CBC Sports explained
CBC Sports is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for English-language sports broadcasting. The CBC's sports programming primarily airs on CBC Television, CBCSports.ca, and CBC Radio One. (The CBC's French-language Radio-Canada network also produces sports programming.)
Once the country's dominant sports broadcaster, in recent years it has lost many of its past signature properties – such as the Canadian Football League, Toronto Blue Jays baseball, Canadian Curling Association championships, the Olympic Games for a period, the FIFA World Cup, and the National Hockey League – to the cable specialty channels TSN and Sportsnet. The CBC has maintained partial rights to the NHL as part of a sub-licensing agreement with current rightsholder Rogers Media (maintaining the Saturday-night Hockey Night in Canada and playoff coverage), although this coverage is produced by Sportsnet, as opposed to the CBC itself as was the case in the past.
As a result of funding reductions from the federal government, increased costs for licensing, and decreased revenues, in April 2014, the CBC announced it would no longer bid for professional sports broadcasting rights.[1] The CBC has since used its digital platforms to provide overflow coverage of events not on television, and simulcasts of television coverage. Since then, the CBC's in-house sports coverage has been largely focused on Olympic sports, other domestic amateur and semi-professional competitions such as the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), along with coverage of Spruce Meadows' show jumping competitions.
The majority of CBC Television's sports coverage is broadcast on weekend afternoons, under the blanket title CBC Sports Presents (formerly Road to the Olympic Games from 2015 to 2022, and CBC Sports Weekend prior to 2015).[2] CBC Sports also streams all of its programming, as well as other event coverage not shown on television, via its website and digital platforms.
Former CEO of Curling Canada Greg Stremlaw was the head of CBC Sports from April 10, 2015[3] [4] to January 2019.[5]
Sports properties
Current/upcoming
Olympics and Pan Am
Hockey
Alpine Skiing
Basketball
Baseball
Curling
Cricket
Equine sports
Figure Skating
Football
Rugby
Track & Field
Other Sports
Past properties
Hockey
Horse racing
Soccer
Baseball
Multi-sports competitions
Basketball
Football
Figure Skating
Curling
- Cross Canada Curling - 1961–1965
- CBC Championship Curling - 1966–1972
- CBC Curling Classic - 1973–1979
- Canadian Curling Association - 1961–2008
Canoe Sprint
Tennis
Notable personalities (past and present)
Directors
- Len Casey (1965–1967)[22] [23]
- Ron Hunka (1967–1970)
- Don Goodwin (1970–1975)[24]
- Gordon Craig (1975–1977)
- John Hudson (1977–1980)[25]
- Ron Devion (1980–1982)
- Denis Harvey (1982–1983)
- Don MacPherson (1984–1988)[26]
- Arthur Smith (1988–1990)
- Alan Clark (1990 – December 8, 1999)
- Nancy Lee (December 9, 1999 – February 28, 2007)[27]
- Scott Moore (March 1, 2007 – April 3, 2011)[28]
- Jeffrey Orridge (April 4, 2011 – April 9, 2015)
- Greg Stremlaw (April 10, 2015 – January, 2019)
- Chris Wilson (July 2, 2019 – present)[29]
Hall of Fame
CBC Sports Hall of Fame recognizes those broadcasters of CBC Sports who have made a unique and lasting contribution to CBC and to the sports broadcasting industry.[30]
Proposed CBC SportsPlus channel
In 2008, the CBC received CRTC approval for a sports specialty channel, "CBC SportsPlus", which would have aired a mix of amateur and professional sports. The application was controversial, with CTVglobemedia, Rogers Media, and The Score among others filing interventions against the channel for being unduly competitive with existing sports channels (therefore violating the CRTC's then-policy of genre protection among specialty channels). They showed particular concern for the CBC stating that it planned to devote 75% of its programming to professional sports. The CRTC approved the license application, but restricted it to only devoting 30% of its schedule per-week to professional sports, with only 10% of this quota allowed to be devoted to "professional stick and/or ball sports".[31] [32]
The channel, however, never launched.
Notes and References
- News: CBC to cut 657 jobs, will no longer compete for professional sports rights. CBC News. 10 April 2014. 10 April 2014.
- Web site: CBC SPORTS TO PROVIDE EXTENSIVE COVERAGE OF THE ISU GRAND PRIX OF FIGURE SKATING SEASON, BEGINNING OCTOBER 21. CBC Public Relations. October 20, 2022. July 7, 2023. CBC SPORTS PRESENTS will be live on location to provide broadcast coverage on CBC TV and CBC Gem..
- Web site: Greg Stremlaw Appointed CBC's Head of Sports. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150911210930/http://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/greg-stremlaw-appointed-cbcs-head-of-sports.html. September 11, 2015. 4 September 2015. CBC.ca.
- Web site: CBC Sports launches Road to the Olympic Games. CBC Sports. 23 October 2015.
- Web site: 'Opportunity knocks': Greg Stremlaw leaves CBC Sports for United Soccer League. CBC.
- Web site: Canadian Hockey League announces new multi-year broadcast partnerships. 21 July 2021 . 2021-07-27. CHL.
- Web site: CBC Sports becomes exclusive English-language digital broadcaster of U SPORTS National Championships through 2025. 20 September 2021 . 2023-10-21. U Sports.
- News: Where to watch the FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2023. fiba3x3.com. April 27, 2024. en.
- News: CBC Sports to showcase Canada's Little League Baseball. CBC Sports. 2017-08-11. en.
- Web site: Mann . Colin . 2023-07-25 . CBC Sports airs Global T20 Canada . 2023-07-26 . en-GB.
- CBC to broadcast 2019 Vanier Cup . 3downnation.com . 2019-11-02 . 2019-11-02 .
- Web site: CBC Sports becomes exclusive English-language digital broadcaster of U SPORTS National Championships through 2025. 20 September 2021 . 2023-10-21. U Sports.
- Web site: CBC Sports, Toronto Wolfpack announce broadcast agreement. CBC Sports. 20 March 2017.
- Web site: CBC Sports becomes exclusive English-language digital broadcaster of U SPORTS National Championships through 2025. 20 September 2021 . 2023-10-21. U Sports.
- Web site: CBC Sports becomes exclusive English-language digital broadcaster of U SPORTS National Championships through 2025. 20 September 2021 . 2023-10-21. U Sports.
- Web site: CBC signs broadcast deal with Toronto FC . . 2007-04-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404195935/https://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/cbc-signs-broadcast-deal-with-toronto-fc-1.635158 . 2023-04-04 . live.
- Web site: CBC Sports, Mediapro Canada partner to provide 20-game package of CPL season . CanPL.ca . April 18, 2019 . April 18, 2019.
- Web site: CBC/Radio-Canada premier media partner of 2017 North American Indigenous Games . January 20, 2017 . CBC Sports.
- News: CBC Sports signs broadcast deal with Raptors . 2007-10-03 . 1 August 2007 . CBC News.
- Web site: Year-old Canadian Elite Basketball League signs broadcast deal with CBC. Penticton Herald. en. 2019-12-19.
- Web site: Rogers extends sponsorship of Rogers Cup. Sportsnet.ca. 19 May 2015.
- News: DeGeer . Vern . Good Morning . 27 February 2024 . The Montreal Gazette . October 30, 1965.
- News: Artiss . Laurie . Hot of the Press Items . 27 February 2024 . The Leader-Post . April 7, 1967.
- News: New Sports Chief Named . 27 February 2024 . The Windsor Star . December 23, 1970.
- News: Appointments . Cinema Canada . February 1977.
- News: Smith appointed new chief of CBC Television Sports. The Globe and Mail. July 22, 1988.
- News: Nancy Lee Appointed COO of Olympic Broadcast Services. Broadcaster. November 17, 2006. November 24, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923085451/http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/news/nancy-lee-appointed-coo-of-olympic-broadcast-services/1000057210/?&er=NA. September 23, 2015. dead.
- News: Kennedy. Brendan. Shakeup in sports broadcasting. Toronto Star. November 10, 2010.
- News: Rody . Bree . CBC ups Chris Wilson to head sports . 25 October 2021 . Media In Canada . July 5, 2019.
- News: September 27, 2010. CBC Sports Hall of Fame adds 4 members. CBC News. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100929110624/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2010/09/27/sp-cbc-hof-inductees.html. September 29, 2010.
- News: CBC's all-sports channel bid comes under fire. The Globe and Mail. 2020-01-09.
- Web site: Archived - CBC SportsPlus - Category 2 specialty service. Government of Canada. Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). 2008-08-20. crtc.gc.ca. 2020-01-09.