TSN announced today it has reached a broad multimedia rights agreement with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for the upcoming UEFA European Football Championships (EURO). TSN and TSN2 will be the exclusive home in Canada for UEFA EURO 2012 and UEFA EURO 2016, which will feature the top European national teams competing in one of the world's most prestigious championships.
RDS and RIS will be the exclusive French-language television broadcasters for both championships.
The agreement allows TSN to provide extensive and exclusive live coverage of UEFA EURO 2012 and 2016 across a variety of its multimedia platforms. This includes in-progress and post-match highlights across key CTVglobemedia outlets.
The deal also includes media rights for the UEFA European Under-21 Championships as well as for the UEFA Women's EURO 2013.The agreement extends TSN's relationship with UEFA, the governing body for association football in Europe, having served as one of the Canadian broadcasters of UEFA EURO 2008.
"Nothing beats international competition and the success of EURO 2008 proved that this tournament has become a must-see event for Canadian sports fans," said Stewart Johnston, President of TSN. "We are looking forward to working with UEFA to not only give fans world class coverage of these marquee events, but to help build the sport of soccer in Canada."
UEFA EURO 2012, Friday, June 8 – Sunday, July 1, in Poland and Ukraine, will include a total of 31 matches featuring the top-16 European national teams. The field will expand to 24 teams and 51 matches for UEFA EURO 2016 in France.
"Following a very successful experience with UEFA EURO 2008, we are extremely pleased to extend our partnership for UEFA EURO with TSN for the next two tournaments," said Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director of UEFA Events SA. "With interest in football growing significantly in North America TSN will no doubt provide great visibility for UEFA's national team competitions through their promotional and programming capacity. This long-term partnership demonstrates the strength of the EURO as a global property and, together with TSN, we are committed to further enhancing it in the future."
