Canadian pay-television broadcaster Sportsnet has acquired exclusive domestic rights for the Tour de France cycling event in a six-year deal, from 2014 to 2019.
The deal includes television, online and mobile rights for all 21 stages of the annual tour.
Telecommunications company Rogers Communications, which owns Sportsnet, acquired the rights from Amaury Sport Organisation, the operator of the tour.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Amaury Sport Organisation for the exclusive Canadian rights for this world-class event, which solidifies our commitment to providing fans with premium cycling content across multiple platforms and strengthens Sportsnet’s already robust portfolio of cycling programming,” Rogers Media’s vice-president of finance and sports programming, Navaid Mansuri, said.
Sportsnet will broadcast more than 150 days of cycling in 2013, including the so-called Grand Tours of the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.