from its launch, leaving cable viewers without the ability to view the select Toronto Raptors NBA games TSN2 aired in the team's own home market in the season following the launch. After months of negotiations, TSN2 was finally added to the lineup in May 2009. The apparent impetus for the deal was a planned broadcast of three key mid-May games between the Toronto Blue Jays
and Boston Red Sox
(at that point the top two teams in the AL East) on TSN2; the Blue Jays are owned by Rogers Communications
, as is Rogers Cable.
reported on September 15, 2008, that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
(who have a licence for CBC SportsPlus, a sports channel focusing on Canadian athletes with a particular interest on amateur sports) and Score Media
(owners of The Score, whose ability to air live programming is restricted due to being licensed as a sports news service akin to ESPNews
) made a complaint to the CRTC about TSN2's exploitation of a rule imposed by the CRTC legally allowing timeshifted feeds of channels for the west coast, subject to regulatory requirements restricting the amount of alternate programming that can be shown on alternate feeds. John Levy of Score Media claimed that TSN2 should not be allowed to sell new advertising on the network based on their interpretation of the rules.
However, these complaints were ultimately dismissed by the CRTC.
Soon after TSN2 was launched, the CRTC announced a proposal to remove genre exclusivity protections for "mainstream sports" and "national news" channels in the near future. As a byproduct of the decision, TSN would be allowed to use streamlined conditions of licence which states that the service may offer "multiple feeds", without any restrictions on alternate programming. TSN was officially permitted to use these streamlined conditions of licence on February 1, 2010.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Category C
Category C services
A Category C service is a Canadian specialty television channel which, as defined by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, are services that provide programming in genres that are exempted from the CRTC's format protection rules and are subject to standard conditions of...
specialty channel
Specialty channel
A specialty channel can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targeted television market at a specific demographic....
TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
, owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc., a joint venture of Bell Media (80%) and ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
(20%). It was launched in its current form on August 29, 2008.
TSN and TSN2 operate under a single Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) licence, which originally meant that TSN2 was restricted to a few hours of live programming a day, with all other programs on a three-hour tape delay
Broadcast delay
In radio and television, broadcast delay refers to the practice of intentionally delaying broadcast of live material. A short delay is often used to prevent profanity, bloopers, violence, or other undesirable material from making it to air, including more mundane problems such as technical...
from TSN's main feed. With the implementation of new conditions of licence from the CRTC in early 2010, which permit multiple feeds with no limits on additional programming, the tape delay is no longer observed, with other original or repeat programming from the TSN and ESPN libraries airing alongside live events.
TSN2, unlike the main TSN feed, is only available to be distributed by digital cable
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
and satellite
Direct broadcast satellite
Direct broadcast satellite is a term used to refer to satellite television broadcasts intended for home reception.A designation broader than DBS would be direct-to-home signals, or DTH. This has initially distinguished the transmissions directly intended for home viewers from cable television...
, rather than analogue cable, although it has been carried by some cable operators on analogue on a short-term "preview" basis.
History
TSN first launched what it then called its "alternate feed" in 1997 as a result of occasional regional blackoutsBlackout (broadcasting)
Blackout usually relates to the broadcasting of sports events, television programming, that is prohibited in a certain media market.The purpose is theoretically to generate more revenue by obliging certain actions from fans, either by making them buy tickets or watch other games on TV...
for TSN programming in some areas. In its original iteration, the alternate feed could only air on analog cable in specific areas, replacing the national service. Alternate programming could make up a maximum of 10% of the TSN schedule — an average of 2.4 hours a day.
In fall 2006, TSN was allowed by the CRTC to air multiple feeds nationally, with the alternate feed only available on digital platforms, as had previously been permitted for Rogers Sportsnet
Rogers Sportsnet
Sportsnet was launched on October 9, 1998 as CTV Sportsnet. The name was chosen to match the regional "Fox Sports Net" operations across the United States...
's regional feeds. In essence this meant that for digital cable
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
and satellite
Direct broadcast satellite
Direct broadcast satellite is a term used to refer to satellite television broadcasts intended for home reception.A designation broader than DBS would be direct-to-home signals, or DTH. This has initially distinguished the transmissions directly intended for home viewers from cable television...
subscribers, TSN now had two channels on which to air programming. The broadcaster's use of the alternate feed changed significantly following this decision, as the alternate feed began to carry a much larger number of live events that could be aired nationally when the main feed was carrying another ongoing event.
Launch of TSN2
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
announced on August 6, 2008 that the TSN alternate feed would be replaced by a new network known as TSN2. The new channel promised "major league programming" throughout the day, and would have extensive coverage of auto racing and tennis. Unlike the existing TSN alternate feed, which was available free of charge, service providers (and potentially, in turn, consumers) would be required to pay extra in order to carry TSN2, and providers that had not yet agreed to carry the new channel were required to stop carrying the alternate feed in August 2008. Unlike the alternate feed, TSN2 would also be available in high-definition.
Initially, TSN2 was restricted to acting as a timeshift channel
Timeshift channel
A timeshift channel is a television channel carrying a time-delayed rebroadcast of its "parent" channel's output. This channel runs alongside their parent: the term "timeshift" does not refer to a network broadcasting at a later time to reflect a local timezone unless the parent is also available...
for TSN, with most non-live programming being aired on a three hour tape delay
Broadcast delay
In radio and television, broadcast delay refers to the practice of intentionally delaying broadcast of live material. A short delay is often used to prevent profanity, bloopers, violence, or other undesirable material from making it to air, including more mundane problems such as technical...
from TSN proper, allowing TSN2 viewers in the Pacific Time Zone
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
to watch many programs at the same local time as TSN viewers in the Eastern Time Zone
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
. However, as had been the case with the alternate feed, up to 10% of the TSN2 schedule could consist of alternative live sporting events that cannot air on TSN due to other programming commitments.
A separate TSN2 channel had been approved by the CRTC in 2000, but was never launched due to a prohibition on live programming. The authority for this channel expired in 2004 and never re-applied for, so the present TSN2 is not directly connected to the 2000 licence.
The new channel was launched on August 29, 2008 at 7 p.m. EST, with live coverage of the US Open tennis tournament continued from TSN, followed by an encore presentation of a Friday night CFL game aired earlier on TSN.
Since February 1, 2010, TSN has been subject to revised conditions of licence that allow TSN2 to operate autonomously from TSN's main channel.
Programming
Upon its launch, TSN2 promised that it would air over 800 hours per year of live events, and that it would also feature repeat broadcasts of live events that were shown by TSN earlier in the night. Repeat broadcasts of TSN's original programming (such as SportsCentreSportsCentre
SportsCentre is a sports news program airing on the Canadian network TSN. As TSN's flagship program, it airs several times daily, and beginning in the 2008 season it also began to be aired on sister network CTV as its post-game program for early NFL games....
) would fill out the schedule.
TSN2's alternative programming typically consists of NHL games, including alternative Stanley Cup Playoff games when TSN proper is carrying another playoff game; NBA games featuring the Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
; and NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Nationwide Series races. However, it has also included tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse, or MLL, is a professional men's field lacrosse league that is made up of five teams in the United States and one team in Canada.- History :...
coverage.
On October 22, 2008, it was announced that TSN2 would air 25 Toronto Raptors basketball games during the 2008-2009 NBA season. However, due to the lack of carriage agreements at the time, these games were not available to cable subscribers in the team's home market of Toronto and other regions served by Rogers, as well as Vidéotron subscribers in Quebec.
On May 19, 2010, it was announced that Rogers Sportsnet & TSN2 had signed a multi-year agreement whereby TSN would acquire the rights to air English Premier League soccer matches. Under the terms of the deal, TSN2 acquires the rights to 1 early Saturday morning match and all Monday matches.
On August 11, 2010, TSN2 announced it had acquired the rights to air UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
Soccer matches. Under the terms of the deal, TSN & TSN2 will combine to air 20 matches per year for the next two years starting with the 2010-2011 season.
On August 20, 2010, TSN2 announced it had signed a multi-year agreement with Canada Basketball
Canada Basketball
Canada Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in Canada. This national federation was founded in 1923...
to become the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of various international basketball tournaments. Under the terms of the 2-year deal, TSN2 will be the exclusive broadcaster of the 2010 FIBA World Championship
2010 FIBA World Championship
The 2010 FIBA World Championship, hosted by Turkey, was the international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from August 28 to September 12, 2010. It was co-organized by the International Basketball Federation , Turkish Basketball Federation and the...
, 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women
2010 FIBA World Championship for Women
The 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women, the 16th edition of FIBA's premier tournament for women's national basketball teams, was held from September 23 to October 3, 2010 in the Czech Republic. Three cities, Ostrava, Brno and Karlovy Vary, hosted games...
, FIBA Americas Championship 2011
FIBA Americas Championship 2011
The 2011 FIBA Americas Championship for Men was the qualifying tournament for FIBA Americas at the 2012 Summer Olympics men's basketball tournament in London. The tournament was held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, from August 30 to September 11, 2011. Argentina won the title, defeating Brazil 80–75...
& FIBA Americas Championship for Women 2011.
For its 2010 edition
2010 Spengler Cup
-Group Cattini:All times are local .-Knockout stage:Key: * – final in overtime. ** – final in shootout.-Quarterfinals:All times are local .-Semifinals:All times are local .-Final:All times are local ....
, TSN and TSN2 became the new Canadian broadcasters of the Spengler Cup
Spengler Cup
The Spengler Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament held in Davos, Switzerland. First held in 1923, the Spengler Cup is often cited as the oldest invitational ice hockey tournament in the world. The event is hosted by the Swiss team HC Davos and played each year in Davos, Switzerland, between...
hockey tournament. TSN2 would broadcast most of the tournament's games.
On October 27, 2011, Bell Media, TSN and TSN2 announced that they had secured broadcast rights for FIFA soccer from 2015 to 2022. The rights include the 2018 FIFA World Cup
2018 FIFA World Cup
The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was the process by which the locations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups were selected. The process began officially in March 2009; eleven bids from thirteen countries were received, including one which was withdrawn and one that was...
, 2022 FIFA World Cup
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be the 22nd FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that is scheduled to take place in 2022 in Qatar. The competition is scheduled to take place in June and July, although proposals have been made for a winter season. The tournament will involve...
and 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup will be the seventh FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international women's football world championship tournament...
.
Carriage
Providers that carry TSN2 currently include Access CommunicationsAccess Communications
Access Communications Co-operative Ltd. is a Canadian cable television provider, operating in Regina, Saskatchewan and several other communities in Saskatchewan...
, Bell Aliant, Bell TV, Cogeco
Cogeco
Cogeco Inc. is a Canadian media and communications company. The name is an acronym for Compagnie Générale de Communication .-History:...
, EastLink
EastLink (company)
EastLink is a Canadian cable television and telecommunications company. In 1970, EastLink was established in Amherst, Nova Scotia, when it was issued one of the first cable licences granted by the CRTC...
, Rogers Cable
Rogers Cable
Rogers Cable Inc., a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., is Canada's largest cable television service provider with about 2.25 million television customers, and over 930,000 Internet subscribers, in Manitoba, Southern & Eastern Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.The...
, SaskTel
SaskTel
Saskatchewan Telecommunications is a provincial Crown Corporation operating under the authority of the Saskatchewan Telecommunications Act. It is the only remaining Crown Corporation in the Canadian telecommunications industry....
, Shaw Cable
Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...
, Shaw Direct, Vidéotron
Vidéotron
Vidéotron GP is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Currently, the company primarily serves Quebec, as well as the francophone...
, and a number of independent cablesystems.
Rogers Cable
Rogers Cable
Rogers Cable Inc., a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., is Canada's largest cable television service provider with about 2.25 million television customers, and over 930,000 Internet subscribers, in Manitoba, Southern & Eastern Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.The...
, which serves much of the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
, notably did not carry TSN2 from its launch, leaving cable viewers without the ability to view the select Toronto Raptors NBA games TSN2 aired in the team's own home market in the season following the launch. After months of negotiations, TSN2 was finally added to the lineup in May 2009. The apparent impetus for the deal was a planned broadcast of three key mid-May games between the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
and Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
(at that point the top two teams in the AL East) on TSN2; the Blue Jays are owned by Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
, as is Rogers Cable.
Regulatory status
The Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
reported on September 15, 2008, that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
(who have a licence for CBC SportsPlus, a sports channel focusing on Canadian athletes with a particular interest on amateur sports) and Score Media
Score Media
Score Media Inc. is a Canadian media company. Its main asset is The Score; a national specialty television service providing sports, news, information, highlights and live event programming...
(owners of The Score, whose ability to air live programming is restricted due to being licensed as a sports news service akin to ESPNews
ESPNEWS
ESPNEWS , launched on November 1, 1996, is a 24-hour-a-day sports news television channel...
) made a complaint to the CRTC about TSN2's exploitation of a rule imposed by the CRTC legally allowing timeshifted feeds of channels for the west coast, subject to regulatory requirements restricting the amount of alternate programming that can be shown on alternate feeds. John Levy of Score Media claimed that TSN2 should not be allowed to sell new advertising on the network based on their interpretation of the rules.
However, these complaints were ultimately dismissed by the CRTC.
Soon after TSN2 was launched, the CRTC announced a proposal to remove genre exclusivity protections for "mainstream sports" and "national news" channels in the near future. As a byproduct of the decision, TSN would be allowed to use streamlined conditions of licence which states that the service may offer "multiple feeds", without any restrictions on alternate programming. TSN was officially permitted to use these streamlined conditions of licence on February 1, 2010.