Why Is TSN Telecasting only ONE GAME per Day from the Women's Worlds?

In a previous posting, I showed the TSN broadcast schedule for the 2011 Women's World Curling Championships in Denmark. It looks as if TSN will be telecasting only one game per day. They won't even be showing all the games Canada will be playing. Why is that? Were they unwilling to pay enough to secure the rights to the other games? Surely time cannot be a problem for the announcers since they do two games per day during the Scott and the Brier. Do they really think they will have bigger audiences from other shows?

If that broadcast schedule holds up, we will miss the following games involving Canada (times are EDT):

• Sunday, 9am, Russia
• Monday, 9am, Norway
• Tuesday, 4am, Czech Republic
• Wednesday, 2pm, Sweden
• Thursday, 4am, Korea

The posted schedule for TSN's telecasts is very disappointing! Let's hope they change their minds.

For the full schedule of play, see this site.

Quiet Note to TSN

In the past, I've probably whined and complained more than most about the television coverage of the Scott and the Brier and Worlds. So far at the 2011 Scott Tournament of Hearts, I have only a minor request of TSN:

Is there a chance you could move your second line of information (rocks remaining and time remaining) down below the main line of information and keep it on the screen permanently (or at least show it whenever you show the score, rock colours, etc. in your primarily line of information)? There's no good reason to have that information available only rarely, and having it available all the time would greatly enhance my viewing pleasure.

Are the World Page Play-offs Different?

Or has TSN goofed up again?

Here's the listing from TSN:

ET	Draw	Matchups
4:00am	PPG2	Page Playoff Game #2 - Scotland 6 vs United States 4
10:30am	SF	Semi Final - Norway vs. USA

APRIL 11

ET	Draw	Matchup
4:00am	BR	Bronze Medal Game
10:00am	CF	Championship Final - Canada vs. Scotland

[apologies. I can't get the TSN table to fit on the page properly.] I thought Norway would play the winner of the 3-4 game, in this case Scotland (who defeated the US 6-4), in the semi-final. And then the winner of the game between Norway and Scotland would meet Canada in the final. Isn't that the way it works? Why does the TSN schedule show Norway playing the US in the semi-final and then Canada playing Scotland in the final? Wtf is the semi-final for, if the teams for the final have already been determined? Or does this mean that TSN has some inside knowledge that the fix is in?

Am I wrong, or has TSN hired a sociologist from York to write up things on their web page...

Note: I tried to check this on the WCF website, but it hasn't been updated yet, two hours after the Scotland-USA match.

Update: I wrote to TSN this morning and received this response:

Out of Office Reply: Curling

Thank you for contacting TSN, TSN2, ESPN Classic and NHL Network.

Due to a large volume of inquiries, we may not be able to respond to your message personally. However, all comments are read and forwarded to the appropriate departments on a daily basis from Monday to Friday (any inquiries received on weekends or holidays will be addressed on the following business day).

Update #2: Despite their being "out of office", I see that TSN has now corrected their listing of the upcoming games.

TSN? Canadian Press? Do Your Editors Know ANYTHING??

From this morning's TSN page on curling

Canada's Kevin Koe lost to Norway in his final round-robin game at the Capital One World Men's Curling Championship. But the Edmonton skip will get another crack at Thomas Ulsrud on Friday when the two rinks play for a spot in the final.

Also from that page,

Canada's Kevin Koe faces Thomas Ulsrud of Norway in the 1-2 Page Playoff. Watch live streaming on TSN.ca Friday at 1pm et/10am pt.

It is as if nobody at TSN has any idea that the Norwegian team is being skipped by Torger Nergaard because Ulsrud is not with the team due to a family illness. Quite clearly, whoever wrote that lede looked at the score and looked at the team rosters, as shown on TSN, and started writing without reading anything else. Pretty friggn ignorant.

At least the full story has it right.

thanks, WCF and TSN

For those in doubt, the title of this posting is sarcasm. TSN is covering the 2010 Women's World Championship, but it is carrying only games involving Canada. During the round robin, TSN is not carrying the draws not involving Canada.

I know the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament is on right now, and I know there's some pretty exciting stock-car racing and football/soccer going on, too. But those sports are all pretty well-covered on all the various networks.

I realize, too, that if TSN carries three draws in a day, they have to pay lots extra for broadcasters and crew.

But curling is a pretty popular sport in Canada. I'd be surprised if it didn't pay more for TSN to carry the non-Canadian draws with a minimum crew on their second channel than for them to use that channel for anything else. I expect (though I don't know this for sure) that the World Curling Federation has exclusive contracts with others prohibiting TSN from covering the non-Canadian games. Does anyone know for sure?

Meanwhile, I have friends who know a great deal about different possible internet sites that might provide access to sport events televised anywhere in the world. They tell me that there might be a few places in Europe that might have some abbreviated coverage of non-Canadian games. But they haven't pointed me to anything that looks like full coverage. 8-(

HELP!! I'm trapped in my office!!

I have to work in my office today and am unable to watch the 2010 Scott tournament of Hearts on TSN at home. Is there ANY way I can watch it via the internet?? I can't find a link to live telecasts on TSN, and I have even explored myp2p.eu to see if there might be some "alternative" sources. I can't find any.

Any help will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Magic. Ugly Magic

Scotland defeated Canada in 11 ends in the final game of the round robin. But that's not what this posting is about.

Here's the magic: the minute the tape-delayed telecast on TSN showed that Scotland won, CurlCast was magically restored to show us the details of all the evening's games. That development is consistent with my theory that TSN blocked CurlCast from providing the data on the internet for those of us who wanted to follow things live.

And here's the ugly magic: There will be two tie-breaks tomorrow. And TSN will NOT be showing either of them. TSN, which has two channels, will not be showing them.

And even uglier magic? Tonight, TSN opted to show a replay of the Masters's golf tournament on TSN2 rather than show live curling. What are they showing tomorrow instead of showing the curling tie-breaks?

Addendum: Actually, TSN has very misleading information on its site:

TSN may occasionally need to tape-delay some games, as has always been the case when programming conflicts occur. In this instance, TSN will now be in a position to offer the live game on TSN2 while still broadcasting that game on a tape-delayed basis on the main TSN network.

As Johnny Dangerously would say, "lying bastidges."

1. There's not much of a "programming conflict" in my mind between live curling vs. a rerun of golf that had just been on the main TSN channel.
2. They did not carry draw 17 live on TSN2, despite what they say on their website.

Chumps. Yes, they were in a position to offer it. But they didn't.

Did TSN Place an Embargo on CurlCast and Other Sites?

So here we are. Ms. Eclectic and I enjoying a pizza and watching the curling on TSN. I keep peeking ahead to see what happened in real time by looking at the scores and stats on CurlCast. Here's what I see:

Holy Cow, Scotland scored three in the eighth. And then Canada took only one in the ninth to trail without the hammer. And then Canada stole one to tie it up in 10th and go to an extra end. And then..... and then.....

Nothing.

CurlCast goes blank. So does Season of Champions. So does the Canadian Curling Association site.

We saw that the US stole four in the 10th to beat France and guarantee themselves a spot in the playoffs.
But what happened with Germany? They were in a close match. What happened with Switzerland? They, too, were in a close match.

But, nope. Suddenly at CurlCast it says "Data unavailable for this draw". Of course that is utter nonsense. The data are available. They're just not providing them.

I think this is what happened: TSN went to CurlCast and the other websites and said something like, "We have an exclusive contract to broadcast this tournament and you are broadcasting. You must cease and desist."

I'm pretty cheesed off. thanks for nothing, TSN!

No Live-Blogging during a tape-delay

As Alan says, it doesn't make much sense to live-blog a draw when it isn't being shown live. So just why is it on half-hour tape delay??

Nevertheless, judging from the CurlCast data, I gotta try to see the fourth end!

TSN: Show Curling, Please

Last year, when we learned that TSN would have the exclusive (does CurlTV count?) coverage of major curling events in Canada, we speculated that perhaps with their monopoly TSN would get sloppy and unresponsive.

Judging from what we have seen, that is exactly what has happened. Let me second Alan's concerns. These particular parts of his live-blogging from tonight's game struck me as both hilarious and spot on:

I am getting really peeved not seeing any shots in an end until the last lead shot. Thanks, TSN, for this useless coverage. ...

This really pisses me off. Several rocks are in play and I have no idea how they got there. ...

TSN decide to babble with Pia Lindholm, skip of a team that did not make this championship. Thanks, idiots. Nice to know his wife is birthing, Sheesh, I hardly now want to report this end. What excuse is this for sports coverage? Is this the worst of the NBC Olympic Coverage again? ...

I am sure we are all already missing the first couple of shots of the next end. Is there anyone out there willing to admit he/she would get a Capital One card because of Jennifer Jones shouting hard and easy? In fact, my own reaction is that I will studiously avoid getting such a card. Sorry, TSN, they seem to be your sole advertiser, an ominous thought. ...

This is ridiculous - we are almost halfway into the end? What isin their brains? Do they actually get a large audience who find the early shots irrelevant? I guess they think so. ...

Maybe TSN could just put a bunch of rocks out and let the thirds and skips play out the ends. Like limited-overs cricket it could speed the sport up.

Let me just add that the problem with TSN's coverage is not just that they are missing the early shots (though that is VERY annoying). It's also that Ray, especially, but the others, too, seem bored. As a result they blather about all sorts of things and divert attention away from the curling. I don't watch the coverage to hear cute little in-jokes and repartee between the announcers.

This is clear evidence of the value of competition. TSN seemed much better when they had to prove they were as good as, or better than, CBC.

Blathering

Ms. Eclectic and I agree: there is far too much blathering on TSN during the telecasts of the 2009 Ford World Curling Championship. Too much talking about inanities, too much talking just to fill air time and dead air space, and too much talking over the players whose discussions would greatly illuminate the contemplated strategies.

Wouldn't it be nice if they'd just shut up more, especially when they are blathering?

Draw Five is at 6:30 pm EDT on TSN2

Canada plays China in draw #5 this evening. The game will be shown live at 6:30pm EDT on TSN2 and reshown on tape delay later on TSN.

Update: Alan tells us in the comments that Rogers cable will not be carrying TSN2 in some?/many?/all? of its regions. For those of you who would like more detail than you can infer from the CurlCast details,

1. You might be able to watch it on TSN.ca (I can't tell from their website, but it doesn't look as if they will be carrying it live).
   
2. You might be able to watch it on Curltv.com (It looks as if they are perhaps showing USA vs. Switzerland)
   
3. I might be all that's left! So I will try to provide more detail on an an end-by-end basis.
   

The TSN Schedule for Telecasts from the 2009 Ford Worlds in Moncton

Here it is:

Apr. 4, 2009 7:30 PM (6:30 PM ET) --- Canada vs Japan
Apr. 5, 2009 1:00 PM (12:00 PM ET) --- Canada vs France
Apr. 5, 2009 7:30 PM (6:30 PM ET) --- Canada vs China
Apr. 6, 2009 3:00 PM (2:00 PM ET) --- Canada vs Czech Republic
Apr. 6, 2009 7:30 PM (6:30 PM ET) --- Canada vs Germany
Apr. 7, 2009 10:00 AM (9:00 AM ET) --- Canada vs Switzerland
Apr. 7, 2009 7:30 PM (6:30 PM ET) --- Canada vs Norway
Apr. 8, 2009 10:00 AM (9:00 AM ET) --- Canada vs Finland
Apr. 8, 2009 3:30 PM (2:30 PM ET) --- Canada vs USA (Tape Delayed)
Apr. 9, 2009 10:00 AM (9:00 AM ET) --- Canada vs Denmark
Apr. 9, 2009 8:30 PM (7:30 PM ET) --- Can. vs Scotlnd (Tape Delayed)
Apr. 10, 2009 8:30 PM (7:30 PM ET) --- Page Playoff (Tape Delayed)
Apr. 11, 2009 10:00 AM (9:00 AM ET) --- Page Playoff
Apr. 11, 2009 4:00 PM (3:00 PM ET) --- Semi-Final Game
Apr. 12, 2009 7:30 PM (6:30 PM ET) --- Gold-medal Game

The schedule above is from the official website for the event.

Of course, it would be nice if TSN were to broadcast ALL the draws, but I understand from a business perspective why they might choose not to show draws in which Canada is not participating.

More seriously, though, I am perplexed and dismayed to see at least three of the draws (including a page playoff!) will be "Tape Delayed". TSN has two different networks. Surely they could show the draws live on at least one of them.

The Bronze Medal Game on TV? Probably not.

Both Alan and I forgot that at the world championships, there is a playoff to determine who wins the bronze medal.

As of now, I can find no indication that TSN will be telecasting this game, even though it involves Team Canada. Not even on TSN2.

Let's see: Curling. World Class. Prime time. The team from the world's largest and richest market. And yet the World Curling Federation didn't negotiate even a conditional contract with TSN to show the bronze medal game in Canada? Who are these schmucks?

Update: Not only is TSN not showing the bronze metal game, but I seem to be unable to follow it on CurlCast, too! Is there any site where we can follow what is happening??

Update #2: Ah, CurlCast is now showing the results. Perhaps the game began at 9pm EDT, not 8pm.

I Do NOT Frick'n Believe This

TSN, TSNHD, and TSN2 are all carrying something other than the friggn' FINALS of the Scott Tournament of Hearts.

So we have to tolerate macho US southern accents while waiting for the curling final telecast to kick in???

And I thought it would be BETTER when TSN received the exclusive contract.

Curling Association: Please, PLEASE, get it into the contract that TSN must carry the draws from start to finish on at least ONE of their many channels!

What Good Is Hi-Rez If You Miss Seeing the Shots?

I am stuck in my workplace today and must sneak peeks at the 2007 Men's World Curling Championships via TSN's broadband telecasts. I must say the resolution of the pictures is distinctly superior to that of CurlTV. But that isn't worth much in many ways because the TSN broadband telecast kept freezing up on me during the morning draw (I'm writing this before the afternoon draw).

I couldn't believe it: On Glenn Howard's last shot of the 7th end, I could see the rock leave his hand and start sliding down the ice, but then the picture froze. I could hear the rock hit something, and hear the exclamations, but I didn't see the shot. Then suddenly, the picture was back, showing the French team conceding and shaking hands with the Canadians. And I managed to sort of see a replay (but with lots of jerkiness to it).

Hi-res is good if you don't miss the shots. I'm finding the same thing with MLB.com.

Maybe by next year, CurlTV will bump up its resolution and TSN will improve its reliability. Let's hope so.

(apologies: I had to close comments on this posting just to delete one comment I had approved earlier. Please do not post comments that have links to sites with "tribal infusion" or whatever.

Curling on Broadband: TSN vs. CurlTV (again)

By the end of the 2007 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, I had had a chance to watch both TSN and CurlTV several times on broadband. Here are some general impressions:

• As I said before, the video resolution on TSN is better than that of CurlTV.
• But CurlTV's signal was much more consistent and reliable. It seemed as TSN's picture often froze up just as a shot was being made.
• TSN had more camera angles, more stats, and more graphics (as one would expect from their budget).
• Luke, the play-by-play announcer on CurlTV concentrated on curling and didn't mess with all the idle chit-chat on TSN.
• CurlTV has a feature allowing me to watch in a pop-up window, which seems to be the only way I can transfer the image to our television set from our old laptop that we use to watch curling at home. When the games were shown on TSN, we were stuck watching the broadband telecast in a small picture (when it wasn't on TSN).
  

All things considered, I prefer the reliability of CurlTV over the bells and whistles of TSN. I hope both keep working to overcome their weaknesses. And no matter what, I'm glad they're both there, and I'm absolutely delighted to have curling available via broadband for days when I'm working at my office instead of at home.

Poor TSN

Well, I can imagine that TSN would much rather have let CurlTV have this morning's draw instead of having to pay overtime for its cast and crew to cover all three draws today. With three games ended early by lopsided scores, and the only remaining game being between teams that will not make the play-offs, TSN will not have made much, if any, money on this draw (especially not if one assumes it was the one they'd have dropped if they had decided to cover only two draws today).

TSN's Broadband Coverage on Thursday

I'm stuck in the office today, but I confess I'm taking a peek, now and then, at the TSN broadband coverage of Draw 15 from the Scotties 2007 Tournament of Hearts.

As I posted earlier in the week, the resolution of the coverage and the use of their regular large cast and crew and many cameras makes the telecast superior to that of CurlTV.

At the same time, though, the number of times the video freezes up is annoying. And if there's a massive freeze-up, and you have to start the reception de novo, then you have to sit through over a minute of loading time and promos for TSN, which is pretty annoying.

Also, TSN does not allow the viewer to play the video in a pop-up window, as does CurlTV, and for some reason it is only via the pop-up window that we are able to watch the matches using our television as a monitor.

I expect that the drain on the server at times causes the freeze-ups, but I may be wrong. If so, as broadband telecasting becomes more popular, either commercial or subscription, we should expect to see increasingly bigger and better servers. As a commenter noted earlier, broadband telecasting may not be all of what we'll see in the future, but it will surely play an important role.

CurlTV vs. TSN

We watched the TSN broadband telecast of the 2nd draw on Saturday night, and we are watching the CurlTV broadband telecast ($) of the 4th draw on Sunday afternoon. Here are my reflections.

Luke(?), the announcer for CurlTV is clearly knowledgeable about the game. But Lethbridge isn't all that far from Edmonton (home of CurlTV), and it is a puzzle to me that they don't have someone else there to help out with the telecasts. Also, and I know this is picky, but he develops a catch in his play-by-play, hesitating slightly at times, which is distracting.

TSN was technically far superiour to CurlTV's telecast. The resolution was better, and they had more cameras.

CurlTV is better than nothing, but why don't they go out and sell commercials to raise some money so they can put on a better show? I know they're interested in improving the technology of their telecasts, but they seem to be leaving a major revenue source on the table.

Addendum: Also, no replays? I realize that CurlTV is operating on a small budget, but if they'd show replays, maybe people would be more likely to subscribe and they could charge more for ads (again, a plea for them to sell ads).