TSN2
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved a separate TSN2 channel in 2000. CRTC Decision 2000-720 granted the initial permission for this new network. Yet the channel never launched due to a strict prohibition on live programming. The authority for this specific license expired in 2004 without being re-applied for. This legal gap meant the present TSN2 is not directly connected to that original 2000 approval. For years, the concept of a secondary sports feed existed only on paper. Regulators blocked its immediate realization through these specific licensing conditions.
TSN first launched what it then called its alternate feed in 1997. Occasional regional blackouts for TSN programming drove this initial experiment into existence. In its original iteration, the alternate feed could only air on analogue cable in specific areas. It replaced the national service while offered in parallel with the main feed on national satellite providers. Alternate programming made up a maximum of 10% of the TSN schedule. That average amounted to just 2.4 hours per day. Fall 2006 brought a significant shift when the CRTC allowed TSN to air multiple feeds nationally. Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2006-620 restricted availability to digital platforms. The broadcaster began carrying a much larger number of live events during conflicts on the main feed.
The Globe and Mail announced on the 6th of August 2008, that the TSN alternate feed would be replaced by a new network known as TSN2. This new channel promised major league programming throughout the entire day. Extensive coverage of auto racing and tennis formed the core of their initial strategy. Service providers were required to pay extra in order to carry TSN2. Consumers potentially faced higher costs compared to the existing free alternate feed. The old alternate feed was discontinued in August 2008. High definition became available for the first time with this new launch. The channel officially launched on the 29th of August 2008, at 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage of the US Open tennis tournament continued from TSN immediately after the switch. An encore presentation of a Friday night CFL game aired earlier on TSN followed the tennis broadcast.
On the 22nd of October 2008, TSN2 announced it would air 25 Toronto Raptors basketball games during the 2008, 09 NBA season. These games remained unavailable to cable subscribers in the team's home market of Toronto. Rogers Cable did not carry TSN2 from its launch, leaving viewers without access. On the 20th of August 2010, TSN2 signed a multi-year agreement with Canada Basketball. This deal made TSN2 the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of various international basketball tournaments. The two-year contract covered the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women. It also included the FIBA Americas Championship 2011 and the FIBA Americas Championship for Women 2011. As of the 2017, 18 season, TSN2 broadcasts regional Montreal Canadiens games. These telecasts are subject to blackout outside of the team's designated media market.
Rogers Cable serves much of the Greater Toronto Area but notably did not carry TSN2 from its launch. Cable viewers lacked the ability to view select Toronto Raptors NBA games that TSN2 aired in the team's own home market. Months of negotiations followed this initial exclusion. TSN2 was finally added to the lineup in May 2009. This addition occurred before that year's first division rivalry series between the American League East's Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox. Rogers owned both the Blue Jays and the rights holder for the dispute. A press release on the 17th of May 2009 confirmed the availability for Rogers customers. Other providers like Bell Aliant, Cogeco, and Shaw Cable carried the channel without similar delays.
The Globe and Mail reported on the 15th of September 2008, that competitors made a complaint to the CRTC accusing TSN2 of exploiting rules. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Score Media claimed TSN2 should not be allowed to sell new advertising based on their interpretation of regulations. John Levy of Score Media argued against the network's practices regarding timeshift feeds. These complaints were dismissed by the CRTC in Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2008-352 on the 12th of December 2008. Soon after launch, the CRTC announced a proposal to remove genre exclusivity protections for mainstream sports channels. TSN received official permission to use streamlined conditions of licence on the 1st of February 2010. Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2010-49 formalized these changes as Category C licensing. This allowed TSN2 to operate autonomously from TSN's main channel as a pure multiplex with no limits on additional programming.
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Common questions
When was the original TSN2 channel approved by the CRTC?
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved a separate TSN2 channel in 2000. CRTC Decision 2000-720 granted the initial permission for this new network yet it never launched due to strict prohibitions on live programming.
What date did the current TSN2 channel officially launch?
The channel officially launched on the 29th of August 2008 at 7 p.m. ET. This launch replaced the old alternate feed which had been discontinued in August 2008.
Which sports events formed the core strategy when TSN2 first started broadcasting?
Extensive coverage of auto racing and tennis formed the core of their initial strategy. The channel also began carrying a much larger number of live events during conflicts on the main feed after regulators allowed multiple feeds nationally in Fall 2006.
Why were Toronto Raptors games unavailable to Rogers Cable subscribers initially?
Rogers Cable did not carry TSN2 from its launch leaving viewers without access to select Toronto Raptors NBA games in the team's home market. TSN2 was finally added to the lineup in May 2009 following months of negotiations.
When did the CRTC grant TSN2 official permission to operate autonomously as a pure multiplex?
TSN received official permission to use streamlined conditions of licence on the 1st of February 2010. Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2010-49 formalized these changes as Category C licensing allowing TSN2 to operate independently with no limits on additional programming.