The Score Television Network

The Score Television Network (often referred to only as The Score) is a Canadian English-language cable television specialty channel providing primarily sports news, highlights, information and analysis programming along with live event sports coverage. The channel is equipped with 24/7 ticker at the bottom of the screen providing news and scores of sporting events, hence the channel's name. The channel is wholly owned by Score Media Inc.

The channel is up for sale as of September 2011.

History

Sportscope

Originally launched in 1994 as "Sportscope", theScore was a sports score network airing in seven Canadian provinces. Sportscope's "programming" was a non-content-based, alphanumeric text rotation of sports scores and news, and did not require a CRTC licence.

Headline Sports

Sportscope was granted an English-language specialty channel licence by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on September 4, 1996, provisionally titled "Sportscope Plus". The channel launched in May 1997 as Headline Sports and was initially a national 24 hour anchor-at-desk sports news and highlight service operating on a rotating 15 minute newswheel of sports news, highlights and scores. Advertising was also introduced, something that did not exist during the Sportscope era. The oldies music was replaced by modern stock music during text rotation of sports scores and news. The channel also contained a constantly updated ticker at the bottom of the screen, providing sports news and scores, as it still does today, per its CRTC licence requirements.

There were initial plans to air a regional ticker and additional streams of alphanumeric data (perhaps via an alternate channel) when the channel first launched, but those plans were ultimately abandoned.

The Score

In March 2000, Headline Sports' licence was amended by the CRTC to allow live sports programming, under the conditions that they display their ticker and that they break away from live coverage at least once every fifteen minutes to present video highlights. As a result of this—as well as legal issues with CNN Headline News, which had its own "Headline Sports" segment^[1]—the station was re-branded as "The Score" that year.

On June 6, 2006, The Score revamped their ticker alongside the launch of their new HD channel (see below).

Possible Sale

On September 22, 2011, The Score is being put up for sale, with a reported asking price of $200 million. According to the Globe and Mail, the report notes that The Score’s programming model will likely not change, however it will become more expensive for Score Media to be in the sports television business as television rights to sporting events and even their highlights are becoming more expensive.^[2][3] The sale is subject to CRTC's approval.

The Score HD

The Score HD is a high definition simulcast of The Score. It is currently available through all major TV providers in Canada except Vidéotron.

Until early 2008, most programming was Standard-definition 4:3 stretched to 16:9. Their true HD programming includes Serie A soccer, National Basketball Association basketball, the Vanier Cup, NCAA coverage and WWE's SmackDown and Raw.

On September 3, 2008, The Score began airing shows from their new multi-million dollar HD studio, located on the corner of King & Peter in Downtown Toronto. Most shows and highlights are now in true HD.

The Score Satellite Radio

The Score launched a 24/7 sports radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio named The Score Satellite Radio (channel 98), that featured sports news and scores as well as coverage of some of The Score's original programming. Originally known as Hardcore Sports Radio, it was relaunched in September 2010 to unify its broadcasting and Internet operations under one brand.

On September 1, 2011 Sirius XM Radio removed the channel from their lineup and it subsequently ceased operations.

Personalities

Current

• Arda Ocal
• Brent Furtney
• Cam Stewart
• Derek Snider
• Gerry Dee
• Glenn Schiiler
• Greg Sansone
• James Sharman
• Kristian Jack
• Laura Diakun
• Mauro Ranallo
• Paul Brothers
• Renee Paquette
• Sherman Hamilton

Former

• Adnan Virk
• Cabral "Cabbie" Richards
• Elliotte Friedman
• Gabriel Morency
• James Cybulski
• Martine Gaillard
• Nicole Karkic
• Nikki Reyes
• Rick Ralph
• Rod Mawhood
• Ryan Payton
• Sarah Meehan
• Sara Orlesky
• Steve Kouleas
• Steve Ludzik
• Tony Ambrogio^[4]
• Sid Seixeiro
• Tim Micallef

Programmes

The following is a list of original or partly original programmes currently airing on The Score:

News shows

• The Footy Show is a soccer news and highlights show hosted by James Sharman. Debuted in August 2007, replacing world sports news show Sportsworld.
• The MMA Show is hosted by Mauro Ranallo which covers the week in Mixed Martial Arts and previews upcoming events, along with a "Question of the Week" with Arda Ocal, a feature which incorporates viewers.

Analysis

Much of the Score's analysis is detailed in The Score on (sport) segments that may be seen at various times of the week. Hardcore Hockey Talk, during the NHL season, also serves as the network's hockey analysis show. The following are other full shows dealing with analysis:

• The Footy Show focuses on international soccer including previews and recaps of all of the week's Italian Serie A and English Premier League matches. Original episodes of the show air Saturdays and Sundays. It is hosted by James Sharman, Kristian Jack and Sid Seixeiro.
• The Score on the NFL is The Score's news show dealing with a preview of the week's National Football League action, hosted by Greg Sansone, Cam Stewart and Tim Micallef, and features Ron Meyer as a weekly special guest.
• NBA Court Surfing is a weekly NBA show that hops between live NBA games every Tuesday night. With the arrival of the new studio in 2008 came a tweaking of the format with an actual in-studio audience and new hosts Sherman Hamilton, Mack Strong and Will Strickland.
• Right After Wrestling was a weekly show that airs Tuesdays after the repeat broadcast of WWE RAW and on Fridays immediately following WWE Smackdown. Hosted by Arda Ocal, Mauro Ranallo and Renee Paquette.

• It was retitled "Aftermath" with the drop of "Wrestling" from WWE vocabulary. Mauro stopped appearing and was replaced by Brent Furtney after Raw and Jimmy Korderas after Smackdown.

• Covers Experts is a simulcast of Hardcore Sports Radio's betting-line show, hosted by Rob Pizzola, Cam Stewart, and a betting expert from covers.com. They preview the night's action with betting lines in mind.

Live programming

• RaceNight is coverage of horse racing from Mohawk Raceway and Woodbine Racetrack hosted by Laura Diakun.
• Sportsworld Matchday is the name of The Score's coverage of any international sporting event for which The Score will air - most recently English Premier League football, which returns to The Score next season.
• University Rush' is the name of The Score's coverage of Canadian Interuniversity Sports' university athletics, with a particular emphasis on Canadian football. In the past, University Rush has only showed one weekly game from the Ontario University Athletics, but as of 2006 began coverage of Quebec Student Sports Federation and Atlantic University Sport football as well, culminating in the playoffs and the Vanier Cup.
• NBA Basketball coverage of the TNT doubleheader airing on Thursdays as well as Toronto Raptors games and a large number of regular season games.
• NCAA college football and college basketball games, many of which air on ESPN in the United States. It also aired the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship from 2007 to 2010, when it lost the rights to ESPN International (and in turn to TSN and TSN2 in Canada).
• The Score holds the broadcasting rights for the Canadian men's national basketball team.
• In the past, The Score has also had rights to NLL, MLB, Canadian Baseball League, and was the English-language broadcaster of the Expos for their final season in Montreal (including the very last home game in September 2004).
• The network has added various Poker series
• They have also attempted to get the rights to an English-language broadcast of the Montreal Canadiens, but have failed up to now because The Score was not carried on the Videotron cable TV network, which is needed for the contract; The Score has been carried on Videotron for at least one year now.

MMA

• The network has added MMA properties including WEC and Bellator Fighting Championships.
• It also airs Canadian fighters and matches in the Score Fighting Series which airs 7pm directly before WWE NXT.

Pro wrestling

• WWE Raw is the flagship show of World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw brand. It is notable for airing on a 15 minute tape delay, unlike its previous hosts at TSN, which aired the program live. The 15 minute tape delay is thought to exist due to previous difficulties involving censoring risque storylines at TSN. However, the actual reason is due to the amount of live broadcasts The Score is currently licensed to air. By creating a 15 minute delay, the program is no longer "live" and not in violation of their license with the CRTC. The Score however does take advantage of this by airing a 15-minute recap of the previous week's show entitled Countdown to Raw. However, special three-hour episodes of Raw such as the Raw Family Reunion continue to air live. Raw is aired a second time after midnight and a third time the following day, directly before the "Aftermath" (formerly Right After Wrestling) analysis.
• WWE NXT is the show that replaced ECW after it was cancelled. Both programs were initially hosted on Global TV (3). NXT was picked up by the Score beginning with the premiere of its second season. While it airs exclusively on WWE.com in the United States, on Score it airs Wednesday at 9pm following the Score Fighting Series.
• WWE SmackDown is the flagship show of World Wrestling Entertainment's SmackDown brand. Originally airing Thursdays, it continued to air on Thursdays even after it was moved to Fridays in the United States, making it one of the few WWE shows that aired outside of the US before airing domestically. As such, it was never referred to as Friday Night SmackDown! in Canada, even after the show was moved to Fridays to match the US airtime.
• WWE Vintage Collection airs classic matches corresponding to ongoing themes in programming or notable pay-per-views, characters or times of year. It airs at various times.
• WWE Experience is a weekly recap show of the week's events from World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw and SmackDown! brands, hosted by Glenn Schiiler. This is one of the few WWE programs that are not produced by WWE itself, although the format is identical to that of the international version hosted by Steve Romero. It airs Sundays.

Former Shows

• Score In the Morning was the weekday morning show hosted by Adnan Virk and Nikki Reyes. Starting live at 7 a.m. ET, the network was the only national sports network to go LIVE for a morning audience for the duration of the show in Canada. It was cancelled in February 2009.
• Score Tonight was the flagship news and highlights program that airs weeknights on the network. Originally hosted by Greg Sansone and Martine Gaillard, Sid Seixeiro and Tim Micallef have been the hosts since 2004. Score Tonight also features regular segments Cabbie on the Street and Plays of the Week. Score Tonight also hosts the Score Year in Review, which reviews the past year's events, during which the Score Ticker will also change accordingly. The Score Year in Review is also the only time of the year in which Score employees are credited for their contributions during the year, and is notable for airing bloopers and other outtakes in their coverage. It was cancelled in July 2009.
• Hardcore Hockey Talk, Late Edition is the late-night news and highlights program hosted by Steve Kouleas. During the National Hockey League season The Spin offers analysis on the NHL season, and will stop discussion whenever a goal is scored. The program usually ends with a segment called 10 Minute Misconduct, where Kouleas and guests (usually Steve Ludzik, Mark Osborne, and/or Al Strachan) debate five topics for two minutes each. It was cancelled in July 2009.
• Drive This! was a simulcast of Hardcore Sports Radio's drive-home show on Sirius, hosted by Richard Garner, Cam Stewart, and Sarah Meehan with daily appearances from HSR's late-show host Gabriel Morency. The show offers frank and edgy discussion, "bulls--t not included". The TV version runs on a slight delay with bleeping.

TheScore.com

TheScore.com has live scores for all the major professional sports, blogs and streaming video, including highlights of every NBA and Premier League game.

Bloggers and columnists

References

External links

• The Score Homepage
• Blogs
• Radio