The Score plays Switzerland in the ongoing sports broadcasting war between TSN and Rogers
As TSN and Rogers Sportsnet continue to up the ante in their duel for Canadian sports media supremacy, The Score is taking a decidedly different approach. The network seems to have recognized that it has neither pockets deep enough nor talent good enough to engage its competitors on their terms, so instead it has opted to go after a more tech-savvy audience. Given Toronto’s—that is, the country’s biggest sports market’s—love of all things on-line, The Score’s strategy might just pay dividends.
From the Star’s sports media columnist, Raju Mudhar:
“It’s interesting. There’s a big battle happening in Canada that we’re up against, and they’re taking properties, and people are looking at us with sad eyes asking, ‘Are you okay? What happened with March Madness? You lost it,’” says John Levy, CEO of The Score. “No one needs to feel bad for us. Our approach has always been totally different, and the bottom line is that we’re moving in a different direction.”
While TSN and Rogers are busy buying star sportscasters and broadcast properties like hotcakes, The Score is focused on staying ahead of the curve by finding new digital audiences through its social media activity and exploring the brave new world of mobile.
No doubt, The Score’s digital-first strategy is interesting. But like pretty much every other Web-centred media enterprise, the ultimate question is always the same: will it make any money?
• Sports media: The Score plays a different kind of game [Toronto Star]
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