Curling clubs rocked by cable fee hikes

Groups will have to pay hundreds more to show live sports on lounge televisions

Curling clubs say increases in the fees they must pay to show sports on their lounge televisions are “cost prohibitive” and come as a “real punch to the gut.”

The parent companies of TSN and Sportsnet are charging licensed establishments with a capacity over 100 people more for both sports networks.

For the Mayflower Curling Club in Halifax, that’s an extra $450 a month. For the Shamrock Curling Club in Edmonton, it’s an increase from $900 to $4,200 per year. For Edmonton’s Crestwood Curling Club, it’s an additional $2,100 a year.

“Such a sharp increase like this is a real punch to the gut,” Shamrock general manager Chris McTavish said.

Mayflower general manager Melanie Hughes said it would take nine new memberships to cover the additional $3,150 cost for a seven-month curling season.

“That’s cost prohibitive for us,” Hughes said. “It’s tough to get members. People don’t have a lot of disposable income to spend on recreation, as great as it is.”

Montague Curling Club general manager Larry Richards said the Prince Edward Island club can’t afford the extra $300 a month and thus won’t have cable sports on its televisions next winter.

Ottawa Curling Club board vice-president Eddie Chow said it would be difficult to axe their sports cable package. Canadian and world champion Rachel Homan curls out of the OCC and members would be upset if they couldn’t watch the team on television at their own club, he said.

Curling Canada has launched a social media campaign encouraging curlers to contact Bell Media, Rogers Communications and Canada’s Minister of Sport Carla Qualtrough and tell them clubs are not the same as public bars looking to make a profit.

It’s an interesting position for Curling Canada to take given that TSN, a Bell Media-owned network, is the rights-holder for their major tournaments, including the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the Brier.

Sportsnet, a division of Rogers Communications, has the rights to the World Curling Tour’s $2-million Grand Slam of Curling.

“It’s delicate is the way I would put it,” Curling Canada chief executive Katherine Henderson said.

“They’ve been very fine partners of ours and to curling in the past. They’ve enjoyed a lot of benefit from curling as well, the tremendous amount of benefit and goodwill they get from our curling fans.”

Henderson said she understands why Rogers and Bell are seeking more money from sports bars that use live sports programming as a way to increase profits.

“My argument is, ‘We’re not a sports bar,’ ” she said.

Henderson said she has spoken to both Bell and Rogers about consideration for curling clubs.

“We understand that not all establishments with a liquor license are the same, just like not all curling clubs are the same,” Sportsnet director of communications Jordan Kerbel said in a statement to The Canadian Press.

“Curling Canada has expressed a legitimate concern and we’ve reached out to them to discuss opportunities for their members.”

Bell spokesman Marc Choma wrote in an email that “any establishment with questions about their sports packages should contact one of our agents to discuss.”