NHL Jets Agree To 10-Year TV, Radio Rights Deals With Bell Media

The NHL Jets have signed a 10-year deal with Bell Media, awarding the club's regional TV broadcast rights to TSN and its radio broadcast rights to Sports Radio 1290. TSN will broadcast more than 60 regional regular-season and preseason games on its new part-time TV channel dedicated to Jets games, "TSN Jets," which will launch Sept. 20. TSN will also broadcast five of the Jets' games across Canada as part of the net's national broadcast agreement with the NHL. Meanwhile, Sports Radio 1290 will broadcast all 82 of the Jets' regular-season games, in addition to preseason and postseason play (TSN). TSN also announced that a "permanent TSN bureau is being set up in Winnipeg." In Winnipeg, Tait & White note the deal between the Jets and TSN is "worth substantial coin to the club, although the financial details were not released." True North President & CEO Jim Ludlow said, "It's a major turning point for us moving forward in terms of our ability to expose the hockey club" (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, 8/31). TSN President Stewart Johnston said, "Like we've done in Montreal with TSN Habs, we wanted to create a channel where folks know where to go when it's game-time" (TORONTO SUN, 9/1). The GLOBE & MAIL's Susan Krashinsky writes the agreement is a "boon for Bell Media as the hockey season gears up and the highly-anticipated return of the Jets approaches" (GLOBE & MAIL, 9/1). In Toronto, Ken Wiebe profiles new Jets play-by-play announcer Dennis Beyak (TORONTO SUN, 9/1).