WCF details plans to expand live curling coverage

The World Curling Federation has unveiled plans to develop its existing broadcast partnerships with the USA Curling Association (USCA) national governing body and the Champions Curling Tour series to deliver extended live coverage of events.

The NBCSN pay-television channel, owned and operated by US media company NBCUniversal, will continue to broadcast the ‘Curling Night in America’ event in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. During the 2015-16 campaign, NBCSN broadcast more than 40 hours’ of coverage of the event across nine episodes.

In addition, following a broadcast of the Stockholm Ladies Cup in September of last year, the WCF will expand the work of its WCTV service within the Champions Curling Tour.

The WCF and the Champions Curling Tour will make four events available to broadcasters around the world and via the world governing body’s official channel on video-sharing platform YouTube during the 2016-17 season.

WCF president Kate Caithness said: “We are determined to deliver a range of top-class curling broadcasts to as wide an audience as possible in the build up to the 2018 Olympic winter Games. There is a growing desire from our member associations and supporters to see more TV coverage of curling championships and these commitments are a priority.”