Canadian pay-television sports broadcaster TSN and French-language sister network RDS have signed a multi-year extension to their long-term programming agreement with the ESPN International arm of US sports broadcaster ESPN.
The new deal allows TSN and RDS to retain exclusive Canadian access to original ESPN programming, including ESPN Films and thousands of hours of live sports events and news and information programming each year.
A highlight of the agreement includes Canadian broadcast rights to ESPN’s college American football programming, including the Bowl Championship Series in 2014 and the new College Football Playoff beginning in January 2015. Additional highlights include NCAA college basketball and the Australian Open tennis grand slam.
The two parties first joined forces in 2001. ESPN holds a 30-per-cent equity interest in CTV Specialty, which includes TSN and RDS. The TSN and RDS deals provide the only legitimate access to ESPN programming for Canadians as the CRTC, the country's broadcast regulator, continues to block the channel from having its television service carried in Canada.