Media Notes
The GLOBE & MAIL's William Houston reports the CBC Sports Exec Dir Scott Moore charged that CTV, which secured the rights to "The Hockey Theme" on June 9, "deliberately interfered with the CBC's negotiations for the famous song, suggesting it was a publicity stunt to embarrass the network." On his CBC.ca blog, Moore wrote, "CTV management characterized their actions as 'saving the song.' But they knew the negotiation hadn't run its course. I firmly believe that if they hadn't inserted themselves into the negotiation, the result would have been different. Their move capitalized on a lot of publicity, and had the added benefit of making a competitor look bad." CTV President Rick Brace said, "To try to lay this at our feet or suggest we somehow interfered with their negotiation is just ludicrous" (GLOBE & MAIL, 6/17).
NOTES: Championship Gaming Series (CGS) has signed an exclusive deal with G4 Media, bringing the league's competitions to U.S. cable television. Four 90-minute episodes will air on G4, including the CGS '08 North America Finals and the CGS '08 World Finals. The programming will debut July 16 on G4 with the league's '08 North America playoffs (CGS)....FSN has picked up a second season of "Sport Science," which is in production for a return to the airwaves next spring. Fox National Cable Sports Networks President Bob Thompson said that his company is slotting the original programming on Sunday nights to "build audience and give outlets a chance to promote the night as 'something really different from anything else on TV.'" Thompson added FSN is "trying to pick up two to three new series per year" (TV WEEK, 6/16 issue).
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