ESPN renews deal for Canadian curling events

US sports broadcaster ESPN has retained its exclusive rights to Curling Canada’s Season of Champions events for the 2015-16 season.

Canadian pay-television sports broadcaster TSN will provide ESPN with over 300 hours of coverage to air via its ESPN3 online streaming service.

ESPN’s coverage begins today (Wednesday) with the Home Hardware Cup, which concludes on Sunday.

It will also provide coverage of the Pinty’s All-Star Curling Skins Game from January 8-10, the Continental Cup from January 14-17, the Canadian Junior Men’s and Women’s Championships from January 30-31, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts from February 20-28 and the Tim Hortons Brier from March 5-13.

ESPN was the exclusive US rights-holder for the Season of Champions events during the 2014-15 campaign.

“We knew there was an appetite for US curling fans to be able to watch Canada’s elite curlers perform, but the feedback we got last season was beyond expectations,” Hugh Avery, chair of Curling Canada’s board of governors, said.