Launched March 4, 2014 | Slogan Bring Your A Game Broadcast area National | |
Owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment (80%)Other investors (20%) Sister channel(s) Pursuit ChannelFight NetworkMy Combat Channel | ||
FNTSY Sports Network (also known as Fantasy Sports Network) is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel that is majority owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment along with a group of other unnamed minority investors. The channel broadcasts programming aimed at the fantasy sports market including commentary, call-in shows, coverage of drafts, and reality series. The channel originally launched in March 2014.
Contents
History
In January 2013, Anthem Media's subsidiary Fight Media Inc. was granted approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch a television channel called "The League – Fantasy Sports TV," described as "a national, English-language specialty Category B service devoted to fantasy sports, allowing viewers to act as owners and assume all the responsibilities associated with operating real sports franchises, and allowing viewers to create, monitor, trade and discuss players on their teams with others also playing fantasy sports."
CEO of Anthem Media Group Inc., Leonard Asper, only a few months after receiving approval from the CRTC, told The Toronto Star that the channel was slated for a launch in September 2013 after already securing one distributor to carry the channel; however, the channel did not launch as planned for unknown reasons.
To bolster its footprint in the fantasy sports market and provide content for the upcoming channel, Anthem Media acquired RotoExperts.com and SportsGrid.com, two leading U.S.-based websites operating in the fantasy sports field, in August 2013.
In December 2013, it was reported that the channel, now named FNTSY Sports Network, was expected to launch in Canada and the United States in March 2014. On January 14, 2014, Anthem Media announced the launch date for the channel as March 4, 2014. However, it was initially expected to launch only in the U.S. on that date with the Canadian launch limited to only an app and streaming online channel until January 29, 2014 when Anthem Media announced it will launch in Canada the same day as the U.S. through a carriage agreement with MTS. Three months after the channel's expected launch in the U.S., the channel officially launched in the U.S. on Cablevision's Optimum TV service.
The channel would subsequently gain wider distribution through obtaining carriage agreements with additional Canadian and American television service providers, in addition to international providers such as Roku.
In 2016, a 20% interest in the channel was sold to a group of various unnamed investors.
Programming
Related Ventures
In addition to the television channel made available through its website and various television service providers on cable and internet streaming platforms, the company has ventured into other products and services.
On September 13, 2016, FNTSY Sports Network announced a content deal with The Associated Press whereby FNTSY Sports Network will provide fantasy content to The Associated Press, covering topics from free agent pickups to reviews of the weekend’s games.
The network ventured into radio with a branded 24/7 online and mobile streaming radio service called FNTSY Sports Radio Network, which is available as a live steam from its website and a mobile app via the iOS and Android operating systems.
In 2017, the network launched an online shopping website called FantasySportsNetworkShop.com selling mens and womens fantasy sports-branded apparel.