The Sports Network facts for kids
The Sports Network, or TSN, is a popular Canadian TV channel that shows lots of sports! It broadcasts in English and is owned by a company called CTV Specialty Television. This company is a partnership between Bell Media and ESPN Inc. TSN started way back in 1984 and was one of the first special cable channels in Canada. It's a really big channel, earning a lot of money each year.
TSN's main studios are in Toronto, Ontario. The channel focuses on all kinds of sports, from live games to sports talk shows and original programs.
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| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Bell Media Agincourt, Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) (HD feed downgraded to letterboxed 480i for SDTVs) 4K (UHDTV) (part-time, selected broadcasts) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | CTV Specialty Television |
| Parent | The Sports Network Inc. |
| Sister channels | TSN1 TSN2 TSN3 TSN4 TSN5 TSN on CTV RDS RDS2 RDS Info |
| History | |
| Launched | September 1, 1984 |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| TSN Direct | (Canadian subscribers only) |
Contents
How TSN Started and Grew
Early Days of Sports Broadcasting
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TSN began on September 1, 1984. It was first called the Action Canada Sports Network. The channel was started by the Labatt Brewing Company. They made a deal with ESPN, a big sports network in the U.S., to show more programs.
In its early years, TSN was a "premium" channel. This meant you had to pay extra for it, usually bundled with movie channels. This made it harder to get many viewers, especially with other channels showing sports for free.
To become more popular, TSN wanted to show NHL games across Canada. This was tricky because another company, Molson, was also involved with NHL rights. But with some teamwork, TSN, Molson, and the NHL made a deal for TSN to broadcast games.
By 1987, TSN had a million subscribers! The channel wanted to be available to even more people, so they asked to be part of basic cable packages. This meant many more homes could watch TSN.
In 1990, TSN started showing the IIHF World Junior Championship, also known as the "World Juniors." This tournament became super popular in Canada, especially with exciting games and strong performances by Team Canada. It's now a holiday tradition for many Canadian families.
New Owners and More Channels
In 1995, Labatt had to sell TSN. A group of Canadian companies and ESPN Inc. bought it. ESPN couldn't start its own channel in Canada, so buying a part of TSN was their way to join the Canadian market. TSN also launched its website, TSN.ca, in 1995.
In 2000, a company called CTV Inc. bought the Canadian shares of TSN. CTV then moved TSN's operations to its main building in Toronto. This led to some jokes between the two networks about "crossing the parking lot."
After this, TSN started to look more like ESPN. They got a new logo similar to ESPN's, and their main sports news show, SportsDesk, became SportsCentre, just like ESPN's SportsCenter.
TSN also launched new digital channels in 2001. These included a Canadian version of ESPN Classic (showing old sports events) and the NHL Network (all about hockey). In 2003, TSN became one of the first channels in Canada to broadcast in high definition (HD), making sports look much clearer.
In 2008, TSN launched TSN2, a new 24-hour channel. It was like a second TSN, showing even more sports when the main channel was busy. This allowed TSN to show more programs and live events.
Bell Takes Over and Radio Starts
In 2011, Bell Canada bought all of CTV's broadcasting parts, including TSN. The new company became known as Bell Media.
TSN also started its own radio network, called TSN Radio. The first station launched in Toronto in 2011. Bell Media already had other sports radio stations, and many of them eventually became TSN Radio stations.
In 2011, TSN also got the rights to broadcast games for the new Winnipeg Jets hockey team. They even created a special channel called TSN Jets just for these games.
Bell Canada and Rogers Communications (who own the competing Sportsnet channels) also bought a big part of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) in 2012. MLSE owns teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors. This deal meant that Bell and Rogers would have a big say in how these teams' games were shown on TV.
In 2014, TSN launched "TSN Go," a service that let subscribers watch TSN channels online or through a phone app.
Changes in NHL Rights and More Channels
In 2013, Rogers Communications made a big deal to become the only national TV channel for the NHL, starting in the 2014-15 season. This meant TSN lost its national NHL rights.
Even without national NHL games, TSN changed its strategy. They focused on other popular sports like college football, March Madness (college basketball), and curling. TSN also kept the rights to IIHF hockey tournaments, including the popular World Juniors, and the Canadian Football League (CFL).
TSN also kept showing regional NHL games for teams like the Maple Leafs, Jets, and Ottawa Senators.
To show even more sports, TSN launched three new channels in August 2014: TSN3, TSN4, and TSN5. This meant TSN now had five 24-hour channels! This allowed them to show many games happening at the same time, like tennis tournaments or college basketball. These new channels also broadcast regional NHL games. Around this time, TSN also started a fun online segment called BarDown on YouTube, which focuses on hockey quizzes and funny content for younger fans.
In 2016, TSN started showing some games in 4K ultra high-definition, making the picture even clearer.
In 2018, TSN launched "TSN Direct," an online service where people could subscribe to watch TSN channels without a cable TV package. In 2023, they launched "TSN+", a separate online service with even more sports content, like PGA Tour golf and the XFL football league.
TSN Channels Today
TSN has five main channels: TSN1, TSN2, TSN3, TSN4, and TSN5. While all five channels are available across Canada, TSN1, 3, 4, and 5 are set up to be the main TSN channel for different regions. For example, TSN1 is usually the main channel in British Columbia, while TSN4 is the main channel for most of Ontario.
This setup allows TSN to show different games or programs at the same time. So, if there are many tennis matches happening, TSN can show different ones on different channels. They also show regional NHL games on these channels.
Here's a quick look at the main TSN channels:
| Channel | Started | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| TSN1 | September 1, 1984 | This is the main TSN channel for viewers in British Columbia, Alberta, and Yukon. It often shows ESPN talk shows. |
| TSN2 | August 29, 2008 | This channel acts as an "overflow" channel, showing extra games when the other TSN channels are busy. It also shows Toronto Raptors games and regional Montreal Canadiens games. |
| TSN3 | August 25, 2014 | This is the main TSN channel for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the northern territories. It shows regional Winnipeg Jets games. |
| TSN4 | This is the main TSN channel for most of Ontario. It shows regional Toronto Maple Leafs games. | |
| TSN5 | This is the main TSN channel for eastern Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada. It shows regional Ottawa Senators games. | |
| TSN 4K | January 20, 2016 | This channel shows selected games in super clear 4K quality, like some Raptors, Maple Leafs, Senators, and CFL games. |
TSN also has a French-language sister channel called RDS.
Past Channels
TSN used to have a few other channels for specific teams or regions:
| Channel | First Aired | Last Aired | What it showed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadiens on TSN | October 25, 2010 | April 10, 2014 | This channel showed regional English-language games for the Montreal Canadiens. These games later moved to TSN2. |
| Jets on TSN | September 20, 2011 | April 11, 2014 | This channel showed regional games for the Winnipeg Jets. These games later moved to TSN3. |
What You Can Watch on TSN
TSN shows a mix of live sports, highlight shows, talk shows, and documentaries. Some popular shows include:
- Motoring – A show about new cars, including reviews and test drives.
- SportsCentre – TSN's main daily news show, giving you the latest sports news and highlights.
- That's Hockey – A daily show focused on all the latest news in the world of hockey.
Because ESPN owns a part of TSN, TSN also shows many popular ESPN programs like Pardon the Interruption, Around the Horn, and 30 for 30 documentaries.
In 2012, TSN created its own series of documentaries called Engraved on a Nation, which told stories about the Grey Cup and the CFL. They brought the series back in 2019 to tell other important Canadian sports stories.
Sports Rights on TSN
TSN has rights to broadcast many different sports events.
Hockey
TSN is a huge channel for hockey in Canada. It shows games from Hockey Canada tournaments, including the IIHF World Junior Championships, which TSN helped make very popular. TSN also shows games from the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), including the Memorial Cup.
From 1987 to 1998, and again from 2002 to 2014, TSN showed national NHL games. While they no longer have the national rights (Rogers Sportsnet does), TSN still shows many regional NHL games:
- Winnipeg Jets: 60 games per season on TSN3.
- Toronto Maple Leafs: 26 games per season on TSN4.
- Ottawa Senators: 60 games per season on TSN5.
- Montreal Canadiens: 50 games per season on TSN2.
These regional games can only be watched in certain areas. TSN also uses the famous "The Hockey Theme" song for its hockey broadcasts.
Football
TSN has been showing Canadian Football League (CFL) games since 1987. Since 2008, TSN has been the only place to watch all CFL games, including the big championship game, the Grey Cup.
Basketball
TSN shares the rights to show National Basketball Association (NBA) games and Toronto Raptors games with Sportsnet. TSN showed the exciting 2019 NBA Finals when the Raptors won their first championship, and it was the most-watched NBA game in Canadian history!
Soccer
TSN started showing Major League Soccer (MLS) games in 2011, especially games involving Canadian teams like Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. While most MLS games moved to a new streaming service in 2023, TSN still shows some select games.
TSN also has the rights to show FIFA soccer tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup and FIFA Women's World Cup. They also show games from La Liga, a top soccer league in Spain.
Other Sports
- Curling: TSN shows all of Curling Canada's major events, including the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and Montana's Brier.
- Olympics: TSN has been part of the Olympic Games coverage in Canada for many years, showing extra events and highlights.
- Baseball: TSN used to show Toronto Blue Jays games. Now, they show ESPN's Major League Baseball coverage, including ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.
- Auto Racing: You can watch Formula One and NASCAR Cup Series races on TSN.
- Football (NFL): TSN is the main cable channel for the National Football League (NFL) in Canada. They show all the big national games like Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football.
- Tennis: TSN is the only place in Canada to watch all four major tennis tournaments, called Grand Slams: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
- Golf: TSN shows all four major golf championships: The Masters, US Open, British Open, and PGA Championship.
- Mixed Martial Arts (UFC): TSN shows many UFC events, including big fights and reality shows.
- Other ESPN Events: Through its connection with ESPN, TSN also shows events like the X Games, College Football Playoff, NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship (college basketball tournament), and the World Series of Poker.
Professional Wrestling
TSN used to show WWE's Raw for over ten years. In 2019, professional wrestling returned to TSN when they started showing All Elite Wrestling's main show, Dynamite. They also stream AEW Rampage online.
Who You See on TSN
TSN has many well-known sports broadcasters and reporters who bring you the latest news and analysis.
See also
In Spanish: The Sports Network para niños
