WTSN (TV channel)
Encyclopedia
WTSN was a Canadian
English language
category 1
digital cable
specialty channel
dedicated to women
's sports. WTSN was owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc. (CTV Specialty), a joint venture between Bell Globemedia (now called Bell Media) (80%) and ESPN
(20%).
WTSN was a spin-off of TSN
, Canada's largest national sports channel, and was headed by pioneering Canadian sports broadcaster Sue Prestedge
.
Sports events coverage on the network included LPGA
golf, WNBA basketball, women's tennis, WUSA
soccer, women's curling, CWHL
and WWHL
ice hockey and coverage of various women's teams in Canadian Interuniversity Sport
, among others.
The network also aired special coverage of Hayley Wickenheiser
's debut in the Finnish men's hockey league.
The channel launched on September 7, 2001 as WTSN.
On August 29, 2003, CTV Specialty announced that they would be ceasing the network's operations on September 30, 2003 due to lack of expected growth, limited ad revenue, and the high cost of running a sports service.
TSN did not immediately surrender the channel's licence, and filed an intervention in January 2005 with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) against a proposed licence amendment for Fox Sports World Canada
that may have impacted on WTSN's mandate. Media analysts therefore considered it possible that the channel might have relaunched at a later date if economic conditions were found to be more favourable. The licence was eventually revoked at the company's request on December 19, 2006.
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 1
Category 1 specialty channel
A Category A service is a Canadian specialty television channel which, as defined by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, must be carried by all digital cable and direct broadcast satellite providers that have the capability to do so....
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:...
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....
dedicated to women
Woman
A woman , pl: women is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...
's sports. WTSN was owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc. (CTV Specialty), a joint venture between Bell Globemedia (now called 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%).
WTSN was a spin-off of 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...
, Canada's largest national sports channel, and was headed by pioneering Canadian sports broadcaster Sue Prestedge
Sue Prestedge
Sue Prestedge is a Canadian sports broadcaster, who was one of Canada's first and most influential female sports journalists.After working as a sports reporter and anchor for several local television stations, Prestedge joined CBC Television in 1983, and was part of the network's team covering the...
.
Programming
Programming on the network included a variety of programs ranging from live and tape-delayed sports events, documentaries, talk shows, and more.Sports events coverage on the network included LPGA
LPGA
The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
golf, WNBA basketball, women's tennis, WUSA
Women's United Soccer Association
The Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
soccer, women's curling, CWHL
Canadian Women's Hockey League
The Canadian Women's Hockey League is one of two major women's ice hockey leagues in Canada. The league was founded in 2007. The league currently has six ice hockey teams: three in Ontario, one in Quebec, one in Alberta and one in Boston, Massachusetts....
and WWHL
Western Women's Hockey League
The Western Women's Hockey League is one of two major women's hockey leagues in Canada. The league was established in 2004, and consisted of teams in Canada and one from the United States...
ice hockey and coverage of various women's teams in Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...
, among others.
The network also aired special coverage of Hayley Wickenheiser
Hayley Wickenheiser
Hayley Wickenheiser is a women's ice hockey player from Canada. She was the first woman to play full time professional hockey in a position other than goalie. Wickenheiser is a member of the Canada women's national ice hockey team...
's debut in the Finnish men's hockey league.
History
In November 2000, NetStar Communications Inc. (later renamed CTV Specialty Television Inc.) was granted approval for a television broadcasting licence by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for a national English-language Category 1 specialty television service called Women’s Sports Network, described as a service to be "consisting exclusively of sports programming featuring female athletes and participants."The channel launched on September 7, 2001 as WTSN.
On August 29, 2003, CTV Specialty announced that they would be ceasing the network's operations on September 30, 2003 due to lack of expected growth, limited ad revenue, and the high cost of running a sports service.
TSN did not immediately surrender the channel's licence, and filed an intervention in January 2005 with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) against a proposed licence amendment for Fox Sports World Canada
Fox Sports World Canada
Fox Sports World Canada is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Shaw Media. FSWC's programming primarily features association football with select programming on other world sports such as rugby....
that may have impacted on WTSN's mandate. Media analysts therefore considered it possible that the channel might have relaunched at a later date if economic conditions were found to be more favourable. The licence was eventually revoked at the company's request on December 19, 2006.