What the Sportsnet announcement means for curling; Charette, Albrecht both deserving of praise
(by Al Cameron)
So it’s official — Sportsnet is now in the business of curling, and not just from a broadcasting standpoint, but they’re going to be running events and, if all goes according to plans, profiting from them.
This is a monumental day for curling, it goes without saying. Rogers Media made a major statement today by saying it believes in the sport and wants to grow it, and sees an opportunity to make money from it.
Scott Moore, one of the cagiest guys you’ll find in the Canadian broadcast industry, said it very plainly: “We believe in owning world-class content.”
What the Sportsnet announcement means for curling; Charette, Albrecht both deserving of praise
August 30, 2012. 10:27 am • Section: Curling
So here’s what we know: the first Slam will take place in mid-November in Brantford, Ont., and will feature 34 men’s and 34 women’s teams — in essence, taking an existing World Curling Tour event and making it a Slam. Ideally, said World Curling Players Association president Pierre Charette, more co-ed Slams will be held down the road, but for now, only the Brantford event and the season-ending Players’ Championships — Moore said negotiations are underway to stage the event in Toronto — will feature male and female events.
Because we’re late in the game, Moore could only commit to holding three men’s Slams this season, with a possibility of four, but he also said the goal is to expand down the road, up to double figures, with the existing prize purse — a minimum of $100,000 per event — to remain and, again ideally, grow.
More intriguing is the expansion of the television offerings. CBC will be part of the Slam package, likely showing the weekend finals to a broader audience than Sportsnet can reach. It’s great to see the original curling broadcaster back into the Roaring Game, and it will be a good lead-up to CBC’s coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
And one can’t help but wonder, by the way, if this is a sign of things to come when it comes to the Olympics. Surely CBC doesn’t have enough platforms to show the Games entirely on their own; it would make sense to have Rogers as a partner to distribute to as wide of an audience as possible.
Back to the Slams: you can look for two or three draws a day to be shown in a variety of media platforms — through Sportsnet’s various television channels as well as online and to tablets. This is a huge move forward from the days of only a couple games per weekend being shown.