TSN Inks Canadian Rights Deal With CONCACAF for Gold Cup, Champions League

TSN has inked a new agreement with CONCACAF to become the official broadcaster of the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League. 

“We are thrilled to partner with CONCACAF to become Canada’s exclusive home for these marquee soccer tournaments,” says Shawn Redmond, Vice-President, Content Strategy and Business Operations, TSN. “The addition of these CONCACAF competitions allows us to further augment TSN’s expansive slate of live soccer for our viewers, while also delivering the performances by our Canadian teams throughout both the Gold Cup and the Champions League.”

“With their coast-to-coast reach and an emphasis across platforms on marquee sporting events like the Gold Cup and the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League, TSN is an ideal partner for CONCACAF in the important Canadian market,” says Victor Montagliani, President, CONCACAF. “We have seen some great performances over the years from Canada at the Gold Cup, and from Canadian teams in the Champions League, so we’re pleased that TSN will be bringing all the action to the growing Canadian audience for years to come.”

Kicking off July 7 with Canada vs. French Guiana at 7 p.m. ET on TSN5, TSN is Canada’s home for exclusive coverage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial tournament contested by nations in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The Canadian men’s national soccer team captured the nation’s first CONCACAF Gold Cup title in 2000, and TSN follows the team this summer as they compete against a field that features perennial soccer powers Mexico, Costa Rica, and host nation USA. TSN’s live coverage culminates with both semifinal matchups and the CONCACAF Gold Cup FINAL on July 26, live from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Beginning with the 2018 season, TSN also becomes the exclusive Canadian home of the CONCACAF Champions League, following the Canadian teams throughout the competition and featuring live coverage of the CONCACAF Champions LeagueFINAL. The Champions Leagueis an annual competition comprised of 15 direct entry clubs and the champion of the CONCACAF League.

Additional broadcast details will be announced this summer as part of TSN’s CONCACAF Gold Cup and CONCACAF Champions League schedules. Live streaming and on-demand viewing of both the CONCACAF Gold Cup and CONCACAF Champions League matches will be available to TSN subscribers via the TSN GO mobile app and on TSN.ca.

Soccer United Marketing (SUM), Major League Soccer’s commercial arm and partner of CONCACAF for more than a decade, negotiated the agreement.

TSN is the official broadcaster of Major League Soccer (MLS) in Canada, with complete coverage of Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, a package of Montreal Impact matchups, marquee games featuring U.S.-based teams, plus the MLS ALL-STAR GAME, MLS DECISION DAY, and the complete AUDI MLS CUP PLAYOFFS, culminating with MLS CUP.

Through a multi-year broadcast rights agreement with UEFA, TSN and RDS are the primary Canadian broadcasters of the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE and UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE. The agreement sees TSN broadcast more than 190 games, including up to 16 group stage games weekly, extensive coverage of the knockout phase, as well as the UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL and the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL. RDS delivers live coverage of three of the best matches each week.

Bell Media’s CTV, TSN, and RDS own exclusive Canadian media rights to the FIFA World Cup package through to 2026, which includes the 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA, 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as well as a slate of additional FIFA tournaments.

TSN is also the official broadcaster of the CONCACAF Gold Cup and CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE and, along with RDS, holds a multi-year broadcast agreement that gives both networks the Canadian media rights to half of all games from the PREMIER LEAGUE.