Rogers Sportsnet

Rogers Sportsnet is a 24-hour Canadian sports specialty service, operating four regional feeds and one national high-definition feed. It is owned by Rogers Sportsnet Inc., which is owned by Rogers Media.

Related Topics:
Canadian - Sports - Specialty service - High-definition - Rogers Media

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Rogers Sportsnet was launched as CTV Sportsnet, a name which complemented CTV's Newsnet headline-news cable channel. CTV owned 40%; Rogers, Molson and Fox Sports Net owned 20% each. When CTV purchased NetStar, the parent company of TSN, in 1999, they were forced to sell either Sportsnet or TSN by the CRTC. CTV elected to sell Sportsnet, on which the other shareholders had first right of refusal; as Rogers was the only interested party, Rogers bought CTV's interest and renamed the service Rogers Sportsnet. It has since acquired the shares of Molson and Fox.

Related Topics:
CTV - Newsnet - Molson - Fox Sports Net - TSN - 1999 - CRTC

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Broadcasting nationally across Canada, the station is actually similar to a broadcast network, with four regional feeds airing different sporting events tailored to the region they serve. As well, Sportsnet also operates a national high-definition programming service. The Sportsnet feeds are:

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• Sportsnet East, which serves Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.†
• Sportsnet Ontario.†
• Sportsnet West, which serves Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
• Sportsnet Pacific, which serves British Columbia and the Yukon.
• Sportsnet HD, which airs Sportsnet programming in 16:9 Widescreen or HDTV. Most of the time, the channel is a mirror of the Ontario feed, but will sometimes simulcast programmes with the other three regions or air completely separate programming.

† Occasionally, the Ottawa area will be placed in the East zone for events such as Ottawa Senators games, so as not to compete with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Related Topics:
Ottawa Senators - Toronto Maple Leafs

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Although cable companies in Canada are only permitted to carry the local Sportsnet feed on analogue cable packages, all four feeds can be carried on satellite television or digital cable. However, in some instances programming on the out-of-market Sportsnet feeds, such as regional National Hockey League games, are blacked out.

Related Topics:
Satellite television - Digital cable - National Hockey League

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In early 2005, Rogers Sportsnet was part of the consortium that won the Canadian broadcast rights to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, as well as the 2012 Summer Olympics. This was considered a serious coup, as the CBC had consistently won Olympic broadcast rights from the 1996 Summer Olympics through to the 2008 Summer Olympics. CTV and TQS will be the primary broadcasters; Rogers Sportsnet, TSN and RDS will provide supplementary coverage.

Related Topics:
2005 - Vancouver - 2010 Winter Olympics - 2012 Summer Olympics - CBC - 1996 Summer Olympics - 2008 Summer Olympics - CTV - TQS - TSN - RDS

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