Shaw, MTS Agree To Carry TSN Jets Channel In Time For NHL Season

The TSN Jets channel is "landing on Shaw cable television in time for Winnipeg's re-entry" into the NHL, according to Ted Wyman of the WINNIPEG SUN. Shaw Communications announced Friday that it reached "an agreement with Bell Media, which owns TSN, to run the Jets game channel in time for the team's first pre-season game" tonight against the Blue Jackets. The announcement "allays much of the fear among Winnipeg hockey fans, who had been concerned that TSN Jets would possibly not fly on their local cable providers in time for the new NHL season -- despite weeks of TSN advertisements for the channel and its more than 60 Jets games to be telecast by next spring." The channel will be "available for free as part of what the Calgary-based company calls a 'preview' until Dec. 1 on its standard and high-definition packages," and on Dec. 1, TSN Jets "will be provided to customers for $9.95 per month" (WINNIPEG SUN, 9/17). MTS announced Sunday that it also will carry TSN Jets and provide its customers with a free preview of the channel until Oct. 31. Beginning Oct. 3, MTS customers will be able to sign up for the '11-12 season telecasts for $9.95 per month (MTS).

ON THE AIR: The Sabres yesterday announced a multiyear extension of their broadcast agreement with Entercom that will keep WGR-AM as the Sabres' flagship station in the Buffalo radio market. The deal will allow WGR to continue simulcasting all Sabres games and serving as the home for weekly segments featuring the team's front office staff. WGR has carried Sabres games since '05, and will continue to use the broadcast team of Rick Jeanneret and Harry Neale (Sabres). Meanwhile, the Sabres' TV crew this season will add NHL Network "On The Fly" host Brian Duff as "the game-night host for the broadcasts without Rick Jeanneret" (BUFFALONEWS.com, 9/20).