Citytv and FC Edmonton announce broadcast deal: Geoblocking plans have been aborted

There’s been a change of course for FC Edmonton’s broadcast plans.

After some discussions between the club and the league, the broadcasts of FCE home games in the 2014 season won’t be geoblocked on the new NASLLive subscription service. To make it work, Citytv/Rogers will broadcast the games on Sunday afternoons through the season, but won’t be streaming the matches.

Originally, the plan was to have the Canadian broadcaster have the rights to stream the matches, which would have forced NASLlive to geoblock FCE’s home broadcasts north of the border. But, after some discussions, those plans have been changed.

Citytv will broadcast home games on Sundays throughout the season. The three FCE Saturday home matches will be shown on tape delay. Of course, those who subscribe to the NASLlive.com service will be able to watch the Saturday games live.

All Sunday games will be shown live.

The radio broadcasts move from TSN 1260 to 101.7 World FM. Last year, TSN took over what was TEAM 1260 in the middle of the FCE season and honoured the contract to broadcast games for the season. But it created an unusual situation; a simulcast of FCE matches on Sportsnet, owned by Rogers, and TSN radio.

World FM is part of the Rogers family. The radio broadcasts will begin May 3.

It’s clear from the decision to tape delay the first three games of the season that prime-time matches on Saturdays aren’t an easy sell, at least in the Canadian marketplace.

But, even though Sportsnet made the decision to drop FCE broadcasts because of the football lines on the Clarke turf, the Citytv deal keeps the team’s games in the Rogers family of broadcasters

Those who have cable packages that carry Citytv affiliates across the country will be able to watch the games. There will be no blackouts.

I am happy to return to the colour-commentary job for the coming season.

Citytv SCHEDULE
vs NY Cosmos on Sat. April, 19 broadcast Sunday, April 20 at 1:30 p.m. MT
vs Fort Lauderdale Strikers on Sat. May, 3 broadcast Sunday, May 4 at 1:30 p.m. MT
vs Atlanta Silverbacks on Sat. May, 24 broadcast Sunday, May 25 at 1:30 p.m. MT
vs Carolina RailHawks on Sunday, June 8 LIVE (starting at 1:30 p.m. MT)
vs Ottawa Fury on Sunday, July 13 LIVE (starting at 3:30 p.m. MT)
vs Indy Eleven on Sunday, July 27 LIVE (starting at 1:30 p.m. MT)
vs San Antonio Scorpions on Sunday, Aug 3 LIVE (starting at 1:30 p.m. MT)
vs Fort Lauderdale Strikers on Sunday, Aug 24 LIVE (starting at 1:30 p.m. MT)
vs Minnesota United FC on Sunday, Aug 31 LIVE (starting at 1:30 p.m. MT)
vs Tampa Bay Rowdies on Sunday, Sept 21 LIVE (starting at 1:30 p.m. MT)
vs NY Cosmos on Sunday, Sept 28 LIVE (starting at 1:30 p.m. MT)
vs Carolina RailHawks on Sunday, Oct 12 LIVE (starting at 1:30 p.m. MT)
vs Atlanta Silverbacks on Sunday, Nov 2 LIVE (starting at 1:30 p.m. MT)