TSN Launches TSN 2

"TSN announced a new channel today, TSN2, which will launch Aug. 29 with live coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

The digital channel will be a 24 hour, seven days a week service providing live major league content including NHL, NBA and some CFL games, as well as NCAA basketball games, tennis, curling, auto racing and martial arts.

As well, TSN2 will be the first digital channel in Canada to provide content in high definition TV.

TSN president Phil King said the decision to start TSN2 was based on the demand for programming that TSN's main channel could not fit into its schedule.

“Perhaps our only fault or Achilles heel has been frankly our number of conflicts as a result of the amount of programming we own and control,” he said. “It's unavoidable. And we hate it more than the public does, so this is a solution.”

- Globe And Mail (William Houston)

The TSN empire is growing but the real bonus for hockey and sports fans is the fact that TSN 2 will be showing programming in HD.

For those of you who have HD TV's (I'm not one of them), you already know how frustrating it is at the lack of HD NHL games during the season, especially concerning the Senators. TSN is only showing ten Senators games this year but TSN 2 may provide another outlet for non-Leaf games starting as soon as the 2009-2010 season.

Here's an original TSN spot from its launch year in 1984.



Former anchor and now Off The Record host, Michael Landsberg, announcing the relocation of the Winnipeg Jets in 1995.



TSN Top 10 Own Goals



For TSN completists only - I take no responibility for this, but TSN anchor Jennifer Hedger recently made out with a girl on the television show "The Lofters". Be warned. Probably not suitable for a workplace environment. Probably not suitable for this blog, but it's the summer eh...