Sportsnet unveils new brand: Fuelled By Fans

TORONTO — Fuelling the passion of Canadian sports fans, Sportsnet ushers in a new era on Monday, Oct. 3 with a rich and multidimensional integrated brand offering across multiple platforms that engages sports fans from across the country.

Sportsnet, the first Canadian sports media brand to have five platforms, has created a unified brand across TV, radio, print, digital and mobile that engages audiences on a local, regional, national and global level.

The new look debuts on television on Monday, Oct. 3 on the evening edition of Sportsnet Connected, which opens on a restructured set with a contemporary animation and graphics package, new logo and theme music. At that time, the network will be renamed Sportsnet. On radio, digital and mobile, the new look also debuts October 3, while the brand campaign can be seen in print now with the official launch of the new bi-weekly Sportsnet magazine, which hits newsstands today. (Please see attachment for Sportsnet logo sheet).

“We are investing in our growth and brand integration. Through our extensive consumer insights, we discovered that Canadian sports fans want to feel and demonstrate pride and be engaged through integrated, interactive and expansive access,” said Dale Hooper, Senior Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, Rogers Media. “Our cutting-edge campaign brings the powerful Sportsnet brand under one umbrella across all our platforms.”

The brand campaign’s new tagline, Fuelled By Fans, builds on Sportsnet’s objective to fuel the passion of Canadians and provides one source that delivers sports fans what they want, whenever and wherever.

“We established five brand attributes that support our forward-thinking vision and create consistency across all our Sportsnet platforms: visceral, excellence, robust, engaging and Canadian,” said Hooper.

These five brand attributes are the fundamental pillars of the Sportsnet brand campaign that drove the creative design for the new logo, sets, font, graphics, animation package and music. The brand campaign was created in-house by Sportsnet Creative Services with assistance from industry leader Troika Design Group.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to take the network in a new direction,” said Dean Bender, Vice-President, Creative Services, Rogers Media, who was the network’s Creative Director when it originally launched in 1998. “The new look and design will be more engaging for sports fans and that’s a driving factor in this competitive environment.”

Sportsnet also commissioned three musical themes from accomplished Canadian composer Stephan Moccio, who has written for Celine Dion, Josh Groban, and Nikki Yanofsky for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The theme music, which was performed by a 70-piece orchestra, will be used for Sportsnet’s news and hockey programming, as well as network theme music.

The branding campaign coincides with the launch of Sportsnet’s Major League Baseball playoffs and the start of the network’s regional hockey coverage of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators.

Below is an overview of the brand campaign by platform:

TV – Sportsnet and Sportsnet World

On October 3, the new name of the network becomes Sportsnet (abbreviation SN). The on-air presentation will have a new logo, font, theme music, graphics and animation package. Sportsnet has added three new sets, refurbished three studios, and built two new studios – the BlackBerry studio at Rogers Centre and the Sportsnet 590 The FAN TV studio. Setanta Sports Canada, which Rogers Media launched in 2007, will be renamed Sportsnet World on October 3, and will employ the same on-air package as Sportsnet.

Print – Sportsnet magazine

Sportsnet magazine, Canada’s first bi-weekly sports magazine, launches today with columnists and contributors Stephen Brunt, Michael Grange, Scott Feschuk, Shi Davidi, Gare Joyce and Mark Spector, arguably the most thought-provoking and insightful sports writers in the country. Add in Bob McCown, Canada’s No. 1 sports radio personality, and Sportsnet 590 The FAN morning men Greg Brady and Jim Lang, and the magazine promises to be a must-read. The magazine, available on the iPad, will also employ the same graphics package as the other Sportsnet platforms.

Radio – Sportsnet 590 The FAN and Sportsnet 960 The FAN

Sportsnet radio stations have been rebranded as Sportsnet 590 The FAN and Sportsnet 960 The FAN. On October 3 at 6 a.m. ET, the Brady and Lang morning show on Sportsnet 590 takes to the tv airwaves, making history as the first nationally-broadcast all-sports morning radio show on television in Canada.

Digital and Mobile – sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet Mobile, Sportsnet iPad app

Building on the new tagline, Fuelled By Fans, the Sportsnet digital platform is re-launching with enhanced, fan-focused interactive features, such as a rich companion viewing experience that includes live data and fan chats for every Canadian NHL team game; an immersive fantasy hockey experience that allows fans to trade their team picks throughout a live game; and calls for story contributions from the same sports fans that fuel our coverage. Regular text, video and podcast contributions will be delivered by Sportsnet’s industry-leading contributors Stephen Brunt, Michael Grange, Mark Spector, Shi Davidi, Jeff Marek, Nick Kypreos, Mike Brophy, Joe Ferraro, Paul Jones, Perry Lefko, Jim Lang and many more. With a renewed commitment to original content across all media platforms and the new, united look, there are many reasons to rediscover sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet Mobile and the Sportsnet iPad app.

About Sportsnet

Sportsnet connects Canadian sports fans to their favourite teams and athletes, using five platforms: TV, Radio, Print, Online and Mobile. Sportsnet is Fuelled By Fans, and delivers storytelling on a local, regional, national and global level. The multiplatform brand consists of Sportsnet, sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Sportsnet 960 The FAN, Sportsnet magazine, Sportsnet Mobile and the Sportsnet iPad app. Sportsnet is the Canadian leader in NHL and MLB television broadcasts and is home to 162 Toronto Blue Jays games, plus MLB Playoffs and the World Series. Sportsnet is an official broadcaster of the London 2012 Olympic Games, and also offers an exciting sports lineup including the NFL, the Rogers Cup tennis tournament, the Memorial Cup, and soccer programming with UEFA Champions League, Barclays Premier League, MLS Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and Canadian national team matches for men and women. Sportsnet Connected is the network’s nightly news program, providing regional and national coverage of the day’s events in the world of sports.