Curling Canada has recently secured an eight-year extension for the broadcasting rights of three of its top players, marking a significant step in the sport’s commercial strategy. This deal underscores the increasing value and appeal of curling as a competitive sport and highlights the importance of its athletes in driving fan engagement and viewership.
The agreement includes prominent figures in the curling community, reflecting their importance both on and off the ice. The extended contract is expected to enhance the visibility of these players through various media platforms, including television and digital channels. By solidifying these broadcasting rights, Curling Canada aims to build a stronger connection between fans and the sport, offering more comprehensive coverage of games and player insights.
The deal comes at a time when curling is experiencing growth in popularity, partly due to its increasing presence in international competitions and heightened media exposure. This extended contract is anticipated to provide a stable platform for the players to showcase their skills and connect with their audience more effectively.
The move also aligns with Curling Canada’s broader strategy to professionalize the sport and attract more sponsorship and advertising opportunities. By leveraging the profiles of these key athletes, the organization hopes to boost the sport’s profile and appeal to a wider audience.
Overall, this eight-year broadcasting deal represents a significant investment in the future of curling, supporting both the athletes’ careers and the sport’s ongoing development. It reflects a commitment to enhancing the sport’s media presence and ensuring that fans have greater access to high-quality coverage of their favorite players and events.
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Curling Canada and TSN have extended their broadcast rights contract for another eight years.
The agreement kicks in for the 2020-21 season through to 2027-28.
The announcement was made Saturday during the Canadian women’s curling championship in Moose Jaw, Sask.
TSN first began broadcasting curling in 1984.
Bell Media’s TSN and French-language RDS became the exclusive provider in 2006.
“There are so many exciting aspects to this new agreement, but the primary reason is that curling fans will continue to receive a broadcast package that is unparalleled in Canadian amateur sports,” Curling Canada chief executive officer Katherine Henderson said in a statement.
“No other broadcast platform offers this kind of access to our sport, with TSN and RDS showing more than 300 hours of championship-level curling over the course of the season.”
Curling Canada’s major events include the women’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts national championship, the men’s Tim Hortons Brier, the Home Hardware Canada Cup, the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings trials and pre-trials, the OK Tire and BKT Tires Continental Cup and the men’s and women’s world championship.
“Season of Champions curling is a cornerstone of our programming strategy, as it shines the spotlight on the most significant events in the sport,” TSN vice-president Shawn Redmond said in the statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2020.
Curling Canada – ST. CATHARINES, Ont. — Three women who have put in countless hours behind the scenes to advance the sport of curling have won prestigious Curling Canada awards, it was announced on Monday.
Regina’s Bernadette McIntyre has been named winner of the Curling Canada Award of Achievement, while Kathy Siddall of Kentville, N.S., has won the Ray Kingsmith Award, and Kate Barratt of Gibsons, B.C., has won the Curling Canada Volunteer of the Year Award.
“As much as our sport is about the athletes, it’s the people behind the scenes whose names rarely, if ever, make the headlines who make it possible for those athletes to perform at a high level,” said Curling Canada Board of Governors member Scott Comfort, who chairs the Awards and Hall of Fame Committee. “But these committed volunteers also work hard at developing the grassroots of our sport. This truly is a gratifying day because we get to thank, and honour, people who make our sport so special.
the Year
The Curling Canada Volunteer of the Year Award is based on the nominee’s contributions from the previous curling season, in any number of areas.
While Barratt’s contributions to her hometown Gibsons Curling Club go back further than the 2015-16 season, it was then that she stood tallest to ensure that her fellow curlers on the Sunshine Coast had a dependable ice surface on which to play.
With the club’s 40-year-old ice plant on its last legs, Barratt immediately went to work to secure funding for a replacement. She applied for grants and donations of all kinds, and in the end, her single-minded tenacity would end up producing a remarkable $140,000 of the $160,000 total cost of the project .
At the same time, she took a lead role in establishing a selection committee to determine the contractor for the project, while getting volunteers together to work on a facelift of the club to coincide with its 40th anniversary celebrations.
As if that weren’t enough, she did her usual volunteer work for the Gibsons Curling Club, including producing a club newsletter, keeping the club website updated, developing an online registration system, helping to organize leagues, organizing curling clinics for members and maintaining an annual five per cent growth rate in membership.
Barratt will be honoured during an on-ice ceremony at the 2017 Tim Hortons Brier in St. John’s.
Curling Canada’s 14 Member Associations submitted applications for the Curling Canada Volunteer of the Year Award, and among some amazing submissions, it was narrowed down seven finalists, including Barratt.
The other National Finalists were as follows:
Darlene Danyliw (Saskatchewan)
Keith Stoesz (Manitoba)
Ron Watt (Ontario)
Cathy MacCallum (Quebec)
Andrew Paris (Nova Scotia)
Shirley Kelly (Newfoundland and Labrador.
