Canadian media company Anthem Media will launch a new television channel focused on fantasy sports in both Canada and the US in March 2014, according to the Multichannel News website.
Leonard Asper, chief executive of Anthem Media, said that he is pursuing carriage deals for FNTSY Sports Network with US multichannel distributors, adding that the company has already acquired the RotoExperts.com and SportsGrid.com websites to tie in with the channel and provide content.
The Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission, the country’s telecommunications watchdog, granted Anthem Media approval to launch a television channel dedicated to fantasy sports nearly a year ago.
Video-on-demand and streamed video programs are key components of the FNTSY plans, Asper said. “We don’t need a big carriage deal to launch,” he added.
Asper – the former chief executive of Canadian media conglomerate Canwest – said he believes “fantasy is the biggest opportunity of all.”