The Streaming Sports Network (SSN) has lost the broadcasting rights for Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) nationals to Stretch Internet. Because of this, SSN may not be able to afford the broadcasting rights for Ontario University Athletics (OUA) regular-season and conference playoff games.
Though the decision hasn’t been finalized, if SSN can’t broadcast these games, it would be a serious blow for Canadian collegiate sports. The SSN does more for the CIS than produce webcasts. For example, the SSN had been planning to put money back into the CIS that would benefit university athletes in the form of scholarships and bursaries. This is something the CIS should have taken into account.
Not only that, the SSN represents a great medium to showcase Canadian collegiate athletes. As it is, they don’t get nearly as much exposure as American student athletes. It’s not as easy for them to get noticed and turn professional as it is for American athletes. Losing this coverage means that scouts will lose the ability to watch our athletes compete. Worse yet, athletes’ parents that live far away from their kids lose their ability to watch their children compete at all.
Athletes and their families aren’t the only ones losing out, either. Under the new business model, the webcasts would be produced off-site, meaning university students who were previously involved in producing the webcasts will no longer be able to do so.
The SSN’s goal was to legitimize interuniversity sport in Canada, and this should have been taken into consideration alongside other factors that influenced the deal.
Still, this decision hasn’t been finalized by the CIS, and there’s still time to reverse it.
