Sports Techy RSS Feed
Sports Techy on Facebook
Sports Techy on Twitter
| More

Sports Broadcasting Technology

Sportsnet Unveils Massive Hockey Central Studio in Toronto

September 30, 2014

(SPORTS TECHNOLOGY)

Sportsnet, a Canadian cable sports channel owned by Rogers Media, has unveiled its new Hockey Central Studio in Toronto ahead of the opening of the NHL season.

"Our hosts and commentators gasped when they saw the studio in action for the first time, and we're confident fans will as well," said Gord Cutler, SVP of NHL production for Rogers. "It's cutting edge and allows us to showcase the game in ways never seen before that will keep fans on the edge of their seats."


They had a reason to gasp. At 11,000 square feet and comprising nine sets with a total of 52 monitors, it’s the largest TV studio in Canada. The studio will officially open on October 8, which also happens to be the start of the hockey season.

The studio was designed by Jack Morton PDG, who also designed the sets for Canada’s Broadcast Media Consortium at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Rogers Creative Group has also brought out some fresh graphics and music packages to accompany the new studio. Sportsnet will offer hockey games across nine networks, including the CBC’s revered “Hockey Night in Canada,” Sportsnet, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet 360 and FX Canada.

While viewers are starting to desert cable companies in favor of “cord-cutting,” watching TV on Netflix and over-the-air antennae, sports programming has kept quite a few people from ditching cable for over-the-top Internet video services.

With exclusive Canadian coverage of major events like the Stanley Cup Playoffs, The Stanley Cup Final, the NHL All-Star Game, NHL Draft Lottery, NHL Draft, and the NHL Awards, Rogers might be able to convince a country where hockey is a beloved institution next to Tim Hortons doughnuts to keep their cable services.

Rogers will also deliver games on mobile devices with its Rogers NHL Gamecentre Live app.




Edited by Maurice Nagle