There have been rumours over the last few months that the CBC were looking to bid on the rights and to undermine TSN and Rogers Sportsnet (both sport stations) who joined forces (under the umbrella of CTV a Canadian private network) to scoop the rights to the 2010 Vancouver Wnter Olympics.
This places Rogers Sportsnet in a position where they hold the rights to Canadian national team games but will not be able to broadcast the Canadian team when it plays in next summers Under-20 tournament.
It is somewhat ironic that 21 years ago yesterday the CBC broadcast the game that assurred Canada a spot in the 1986 World Cup. After that soccer moved to the sports channels and now it has returned.
Update; I have it confirmed that at this stage this does not affect the rights to broadcast Canada's national teams. Rogers Sportsnet holds the rights until the end of this calendar year although the CSA are hoping to negotiate a deal with the CBC for the rights from January 1, 2007 onwards.
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
Thank you to all who take time to visit this blog and especially to those of you who post your comments and thoughts.
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