Rogers Communications has launched the new Sportsnews 500 channel, available to all Rogers digital cable customers on channel 500, as a 24/7 source for sports scores and information, with a special emphasis on NHL coverage.
The Audience software platform produced by Capital Networks was chosen as the content creation and management system for the new multi-zone sports channel.
Along with Rogers and Sportsnet product and service promotion, the new channel provides updated scores, stats and stories drawn from a variety of automated data feeds, and includes programming information for Sportsnet’s four regional channels (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific), as well as the nationally distributed Sportsnet One, Sportsnet World and Sportsnet 360.
As the official Canadian NHL rights holder, Rogers is placing special emphasis on NHL coverage with the channel automatically switching to the hockey centric Red Light look while live NHL games are being played. Live scores, stats and Twitter feeds from various Sportsnews personalities are displayed within seconds using the advanced data automation capabilities of the Audience solution.
Two hours prior to the day’s first hockey game the channel automatically switches to the Red Light look, listing all of the games to be played that day and delivering scoring information straight from the NHL once those games go live.
“On a busy night in the NHL, the Red Light page can get a real workout,” said Jim Vair, VP/Business Development at Capital Networks Ltd. “Sportnews 500 provides a tremendous platform for Rogers and Sportsnet to promote services and upcoming events while providing valuable information to stats hungry sports fans. Whether they’re watching at home or out at the bar, we feel Sportsnews 500 will enhance the viewing experience by keeping fans up to date with real-time sports information from around the globe any time of the day.”
Capital Networks provided consultation, production and technical support services to Rogers Communications during the planning and deployment of the Sportsnews channel.