TSN and Sportsnet had turned EPL soccer into a staple of their weekend morning programmingGETTY IMAGES
DAZN has "signed a three-year deal to be the exclusive broadcast partner" of the EPL in Canada, according to a source cited by Dan Bilicki of the TORONTO SUN. The deal would "take soccer off conventional television in Canada, which will certainly upset more than a few purists." It is a "potentially huge blow" for TSN and Sportsnet, which have turned EPL soccer into a "staple of their weekend morning programming, including studio shows based around the games." Fans in Canada should not cross their fingers about a deal "being worked out with the networks, similar to what happened last year with the NFL." The source said, "DAZN has no plans to sublicense games in Canada. DAZN will be the exclusive home of the Premier League in Canada." Bilicki notes technological worries are "seemingly behind DAZN." It got off to a "disastrous start when taking over NFL Sunday Ticket last year, with a bevy of issues leading the service to sublicense the package to Rogers and Bell." But this NFL season, complaints have been "few and far between from subscribers" (TORONTO SUN, 12/19).
OVERSATURATED MARKET? AWFUL ANNOUNCING's Ken Fang wrote under the header, "How Many Streaming Services Are Too Many?" Viewers have "standalone services like Amazon Video, CBS All Access, HBO Now, Hulu, Netflix, Showtime, etc. and then we have the services like AT&T Watch, DirecTV Now, fuboTV, Hulu (the live version), PlayStation Vue, Sling TV, and YouTube TV, which are marketed to cord cutters." In regard to sports, there is ESPN+, NBC Sports Gold and DAZN. But with all of these services, there is "only so much you can pay" (AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 12/18).
