CBC "joined forces" with TSN yesterday to sign a
"record" US$160M deal for Canadian broadcast rights to the
next five Olympic Games, according to Longley & Buffery of
the TORONTO SUN. The deal was "a huge win" for the two nets
in what "has become a bitter battlefield" for sports rights
in Canada. CTV and its planned all-sports network, CTV
Sports, "were the losers" in the battle, since the Games
"would have provided a solid foothold in the TV sports
arena." CBC and TSN paid an average of US$32M per Games,
which "eclipses" the previous Canadian high of US$20M, which
CBC paid for the '96 Games. CBC Sports President Alan Clark
said it would be "terrific if Toronto got" the 2008 Games,
"but we didn't bid on that basis." Longley & Buffery add
that the partnership means that Canadians "could see as much
as" 800 hours of Games coverage through a combination of
CBC, TSN, Newsworld, CBC French, and RDS networks (TORONTO
SUN, 3/20). Longley adds that the partnership between CBC
and TSN "has been in the works for some time," and working
together "will help both networks" against CTV's "growing
sports threat." With the "ratings success" of the Nagano
Games, CBC's Clark is "convinced" that the future Games will
be "an easy and profitable sell" (TORONTO SUN, 3/20).
