FNTSY Sports Network
| Country | Canada, United States |
|---|---|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Anthem Sports & Entertainment |
FNTSY Sports Network (also known as Fantasy Sports Network) is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel that is owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment. The channel broadcasts programming aimed at the fantasy sports market including commentary, call-in shows, coverage of drafts, and reality series.[1] Fantasy Sports Network officially launched on March 4, 2014 on MTS.[1]
History
In January 2013, Anthem Media's subsidiary Fight Media Inc. was granted approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch a television channel called "The League – Fantasy Sports TV," described as "a national, English-language specialty Category B service devoted to fantasy sports, allowing viewers to act as owners and assume all the responsibilities associated with operating real sports franchises, and allowing viewers to create, monitor, trade and discuss players on their teams with others also playing fantasy sports."[2]
CEO of Anthem Media Group Inc., Leonard Asper, only a few months after receiving approval from the CRTC, told The Toronto Star that the channel was slated for a launch in September 2013 after already securing one distributor to carry the channel; however, the channel did not launch as planned for unknown reasons.[3]
To bolster its footprint in the fantasy sports market and provide content for the upcoming channel, Anthem Media acquired RotoExperts.com and SportsGrid.com, two leading U.S.-based websites operating in the fantasy sports field, in August 2013.[4]
In December 2013, it was reported that the channel is expected to launch in Canada and the United States in March 2014.[5] On January 14, 2014, Anthem Media announced the launch date for the channel as March 4, 2014.[1] However, it was initially expected to launch only in the U.S. on that date with the Canadian launch limited to only an app and streaming online channel[6] until January 29, 2014 when Anthem Media announced it will launch in Canada the same day as the U.S. through a carriage agreement with MTS.[7] Three months after the channel's expected launch in the U.S., the channel officially launched in the U.S. on Cablevision's Optimum TV service.[8]
On December 4, 2014, FNTSY Sports Network launched on Bell Fibe TV.[9]
On September 13, 2016, FNTSY Sports Network announced a content deal with The Associated Press.[10]
Programming
- FNTSY Sports Today—Host Garion Thorne and special guests bring the latest news and fantasy spin from every major sport on this daily show.
- Game Time Decisions—Host Gabriel Morency ventures into fantasy and prop bets from the sporting world, presenting the best daily bets and debating with other gaming insiders.
- RotoExperts Live—Live daily from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET, Scott Engel and Adam Ronis report from New York's SiriusXM studios debating all the fantasy sports news with the biggest names in the industry.
- Bloomberg Sports Stats Insights—Hosted by Shannon Sommerville, the daily show takes a look at the numbers behind fantasy sports with a focus on predictive analytical content, covering the day's performances, injuries, transactions and other information critical to fantasy players. Utilizing Bloomberg Sports' advanced analytics, the show reveals fantasy projections and forecasts, including a "Stock Report" each day on players trending upwards or downwards.[11]
- Razzball Radio—In a continuing effort to add Fantasy Sports media content, in June 2014, FNTSY Sports Network partnered with the premier indie-fantasy sports blog, Razzball to provide a 30-minute video/radio variety show that covers the day's fantasy topics, hosted by Nick Capozzi, with the founders of Razzball, Grey Albright and Rudy Gamble, along with other contributors and special guests appearing on the show.[12] Razzball Radio has since been discontinued.
References
- ^ a b c World’s First Fantasy Sports TV Network Set to Launch RotoExperts.com 2014-01-14
- ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2013-7 CRTC 2013-01-09
- ^ Fantasy Sports: Can new TV network find an audience among poolies? The Toronto Star 2013-03-11
- ^ Anthem Media Group Acquires RotoExperts And SportsGrid To Boost Fantasy Sports Television Launch SportsGrid.com 2013-08-01
- ^ Fantasy Sports Network Looks To Become a Reality In March Multichannel.com 2013-12-03
- ^ Fantasy Sports Network targets March launch Cartt.ca 2014-01-14
- ^ Fantasy Sports Network to Launch on MTS Ultimate TV on March 4, 2014 RotoExperts.com 2014-01-29
- ^ Fight Network, FNTSY Gain First US Berths With Cablevision Multichannel News 06-26-2014
- ^ Anthem Media’s FNTSY Sports Network Now Available to All Bell Fibe TV Subscribers
- ^ http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/09/prweb13677914.htm
- ^ Fantasy Sports Network Announces Content Partnership with Bloomberg Sports
- ^ FNTSY Sports Network FNTSY Razzball Radio, Daily Fantasy Sports 2014-06-20