Canadian Sports Broadcasting Set to Change Forever: Juggernaut TSN is Rumoured to Be for Sale
The latest rumor in the sports world is a big one, and it involves Canada's major sports network TSN, which is reportedly about to be put up for sale.
Canadian sports media is in a period of tectonic change, and Toronto is the epicenter. Conversations this past week have been a maelstrom of speculation, none wilder than that of Bell Media possibly looking to sell off TSN.
This isn't some idle conversation, this is part of the bigger shift. Bell's already announced plans to divest its MLSE shares, while recently purchasing Ziply Fiber, a $3.6 billion investment into Pacific Northwest broadband infrastructure.
The writing's on the wall: all in on telecommunications, out on media. It's all about timing. Putting together Ziply's planned expansion with a potential TSN sale heralds Bell's retreat from the chaotic sports media world.
For TSN, with surging rights fees and declining traditional revenue, it's an especially high mountain to climb, even for a deeply-endowed brand. The tipping point, no doubt came when the NHL national rights were whipped away by Rogers in 2013.
The key properties still under the ownership of TSN include CFL and regional NHL rights, but sports broadcasting economics have changed.
It would change everything in the Canadian sports media landscape, with muscular-streaming platforms desperate for live sports content having shown interest in buying TSN.
In-house, at Bell Media, The FAN 590, its sports radio flagship, isn't sure which day it gets jettisoned. With cuts to programming and shrinking ad revenues, sources speculate it may pivot to all podcasts.
Heck, even Bob McCown, perhaps the most iconic sports media figure this country has ever seen, stepped away late this summer from a fledgling podcast, proof the legacy game is faltering.
But streaming's hot. Amazon's NHL viewership numbers reflect the Toronto-centricity: Maple Leafs games draw nearly twice as many viewers as other Canadian matchups. It's just this sort of market concentration that prompts the broadcasters to shift course.
Is this a slow death for traditional sports media within Canada, or did things just change? While there is one given, being that content is fragmenting onto digital platforms, one thing is for sure: it may never look the same again.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Drake Batherson | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Adam Fox | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Owen Power | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brady Tkachuk | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Tim Stutzle | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Cutter Gauthier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Noah Gregor | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Reilly Smith | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Tage Thompson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mika Zibanejad | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Bowen Byram | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Sam Carrick | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Jensen | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Peyton Krebs | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mason McTavish | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Norris | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Zack Ostapchuk | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Artemi Panarin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| John-Jason Peterka | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jake Sanderson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Wild | 28 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 42 | |
Jets | 30 | 21 | 9 | - | 42 | |
Capitals | 27 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 40 | |
Golden Knights | 28 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 39 | |
Devils | 31 | 18 | 10 | 3 | 39 | |
Panthers | 29 | 18 | 9 | 2 | 38 | |
Hurricanes | 28 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 37 | |
Kings | 28 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 37 | |
Maple Leafs | 28 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 36 | |
Stars | 27 | 17 | 10 | - | 34 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||