FC on TV
CBC will be the main carrier for Toronto FC this season, broadcasting 11 of the team's 30 Major League Soccer games starting with the home opener on April 1.
Rogers Sportsnet will air 10, while the MLSE-owned GolTV digital channel has nine. Fox Sports World Canada has one game on its schedule. At this point, one game will be shown on tape delay.
Nigel Reed will return to call CBC games along with analyst Jason De Vos. Gerry Dobson and Craig Forrest will be behind the microphones for Sportsnet.
All of FC's games will also be carried on radio or the Internet for the first time. Dan Dunleavy and Bob Iarusci will handle the games on The FAN 590 (17) or the FAN's website (13).
Now, if only TV viewers could match the enthusiasm of those at the stadium. FC games are good entertainment, but for some reason ratings remain dismally low. Having Vancouver in the league in a couple of years will help.
If they broadcasted the games in HD (like we're now used to for sports), instead of the grainy and really poor SD quality that the games have been broadcast in during the past two seasons, that would help increase the TV ratings. I have tried watching more Toronto FC games, but ended up changing the channel because I could not stand the poor quality on my big HDTV.
But the low ratings are probably also more of a sign that outside of the team's core fanbase, soccer doesn't have as big a widespread following as baseball does during the summer months.
Posted by: Johnny from Richmond Hill | 03/19/2009 at 12:07 PM
again, it isn't FC but TFC - otherwise, I could have easily thought it was the Argos or Chelsea on CBC.
Posted by: Justine | 03/20/2009 at 09:44 AM
Stop calling TFC "the FC" its horrible that a media outlet as large as the star still has no clue about the team and why they are called Toronto FC.
Posted by: no longer star reader | 03/20/2009 at 11:59 AM
I know Cathal Kelly uses FC because he knows it will anger the fans but FC stands for Football Club. You wouldn't call the Leafs 'Hockey Club' because it would make any sense. Give the team the respect of calling it by it's proper name. It's only one more letter.
The ratings are also a function of CBC putting the majority of TFC's games on Bold as opposed to the full network compared to Sportsnet's treatment of Jays fans. They definitely should be getting HD cameras into BMO as well.
Posted by: Pension Plan Puppets | 03/20/2009 at 01:32 PM
Good. More Gerry Dobson. One of the all tuime lightweights in the history of Canadian play by play.
Posted by: Soccer fan on the coast | 03/20/2009 at 02:14 PM
The home opener is on April 4, not April 1.
Posted by: John Rukavina | 03/20/2009 at 03:13 PM
Hey Chris,
In your column tomorrow under "Ugly" can you state that Fans on Toronto F.C. mailing list were told by the team that the season opener on Gol T.V. will be free to all Rogers customers. Tuned in at 8:30 last night to see the game was not accessible. I called Rogers, and they had no idea that they were supposed to be showing the season opener for free.
Brutal public relations by TFC in my opinion.
Posted by: C Brown | 03/22/2009 at 01:20 PM
Oh my god are you soccer fans sensitive. Get over yourselves.
Posted by: Josh | 03/22/2009 at 04:27 PM
Yeah Josh, how ridiculously sensitive that we want our team to be called by a proper name rather than a term that applies to every soccer team in the world.
Posted by: Pension Plan Puppets | 03/23/2009 at 11:15 AM
PPP - his first reference was to "Toronto FC". If you can't figure out what subsequent references to "FC" are about, then it's your own issue.
Posted by: Josh | 03/26/2009 at 04:38 PM
Take TFC HD on CBC asap!
Posted by: herbiegoes | 05/25/2009 at 09:11 AM