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Sportsnet 360 (often referred to only as SN 360; formerly known as The Score Television Network) is a Canadian English-language cable television specialty channel providing primarily sports news, highlights, information and analysis programming along with live event sports coverage. The channel is equipped with a 24/7 ticker at the bottom of the screen providing news and scores of sporting events.

Rogers Media announced a deal in August 2012 to acquire the channel's parent company, Score Media. The financial aspects of the acquisition were completed on October 19, at which point control of the channel was transferred to a blind trust pending Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approval of the deal. Rogers did not acquire the website theScore.com and associated mobile apps, which were spun-off into a new company, theScore Inc., primarily owned by Score Media's previous shareholders. These digital properties now operate independently from the TV channel, with the latter operating a separate website (theScoreTV.ca) for the interim period until the Rogers deal was approved.

The sale of The Score to Rogers was approved by the CRTC on April 30, 2013. Rogers re-branded the channel as a Sportsnet-branded service on July 1, 2013, becoming Sportsnet 360.

History

Sportscope

Originally launched in 1994 as "Sportscope", theScore was a sports score network airing in seven Canadian provinces. Sportscope's "programming" was a non-content-based, alphanumeric text rotation of sports scores and news, and did not require a CRTC licence.

Headline Sports

Sportscope was granted an English-language specialty channel licence by the CRTC on September 4, 1996, provisionally titled "Sportscope Plus". The channel launched in May 1997 as Headline Sports and was initially a national 24-hour anchor-at-desk sports news and highlight service operating on a rotating 15-minute newswheel of sports news, highlights, and scores.

Advertising was also introduced, something that did not exist during the Sportscope era. The oldies music was replaced by modern stock music during text rotation of sports scores and news. The channel also contained a constantly updated ticker at the bottom of the screen, providing sports news and scores, as it still does today, per its CRTC licence requirements.

There were initial plans to air a regional ticker and additional streams of alphanumeric data (perhaps via an alternate channel) when the channel first launched, but those plans were ultimately abandoned.

The Score

In March 2000, Headline Sports' licence was amended by the CRTC to allow live sports programming, under the conditions that the channel display the ticker and that breaks away from live coverage occur at least once every fifteen minutes to present video highlights. As a result of this—as well as legal issues with CNN Headline News, which had its own "Headline Sports" segment—the station was re-branded as "The Score" that year.

On June 6, 2006, The Score revamped its ticker alongside the launch of a new HD channel. On September 20, 2011, Score Media announced that it would put The Score Television Network up for sale.

Purchase by Rogers, re-launch as Sportsnet 360

Reports surfaced on August 24, 2012 that Rogers Communications, owners of the competing network Sportsnet, would acquire The Score's parent company. The following day, Rogers Media announced that it acquired Score Media in a transaction valued at $167 million. Pending CRTC approval, Rogers acquired Score Media's television business which included the closed captioning service Voice to Visual Inc., mixed martial arts promotion The Score Fighting Series, and The Score Television Network.

The acquisition itself closed on October 19, 2012, at which point Score Media's digital assets were spun off into another company, theScore Inc., in which Rogers Media retained a 10% interest. Score Media's TV properties were immediately placed into a blind trust, under trustee Peter Viner, pending final CRTC approval. As part of CRTC requirements to spend 10% of the value of an acquisition on initiatives to strengthen the broadcasting industry, Rogers planned to fund the production of the Sportsnet Winter Games (which would have been an annual winter sports competition) and provide funding for the production of amateur sports programming. While Rogers planned to continue running The Score as a sports news service, it also requested that the CRTC ease some of the restrictions that were placed on the network in order to allow it to be more competitive with other Canadian sports channels. Namely, Rogers requested that it only be required to air one sports news update per-hour during live programming.

The CRTC approved both the acquisition of The Score by Rogers on April 30, 2013. The CRTC also approved Rogers' proposal to only require a sports update once per hour during live programming (but rejected its proposal to spend its tangible benefits on the Sportsnet Winter Games). Immediately following the approval, it was announced that The Score would begin airing Hockey Central Playoff Extra (a spin-off of Sportsnet's NHL news program) nightly during the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs, and the network replaced its afternoon programming with a simulcast of Tim & Sid, a radio show on Rogers-owned CJCL hosted by former The Score personalities Tim Micallef and Sid Seixeiro.

On June 4, 2013, Rogers announced that it would re-launch The Score under the Sportsnet brand as Sportsnet 360 on July 1, 2013; the network will continue to target its programming towards "hardcore" sports fans with "a vast breadth of premium sports content in a fast-paced, energetic and entertaining manner", and feature an upgraded ticker.

Sportsnet 360 HD

sportsnet 360 HD is a high definition simulcast of The Score. It is currently available through all major TV providers in Canada except Vidéotron.

Until early 2008, most programming was Standard-definition 4:3 stretched to 16:9. Their true HD programming includes Serie A soccer, National Basketball Association basketball, the Vanier Cup, NCAA coverage and WWE's SmackDown and Raw.

On September 3, 2008, The Score began airing shows from its new multi-million dollar HD studio, located on the corner of King & Peter in Downtown Toronto. Most shows and highlights are now in true HD.

Personalities

Current

• Cam Stewart
• Derek Snider
• Glenn Schiller
• Greg Sansone
• Jackie Redmond
• James Sharman
• Kristian Jack
• Laura Diakun
• Sherman Hamilton
• Sid Seixeiro
• Tim Micallef

Former

• Gerry Dee
• Arda Ocal
• Adnan Virk (at ESPN)
• Brent Furtney
• Cabral "Cabbie" Richards (at TSN)
• Elliotte Friedman (at CBC)
• Gabriel Morency
• James Cybulski (at TSN)
• Martine Gaillard
• Rob Pizzo
• Mauro Ranallo
• Nicole Karkic
• Nikki Reyes
• Paul Brothers
• Renee Paquette (at WWE as Renee Young)
• Rick Ralph
• Rod Mawhood
• Ryan Paton
• Sarah Meehan
• Deb Matejicka
• Sara Orlesky (at TSN)
• Steve Kouleas (at TSN)
• Steve Ludzik (at TSN)
• Tony Ambrogio

Programming

Much of Sportsnet 360's lineup consists of blocks featuring sports news and highlights, but the channel also airs other sports-related programming as well. The channel has historically broadcast WWE programming (including Raw, Friday Night SmackDown, NXT], and Vintage Collection), along with the weekly recap show Aftermath. Following the re-launch, Sportsnet 360 will also become the exclusive carrier of UFC programming and events in Canada (programs which were previously scattered across other Sportsnet channels). The network also airs the Tim & Sid radio show from CJCL, and a Toronto Blue Jays post-game show, Blue Jays Xpress.

Live sports programming on the network will feature both U.S. and Canadian college sports (including NCAA and CIS events, primarily NCAA basketball), assorted soccer matches, exclusive rights to FIBA basketball events through 2016.

References

1. ^ Rogers Media to Acquire theScore Television Network CNW press release 2012-08-25
2. Canadian Trade-mark Database record for application no. 0832430, "Headline Sports", filed by Sportscope Television Network Ltd. and opposed by Cable News Network Inc.
3. Specialty sports channel The Score for sale, Globe and Mail, September 20, 2011.
4. Ladurantaye, Steve. "Rogers Communications to acquire Score Media". Globe and Mail. Canada. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
5. Score Media (October 19, 2012). "Score Media Inc. completes plan of arrangement". Retrieved October 19, 2012.
6. Rogers Media (October 19, 2012). "Rogers Media Completes Acquisition of Score Media". Retrieved October 19, 2012.
7. ^ "Rogers wants CRTC to ease Score licence rules". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
8. "CRTC clears way for Rogers to buy Score". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
9. "CRTC Gives Final Approval to Rogers' Acquisition of Score Media". Broadcaster Magazine. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
10. "Rogers rebrands The Score as Sportsnet 360". Marketing Magazine. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
11. Grand Opening of The Score's new head office, City of Toronto, September 20, 2008.
12. Score Media Reports Strong Q1 Results, Broadcaster Magazine, January 9, 2012.
13. https://twitter.com/reneepaquette/status/256851402729598976
15. "Canadian UFC programming headed to new Sportsnet 360 channel". MMAJunkie. Gannett. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
16. ^ "Sportsnet 360 Goes to Air July 1". Broadcaster. Retrieved July 1, 2013.

External links

• Official website

• Television channels and stations established in 1997
• Toronto Raptors broadcasters
• Sports television networks in Canada
• Canadian analog cable television networks
• English-language television stations in Canada