In the Rings: Outgoing Sportsnet exec calls Slam series a ‘real success story’

A number of Canada’s top curlers opted to shun the national playdowns to join what was then a renegade four-event Slam loop in 2001. Money and sponsorship issues were at the forefront of the players’ dispute with the Canadian Curling Association at the time.

The World Curling Players’ Association, which represented teams skipped by Kevin Martin, Jeff Stoughton, Kerry Burtnyk and others, reached a deal with the CCA (now Curling Canada) in 2003 to end the Brier boycott.

The developments led to better paydays for athletes and improved the quality of the provincial and national championship fields. The Slam circuit continued to grow over the years and Sportsnet became owner-operator of the series in 2012.

The number of events jumped to seven for the 2015-16 season. Total prize money for the current campaign is up to $2.1 million.

“What’s great about the Grand Slam (series) is that we own it,” Moore said in a recent interview. “We can take a long view on it, we’re not worried about trying to negotiate with a rights-holder in a year, two years, three years to keep it. So we can make long-term investments.”

The Slams provide much-needed revenue opportunities for top curlers from Canada and around the world, many of whom still hold down regular jobs.

A total of $250,000 was up for grabs at last week’s Masters in Truro, N.S. Team John Epping earned $30,000 of the $125,000 men’s purse and Team Anna Hasselborg picked up $30,000 of the $125,000 women’s purse.

Moore said the original goal he shared with former Rogers Media president Keith Pelley was to create a league where about a dozen top men’s and women’s teams could make a good living as pro curlers.

“I think we’ve accomplished — we might not be at 12 but we’re pretty close — we went from I think $700,000 in prize money to now we’re at ($2.1) million in prize money,” Moore said. “I think there’s way more room for curling internationally to grow.”

The Slam series tends to make stops outside the major Canadian markets — Conception Bay South, N.L., North Battleford, Sask., and Thunder Bay, Ont., are on this season’s calendar — and television ratings have been solid.

“For us, you can put curling on the main network, on Sportsnet One, on Sportsnet 360, and you get the same audience no matter what,” Moore said. “It’s a very loyal audience and it’s a good-sized audience.”

The search for Moore’s successor is underway. Rogers Media president Rick Brace is handling the role on an interim basis.

“We’re probably a year behind where I really wanted to be with it,” Moore said of the series. “But we’re so close it’s frustrating. We’re probably a year from making money. Probably not a lot of money, but we’re a year away from making money. It has been an investment and it’s an investment that is paying off.”

Pinty’s, Canadian Beef and Humpty’s are a few of the sponsors who have come on board. Moore said there has been interest from China and the United States in hosting Slam events.

He feels there is strong growth potential for the sport but some hurdles remain.

“The only thing that’s going to get in the way — and it happens with so many sports — is the sport has got to get together,” he said. “I think because of the rivalry between TSN and Sportsnet, because (TSN has) the Brier and the Scotties and the worlds, and the Canadian curling association doesn’t oversee the Grand Slams, you get turf wars.”

Moore vividly recalled one particular interaction from years ago.

“I haven’t said this very often but there was a time that (a former) head of the Canadian curling association said that we would shut down the Grand Slam of Curling because we didn’t have the appetite for it,” Moore said. “I didn’t respond (to that), but I said, ‘I think our pockets are pretty deep here. I think we’re going to invest in the long term.’”

“We could have put a million-dollar tournament up against the Brier,” he continued. “I guarantee nobody would have won. That would have been bad for the sport. But we would have hurt the Brier substantially. We didn’t do it because we don’t think that’s the right thing for the sport. I would never want to put the players in that position.”

Sportsnet, TSN/RDS and CBC are all significant players on the Canadian curling broadcasting scene.

TSN enjoys strong ratings from the Season of Champions events, which is highlighted by the Canada Cup and the national and world championships. That contract runs through next season.

The CBC broadcast schedule includes some Grand Slam playoff games along with mixed curling competitions and select international events.

Katherine Henderson, who oversaw the negotiation of broadcast rights for the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, has served as Curling Canada CEO since April 2016.

“I would say not just from curling, but from my previous (work) life, I would have good relationships with all of the broadcasters,” she said. “And I applaud them — they support the sport really, really well. All of them.

“So I don’t see there being any less curling on television (in the future). The audiences are stable and/or growing in most cases and each one of those broadcasters is looking for more content because of that. So I see it getting bigger.”

Henderson also said she is “very, very satisfied” with Curling Canada’s agreement with TSN.

“They are fantastic partners,” she said. “It’s a major property for them and they show us a lot of love and we show a lot of love back.”

ICE CHIPS

The curling venue used at the Pyeongchang Olympics will host the upcoming Pacific-Asia Curling Championships.

Competition starts Saturday at the Gangneung Curling Centre. Teams from nine of the World Curling Federation’s 61 member associations will be in the field.

The top two finishers from the men’s and women’s draws will earn direct entry into the world championships.

———

Saguenay, Que., will host the Canadian mixed curling championship next year.

The competition is set for Nov. 4-9, 2019, Curling Canada said Tuesday in a release.

This year’s event begins Sunday in Winnipeg.

———

Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the Rings: Outgoing Sportsnet exec calls Slam series a ‘real success story’

What's Happening