TV Schedule released for Canadian MLS teams

[Yohan]

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...-tsnrds-canada

Edit: Just for TSN/RDS

3/2/13	6:30 PM	Toronto FC	Vancouver Whitecaps	TSN	RDS2
3/9/13	1:30 PM	Sporting KC	Toronto FC	TSN	RDS2
3/16/13	4:00 PM	Toronto FC	Montreal Impact	TSN	RDS
3/30/13	2:00 PM	LA Galaxy	Toronto FC	TSN	RDS
4/13/13	2:00 PM	Columbus Crew	Montreal Impact	TSN	RDS
4/13/13	4:00 PM	Real Salt Lake	Vancouver Whitecaps	TSN	RDS2
4/27/13	2:00 PM	New York Red Bulls	Toronto FC	TSN	RDS
4/27/13	4:00 PM	Chicago Fire	Montreal Impact	TSN	RDS
6/8/13	4:00 PM	Vancouver Whitecaps	Seattle Sounders	TSN	RDS2
6/19/13	8:00 PM	Houston Dynamo	Montreal Impact	TSN	RDS
6/19/13	10:00 PM	Chivas USA	Vancouver Whitecaps	TSN	RDS2
7/3/13	7:00 PM	Montreal Impact	Toronto FC	TSN	RDS
7/3/13	9:00 PM	Vancouver Whitecaps	Sporting KC	TSN	RDS2
7/6/13	11:00 PM	Seattle Sounders	Vancouver Whitecaps	TSN	RDS
7/13/13	7:00 PM	Montreal Impact	New York Red Bulls	TSN2	RDS
7/20/13	4:00 PM	New York Red Bulls	Toronto FC	TSN	RDS2
7/27/13	7:00 PM	Sporting KC	Montreal Impact	TSN2	RDS
7/31/13	9:00 PM	All-Star	All-Star	TSN	RDS
8/10/13	7:30 PM	San Jose Earthquakes	Vancouver Whitecaps	TSN	RDS2
8/17/13	7:00 PM	DC United	Montreal Impact	TSN2	RDS
8/24/13	7:00 PM	Houston Dynamo	Montreal Impact	TSN2	RDS
8/24/13	9:00 PM	LA Galaxy	Vancouver Whitecaps	TSN2	RDS
9/11/13	7:30 PM	Chicago Fire	Toronto FC	TSN	RDS2
9/14/13	7:00 PM	Toronto FC	New York Red Bulls	TSN2	RDS
9/21/13	2:00 PM	Vancouver Whitecaps	Montreal Impact	TSN	RDS
9/28/13	1:00 PM	D.C. United	Toronto FC	TSN	RDS2
9/28/13	7:00 PM	Real Salt Lake	Vancouver Whitecaps	TSN2	RDS2
10/9/13	10:00 PM	Vancouver Whitecaps	Seattle Sounders	TSN	RDS2
10/12/12	2:30 PM	New England Revolution	Montreal Impact	TSN	RDS
10/19/13	8:30 PM	Toronto FC	Chicago Fire	TSN2	RDS2
10/26/13	2:00 PM	Montreal Impact	Toronto FC	TSN	RDS

[David_Oliveira]

Not bad only two games on TSN2. The others seem to be on the main TSN

[David_Oliveira]

Also looks like night games for the summer. I tend to enjoy the night games better. It tends to lead to a more intense atmosphere

[Damien]

The 2 TSN2 games TFC plays are near the end of the season when games matter more though.

[SirBobSaget]

The 2 TSN2 games TFC plays are near the end of the season when games matter more though.

.... or matter less


If they end up being key games then I'm sure TSN will shuffle them over to the main channel.

[Nuvinho]

The June 1 game is at 6pm only because of the CFA exam that is at the Direct Energy Centre which finishes at 5pm.

[OgtheDim]

So where did all the May Games go?

Oh yeah.....hockey.

[Yohan]

So where did all the May Games go?

Oh yeah.....hockey.

waiting on Sportsnet I think

[Yagbod]

Way too many early games for my liking. Especially the Dome opener. 1:30 !!!! Fuck right off TSN.

I propose we make a banner that says: "Sorry no banners, kick off was too early" and leave the rest at home.

[Red CB Toronto]

The June 1 game is at 6pm only because of the CFA exam that is at the Direct Energy Centre which finishes at 5pm.

Why would the CFA exam have anything to do with the TFC start times, events at the direct energy centre have been on before when the reds play.

[Yagbod]

Why would the CFA exam have anything to do with the TFC start times, events at the direct energy centre have been on before when the reds play.

One of my buddys here at work (also a TFC fan) wrote an exam there while a game was on. This was back when we made alot of noise. He said it was pretty distracting and you could hear the crowd pretty clearly in the exam room.

I think it is a good idea to respect the smrt peepol while they learns.

If only we could schedule an exam for the Dome opener....

[Yagbod]

And please please please no tailgates for games starting before 4pm. Pretty please?

[ensco]

Strange that they would run the TFC-Whitecaps opener, in Canada's two biggest markets, head to head with Sidney Crosby and Montreal on HNIC.

That night the Leafs are off, and Canucks play late, but still, it seems dumb. There is always a buzz about an opener. It's a waste.

[Red CB Toronto]

And please please please no tailgates for games starting before 4pm. Pretty please?

We have always enjoyed doing at least one breakfast tailgate, but we will have to see once the entire scedule is confirmed with kickoff times where it all falls.

[Yagbod]

We have always enjoyed doing at least one breakfast tailgate, but we will have to see once the entire scedule is confirmed with kickoff times where it all falls.

You could always have a breakfast menu in the afternoon. Just my two cents, but I've been to a few and the turnout isn't the same in the morning. Nor is the spirit of the attendees.

[prizby]

look at how we get stuck with these awful afternoon games while all the away games in US cities on weekends are AT NIGHT...this is pathetic...who wants to be at BMO Field at 1pm on a sunny afternoon day.

(this is me being nice right now...inside my head, its full of %^&*&*$%&$%*^$*)

[Yohan]

look at how we get stuck with these awful afternoon games while all the away games in US cities on weekends are AT NIGHT...this is pathetic...who wants to be at BMO Field at 1pm on a sunny afternoon day.

(this is me being nice right now...inside my head, its full of %^&*&*$%&$%*^$*)

in TSN's eyes, hockey > soccer. and you can hardly blame them for that

[spe18]

Strange that they would run the TFC-Whitecaps opener, in Canada's two biggest markets, head to head with Sidney Crosby and Montreal on HNIC.

That night the Leafs are off, and Canucks play late, but still, it seems dumb. There is always a buzz about an opener. It's a waste.

Well, that's because of TSN's curling coverage that weekend

http://www.tsn.ca/curling/feature/?id=1085

[spe18]

Ya, so to add to the above post, not only does:

hockey > soccer, BUT

curling > soccer

[ensco]

Well, that's because of TSN's curling coverage that weekend

http://www.tsn.ca/curling/feature/?id=1085

I forgot. This exact problem has happened before.

It is also not optimal that the Whitecaps play so close to a Canucks game (this game will end only about 90 minutes before the Canucks-Kings game down the street), which will make it traffic hell postgame.

Seems obvious that putting this game on the west coast was a mistake. It should have been played in Toronto at 1.30pm.

[Redcoe15]

It would seem then that the March 16th game between Toronto and Montreal at the Big Ow is officialy at 4:00PM.

EXCELLENT! That would give those of us who'll be in Montreal for the match plenty of time to get ready and get our drink faces on.

WE ARE SOOOO GONNA ROCK THAT TOWN THAT DAY!!!

[Yagbod]

On the Dome opener: I would rather it not be on TV than at that stupid kick off time.

On the Montreal time of 4pm: I think that is optimal. I just hope it doesn't turn ugly as a result of booze.

There is a reason that all ManUre v Liverpool games start at noon...

[Yohan]

On the Dome opener: I would rather it not be on TV than at that stupid kick off time.

On the Montreal time of 4pm: I think that is optimal. I just hope it doesn't turn ugly as a result of booze.

There is a reason that all ManUre v Liverpool games start at noon...

it's the tv money, not the actually game on tv that matters to MLS and TFC for the most part

[Greatest Ripoff]

who wants to be at BMO Field at 1pm on a sunny afternoon day

I do.

[Yagbod]

it's the tv money, not the actually game on tv that matters to MLS and TFC for the most part

That pretty much goes without saying. Unless you think that is good and are trying to defend them?

[Yohan]

That pretty much goes without saying. Unless you think that is good and are trying to defend them?

if you're saying whether I think it's important that TFC and MLS receive lots of TV money, then yes.

[Yagbod]

if you're saying whether I think it's important that TFC and MLS receive lots of TV money, then yes.

Wow, fair enough. I'd love to hear your argument.

I'm more in favour of a quality product. I think the money will follow that. I don't just mean on the pitch either. Early games make for quiet fans. People are still waking up and to be honest are not drunk enough to generate the noise that makes for good TV.

The league and team do not sell images of people sitting on their hands they sell the image of the exuberant supporter. If I am a neutral watching the game I think the good atmosphere is much more attractive than the largely dead atmosphere. Additionally the time is wrong for the casual/neutral viewer. If you are not a fan already you are probably doing something else on an early Saturday afternoon.

I would suggest, not knowing your argument, that your view is one of short term gain at the expense of long term growth. Which ultimately will make TFC and MLS more money.

As an aside, the only reason I can think to wish they make more money is so they raise the salary cap. Otherwise why would anyone not being paid by those companies care in the least about whether they make money?

[prizby]

Looked at the American MLS teams...combined between the 16 of them, they host 171 home games on Saturday's. Of those 171, 140 of them kickoff at 7pm or later. This infuriates me

[Yohan]

Wow, fair enough. I'd love to hear your argument.

I'm more in favour of a quality product. I think the money will follow that. I don't just mean on the pitch either. Early games make for quiet fans. People are still waking up and to be honest are not drunk enough to generate the noise that makes for good TV.

The league and team do not sell images of people sitting on their hands they sell the image of the exuberant supporter. If I am a neutral watching the game I think the good atmosphere is much more attractive than the largely dead atmosphere. Additionally the time is wrong for the casual/neutral viewer. If you are not a fan already you are probably doing something else on an early Saturday afternoon.

I would suggest, not knowing your argument, that your view is one of short term gain at the expense of long term growth. Which ultimately will make TFC and MLS more money.

As an aside, the only reason I can think to wish they make more money is so they raise the salary cap. Otherwise why would anyone not being paid by those companies care in the least about whether they make money?

We still have an atmosphere at BMO?

Seriously, it's the reality of modern football. The fact is, without TV money, a league cannot survive. MLS currently gets $27 mil from US TV networks. Add in few mil from TSN, plus regional network deals and it still isn't big enough pot. An MLS team without DPs cost around 4 mil per team, incl salary spent with allocation money. That's just salaries and 76 million bucks for 19 teams. Add in travel cost, infrastructure and it's way more.
To stop hemmorhaging money, MLS needs all the TV network money it gets, even if it means games have to play second fiddle to hockey, hell, curling and other games that get more viewers than MLS soccer, sadly.

In the reality of MLS FO, Toronto is a blip in the big picture. MLS is geared towards American viewership. Whether a few hours of late start means more drunk Canadians chanting means very little in MLS world. Pictures of Seattle and Portland supporters with LA winning cups surprise any publicity TFC or any Canadian team can generate.

So does MLS FO really care whether Canadian games are held early or not? Not until Canadian viewership surpasses hockey ratings for making it worth MLS FO to fight for a late TV. And MLS will take whatever PR from TV ratings generated from earlier times than competing with hockey at 7pm start. (and shitty TV slot is better than no TV slot)

For the record, a lot of Americans will also suffer from early afternoon starts. Ugh.

And why does England have no problem generating atmosphere from early afternoon Sat games?

[Yohan]

Let's also keep in mind that due to limited supporter's sections, we are limited in ability to grow numbers. No amount of later start time is going to get people to come to the games before kick off time. No amount of drunk people is going to overcome apathy to generate better atmosphere at BMO.

The days of BMO rocking is long gone. We are no longer leaders in supporter culture in MLS.