 | |
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | National |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled toletterboxed480i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | CTV Specialty Television |
| Parent | The Sports Network Inc. |
| Sister channels | TSN regional feeds RDS RDS2 RDS Info |
| History | |
| Launched | 1997; 28 years ago (1997) |
| Former names | TSN alternate feed (1997–2008) |
| Links | |
| Website | tsn |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| TSN Go | www |
TSN2 is aCanadianEnglish-languagediscretionarysportsspecialty channel that acts as the secondary feed of sports-centred channelThe Sports Network (TSN) and owned byCTV Specialty Television Inc. It was launched in its current form on August 29, 2008.
Following TSN's August 2014 expansion of its service into aregional sports network, TSN2 has served primarily as a secondary outlet for national programming. In 2017, TSN2 added regionalMontreal Canadiens telecasts.
TheCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) had approved a separate TSN2 channel in 2000,[1] but was never launched due to a prohibition on live programming. The authority for this channel expired in 2004 and was never re-applied for, so the present TSN2 is not directly connected to the 2000 licence.[2]
TSN2 operates under the same CRTC licence for TSN as a whole,[3] but initially operated under thelegal fiction that it was atimeshift channel of TSN forWestern Canada. This meant that the majority of programming must have been tape delayed from TSN's main feed, but it could still air a limited amount of alternative programming. With the early 2010 implementation of new conditions of licence from the CRTC which permit multiple feeds with no limits on additional programming,[4] the tape delay is no longer observed, and the channel operates with an autonomous schedule.
TSN first launched what it then called its "alternate feed" in 1997 as a result of occasional regionalblackouts for TSN programming in some areas. In its original iteration, the alternate feed could only air on analogue cable in specific areas, replacing the national service, though it was offered in parallel with the main feed on national satellite providers. Alternate programming could make up a maximum of 10% of the TSN schedule—an average of 2.4 hours a day.[5]
In fall 2006, the CRTC allowed TSN to air multiple feeds nationally,[6] with the alternate feed only available on digital platforms, as had previously been permitted forSportsnet's regional feeds. In essence, this meant that fordigital cable andsatellite subscribers, TSN now had two channels on which to air programming. The broadcaster's use of the alternate feed changed significantly following this decision, as the alternate feed began to carry a much larger number of live events that could be aired nationally when the main feed was carrying another ongoing event.[7]
On August 6, 2008,The Globe and Mail announced that the TSN alternate feed would be replaced by a new network known as TSN2. The new channel promised "major league programming" throughout the day, and would have extensive coverage ofauto racing andtennis. Unlike the existing TSN alternate feed, which was available free of charge, service providers (and potentially, in turn, consumers) would be required to pay extra in order to carry TSN2, and the alternate feed was discontinued in August 2008. Unlike the alternate feed, TSN2 would also be available inhigh definition.[8]
Initially, TSN2 was restricted to acting as atimeshift channel for TSN, with most non-live programming being aired on a three-hourtape delay from TSN proper, allowing TSN2 viewers in thePacific Time Zone to watch many programs at the same local time as TSN viewers in theEastern Time Zone (ET). However, as had been the case with the alternate feed, up to 10% of the TSN2 schedule could consist of alternative live sporting events that cannot air on TSN due to other programming commitments.
On August 8, 2008,CTVglobemedia andESPN Inc. (via their joint ventureCTV Specialty Television) were granted theCRTC approval for a TSN spin-off calledTSN Extra, a channel focuses on college sports plus simulcasts of TSN's sports properties.
The new channel was launched on August 29, 2008, at 7 p.m. ET in standard and high definition, with live coverage of theUS Open tennis tournament continued from TSN, followed by an encore presentation of aFriday night CFL game aired earlier on TSN.
Since February 1, 2010, TSN has been subject to revised conditions of licence (since formalized asCategory C licensing) that allow TSN2 to operate autonomously from TSN's main channel as a pure multiplex.[4] TSN launched three more multiplex channels—TSN3, TSN4, and TSN5, on August 25, 2014, serving primarily as regional feeds of TSN.[9][10][11]
Upon its launch, TSN2 promised that it would air over 800 hours per year of live events, and that it would also feature repeat broadcasts of live events that were shown by TSN earlier in the night. Repeat broadcasts of TSN's original programming (such asSportsCentre) would fill out the schedule.[12]
TSN2's alternative programming typically consists ofNational Basketball Association games featuring theToronto Raptors, andNASCARXfinity Series races. However, it has also includedtennis,boxing,baseball, andMajor League Lacrosse coverage.
On October 22, 2008, TSN2 announced it would air 25 Toronto Raptors basketball games during the2008–09 NBA season. However, due to the lack of carriage agreements at the time, these games were not available to cable subscribers in the team's home market of Toronto and other regions served byRogers Cable.[13]
On August 20, 2010, TSN2 announced it had signed a multi-year agreement withCanada Basketball to become the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of various international basketball tournaments. Under the terms of the two-year deal, TSN2 was the exclusive broadcaster of the2010 FIBA World Championship,2010 FIBA World Championship for Women,FIBA Americas Championship 2011, andFIBA Americas Championship for Women 2011.[14] For its2010 edition, TSN and TSN2 became the new Canadian broadcasters of theSpengler Cup hockey tournament. TSN2 would broadcast most of the tournament's games.[15]
On February 18, 2013, TSN2 introduced simulcasts of two shows fromTSN Radio,Mike Richards in the Morning, and the newTSN Drive with Dave Naylor.
As of the2017–18 season, TSN2 broadcasts regionalMontreal Canadiens games, which are subject toblackout outside of the team's designated media market.[16]
Providers that carry TSN2 includeAccess Communications,Bell Aliant,Bell MTS,Bell Satellite TV,Cogeco,EastLink,Execulink Telecom,NorthernTel,Novus,Rogers,SaskTel,Shaw Cable,Shaw Direct,Telus Optik TV, Valley Fiber,Vidéotron, and a number of independent cable systems.[17]
Rogers Cable, which serves much of theGreater Toronto Area, notably did not carry TSN2 from its launch, leaving cable viewers without the ability to view the select Toronto Raptors NBA games that TSN2 aired in the team's own home market in the season following the launch.[13] After months of negotiations, TSN2 was finally added to the lineup in May 2009, before that year's first division rivalry series between theAmerican League East'sToronto Blue Jays (also owned by Rogers) and theBoston Red Sox.[18][19]
The Globe and Mail reported on September 15, 2008, that theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation (who have a licence forCBC SportsPlus, a sports channel focusing on Canadian athletes with a particular interest on amateur sports) andScore Media (owners ofThe Score, whose ability to air live programming is restricted due to being licensed as a sports news service akin toESPNews) made a complaint to the CRTC accusing TSN2 of exploiting the rules which allow timeshift feeds for the west coast, subject to regulatory requirements restricting the amount of alternate programming that can be shown on alternate feeds. John Levy of Score Media claimed that TSN2 should not be allowed to sell new advertising on the network based on their interpretation of the rules.[3] However, these complaints were dismissed by the CRTC.[20]
Soon after TSN2 was launched, the CRTC announced a proposal to remove genre exclusivity protections for "mainstream sports" and "national news" channels in the near future. As a byproduct of the decision, TSN would be allowed to use streamlined conditions of licence which states that the service may offer "multiple feeds", without any restrictions on alternate programming.[21] TSN was officially permitted to use these streamlined conditions of licence on February 1, 2010.[4]
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