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| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | National |
| Headquarters | Montreal, Quebec |
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled toletterboxed480i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | CTV Specialty Television |
| Parent | The Sports Network Inc. |
| Sister channels | Noovo RDS2 RDS Info TSN regional feeds |
| History | |
| Launched | September 1, 1989 (1989-09-01) on TSN’s 5th anniversary |
| Replaced | TVSQ [fr] (1980-1989) |
| Links | |
| Website | rds |
Réseau des sports (RDS) is aCanadianFrench languagediscretionaryspecialty channel oriented towardssports and sport-related shows. It is available in 2.5 million homes, and is owned byCTV Specialty Television Inc. (Bell Media 80% andESPN 20%). Its full name (usually prefaced in speech by the Frencharticle "le") translates as "The Sports Network", the name of itsAnglophone counterpart, TSN.
RDS was launched on September 1, 1989, as a sister network toLabatt's highly successful English-language sports networkTSN, but the new network initially was run on a low budget and struggled to obtain rights to major professional sporting events. Despite this, RDS became infamous in its early years for its programDéfi Mini-Putt, a weeklyminiature golf program best known for its energetic commentator Serge Vleminckx, and his enthusiastic cries of "Birdie!" when a hole in one was scored.
By the early 1990s, the network became more established, obtaining the rights toMontreal Expos, theQuebec Major Junior Hockey League and someMontreal Canadiens games.Rodger Brulotte became the network's second broadcasting star with his enthusiastic colour commentary of Expos games. RDS also covered some ofMontreal's other professional sports teams, such as theMontreal MachineWLAF football team, theMontreal Impactsoccer team, the Montreal Roadrunnersroller hockey team, theMontreal Expresslacrosse team, and theMontreal AlouettesCanadian football team. While the Machine, Roadrunners, and Express folded, the partnership between RDS and the Impact and Alouettes helped both the network and the teams to become popular. Much of the rise of popularity of Canadian football inQuebec can be attributed to RDS coverage ofCanadian Football League anduniversity games. Its small market (mainly limited to Quebec), however, has meant that its revenues are modest. It has had to offer proportionately modest fees for broadcast rights.
Due toCRTC regulations on the foreign ownership of broadcasters, Labatt was forced to sell both RDS and TSN upon its acquisition byInterbrew in 1995. Labatt's broadcasting assets were sold to a privately held consortium namedNetStar Communications, the investors of which included a number of Canadian firms as well asESPN Inc., which held an interest of about 30 percent. The same CRTC regulations had prevented ESPN from establishing its own separate Canadian sports networks outright, so acquiring a minority stake in RDS and TSN became ESPN's alternative plan to get into the Canadian market.
In 2000, majority ownership of RDS and TSN's parent company NetStar was acquired byBell Globemedia. ESPN still kept minority ownership, and one year later both RDS and TSN adopted ESPN-style logos.
Also in 2000, the Montreal Expos severed their relationship with the network, complaining that they were not offering enough to broadcast games. The network resumed coverage from 2001 until the team moved toWashington, D.C. after the 2004 season, showing about 50 games a season.
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In 2002, theMontreal Canadiens announced a deal to license its French-language broadcast rights for all of its preseason, season, and playoff games to RDS. This was controversial as it threatened the longest-running television show in Quebec,Radio-Canada'sLa Soirée du hockey. Days later, an agreement was reached whereby RDS and Radio-Canada would simultaneously broadcast Canadiens games on Saturday nights, saving the show. Within the province of Quebec, this arrangement stopped after the2003–04 NHL season, and French-language Canadiens broadcasts now air exclusively on RDS. Simulcasted coverage continued in regions that do not receive RDS on analog TV (all of Canada south/west of theOttawa region) on Radio-Canada until the2006–07 NHL season. In June 2008, RDS's parent, CTV Inc., acquired the rights toThe Hockey Theme after the CBC failed to renew its rights to the theme song. A re-orchestrated version of the tune, which has been thetheme song ofLa Soirée du hockey andHockey Night in Canada since 1968, has been used for hockey broadcasts on RDS and TSN beginning in the fall of 2008.[1]
On September 10, 2010,Bell Canada announced plans to re-acquire 100% of CTVglobemedia's broadcasting arm, including its majority control of TSN. Under the deal, Woodbridge Company Limited,Torstar, andOntario Teachers' Pension Plan would together receive $1.3 billion in either cash or equity in BCE, while BCE will also assume $1.7 billion in debt (BCE's existing equity interest is $200 million, for a total transaction value of $3.2 billion). Woodbridge has since simultaneously regained majority control ofThe Globe and Mail, with Bell retaining a 15% interest in December 2010. The deal closed on April 1, 2011, after the CRTC approved the sale on March 7, 2011—the new company became known asBell Media.[2]
In July 2012, Bell submitted a proposal to the CRTC, requesting permission to convert Montreal'sTSN Radio stationCKGM to a French-language station with an RDS-branded sports talk format, known as RDS Radio. The planned language and format change was intended to take advantage ofCKAC's recent switch from French sports talk totraffic information, and to satisfy theCRTC's ownership caps for Bell's planned acquisition ofAstral Media—since Astral already owned the maximum number of English-language stations that one company can own in the market.[3][4] Bell's original proposal to acquire Astral, and in turn the CKGM proposal, were rejected by the CRTC;[5] under a revised structure (which saw the company divest itself of certain Astral Media properties), Bell would be granted a waiver to maintain ownership of CKGM as an English-language station.[6]
On November 26, 2013, Rogers announced that it had reached a 12-year, $5.2 billion deal to become the exclusive national rightsholder for the National Hockey League, beginning in the 2014–15 season, and would sub-license exclusive French-language rights toTVA Sports (which Rogers has previously partnered with to hold French-language rights toSportsnet properties), replacing RDS.[7][8][9] Previously, due to RDS's position as national French rightsholder, the Canadiens forwent a separate regional rights deal and allowed its games to be part of the national French package. Under the new contract, RDS maintained its broadcast rights to 60 Canadiens games per season under a 12-year deal, but Canadiens games are now subject toblackout outside of the Canadiens' home market region.[10][11] In January 2014, as part of a wider media rights deal with Bell Media (which included English-language regional television and radio rights for TSN andCFGO), RDS obtained regional broadcast rights to theOttawa Senators, with 50 regional games in French per season.[12][13][10]
In December 2014, as part of deals with Bell, RDS acquired French-language rights to theUEFA Champions League andUFCmixed martial arts, both beginning in 2015.[14][15][16]
On May 1, 2022, minor television provider Hay Communications is expected to remove the channel from its channel line-up, due to a sharp increase in cost to deliver the channel.
Sports 30 – Sports news show that provides news and updates regarding major sports in North America and elsewhere.
Canadien Express – Condensed version of the previous Montreal Canadiens hockey game in a 60-minute format.
F1 Express – Similar concept derived from theCanadien Express broadcast.
The Montreal Canadiens hockey game broadcasts formerly varied in name according to the day of the week. Saturday games were known asLe Hockey du Samedi SoirCoors Light. Tuesday games were known asLes Méchants Mardis Molson-Ex while all of the other day or night games were known asLe HockeySubway des Canadiens. NHL telecasts not involving the Canadiens were simply titledLNH à RDS. Since 2014, games have been known as "Le hockey des Canadiens (Bell/Coca-Cola/McDonald's)." The sponsor affiliations change from time to time.
In January 2013, RDS and TSN announced a documentary series,24CH, following the team.[17]
Because very few sporting events broadcast by RDS are carried by any other French-language broadcaster, exactsimulcasts of other broadcasters on RDS are extremely rare. Even when another French-language broadcaster is carrying the event (e.g., theFrench Open or soccer matches involving teams from France), RDS will usually use its own commentators. However, for most events that do not either take place in Quebec or involve Quebec-based teams, RDS will rely on the applicable English-language broadcaster (Canadian or American), or some other international broadcast, for the video feed, including any graphics or game updates in the original feed.
The visuals are thendubbed live-to-air with commentators in the RDS studios, who (in most cases) call the game off monitors instead of being on-site. The commentary is not a translation of the English language audio, although the background audio typically remains intact, and relevant information from the English commentary (e.g. injury reports, or explanations of onscreen graphics) may or may not be relayed by the RDS announcers. Interviews aired during the broadcast are undubbed, though RDS announcers will translate and summarize it after completion.
Excepting clean "international" feeds supplied by certain event organizers, the video is usually delayed by several seconds from the originating feed, in order to ensure that irrelevant items (such as U.S. network promos, apart from those for other events which will also air on RDS) are removed from the RDS broadcast. These are usually replaced by other images of the venue, additional game statistics, or RDS promos.
On June 15, 2011, Bell Media announced the launch of RDS2, a multiplex channel of RDS similar toTSN's equivalentTSN2, in the fall of 2011. The channel will be available in bothstandard andhigh definition.[18] On September 19, 2011, Bell Media announced that RDS2's launch date will be October 7, 2011.
RDS launched anHD edition of the channel on October 3, 2007, in time for the2007–08 NHL season, making it the only channel to broadcast all games of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens in HD. Since then, most major sporting events have been broadcast in HD; including Formula One, NASCAR, Montreal Alouettes CFL Football, NFL, MLB, PGA Golf and the Euro 2008 soccer tournament amongst others.[19] RDS currently broadcasts its HD signal in 1080i format.
At the end of July 2007, RDS and the Montreal Canadiens extended their exclusive broadcasting rights contract through 2013. The deal includes all of the Canadiens' 82 regular season games and all of their playoff games, if need be (none of this precludesCBC Sports from televising games in English as part ofHockey Night in Canada). Also, RDS has exclusive French broadcasting rights for the NHL All-Star Game and Skills Contest, as well as one NHL game per week that does not involve the Canadiens and a minimum of 40 playoff games for either RDS or RIS. The Canadiens also granted RDS exclusive rights to 'new media' coverage for the team (i.e., cell-phone TV, podcast and others).[21]
Most other broadcast contracts are acquired through TSN and ESPN.
In 2013, RDS lost exclusive broadcasting rights over Montreal Canadiens Saturday night games, the playoffs, the NHL All-Star Game and Skills Contest as the NHL dealt those to Rogers Communications with TVA Sports providing French coverage.[22] However, RDS managed secure the broadcasting rights for 60 regional games as those are still dealt by the Montreal Canadiens.[23]
UFC reaches Canadian broadcast deal with TSN, RDS
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Owners:Walt Disney Company (80%);Hearst Communications (20%) | |||||||||||||||||||