When Brian Cooper told people he was planning to start a fishing channel on TV, they wondered if he had stayed out in the sun too long, dipping a line in the water, no doubt.
"Everyone thought I was nuts," Cooper said.
Not any more. This week, the World Fishing Network, which launched in 2005, landed its first big catch when it received carriage on the DISH Network, a direct-to-home satellite system that will send the channel into 13 million potential households in the United States.
WFN, which is owned by Toronto-based Insight Sports, a company Cooper founded, is not a money-making enterprise yet. It lost more than $3-million in 2007.
More Stories
Still, the DISH deal will triple the channel's availability to 20 million North American households, increasing viewership and, therefore, revenue. And, with the U.S. deal, WFN ranks as one of the few specialty channels produced in this country to find a market abroad.
Fishing's popularity can be explained by the numbers. WFN president Mark Rubinstein calls it the 50-50 rule. Fifty million North Americans fish, a larger number than golfers and tennis players combined; and it's a $50-billion industry.
Early in the development of WFN, Cooper targeted archived fishing programming. He bought old shows that had been produced in Canada and in regions south of the border. It was cheap content.
"I paid literally about 5 cents on the dollar," said Cooper, who is now president and chief executive officer of Toronto-based Sports and Entertainment LP. "It was new found money for them. They thought they had gotten every penny they could out of these things."
Today, WFN's programming is mostly contemporary and original. Insight produces two signature series, WFN News and Reel Road Trip, and contracts out additional programming consisting of professional tournament coverage, tips and instructions, as well as shows about travel and the environment.
Most of us would be hard pressed to name more than a couple of high-profile fishing personalities, but Rubinstein notes that consumer products and the TV channel are marketed by star performers on the pro tour.
"You have professionals earning prize money in seven figures not dissimilar to NASCAR or golf or tennis," he said.
WFN made a big step forward by getting distribution on the DISH Network. (The channel is also available to about 1.5 million U.S. households on Verizon FiOS TV.) But it's still very much a service trying to make a business out of marketing a niche sport. WFN was unable to produce audience figures, but they're small. And in terms of subscriptions in Canada, as opposed to availability, WFN is in no more than 500,000 households.
Still, the world market is huge and, if the channel can continue to export its signal to new countries, it will succeed. Rubinstein says further distribution deals are being pursued in Britain, Australia, Europe and Latin America.
CBC's loses prime
For the first time in the postseason, the CBC will go without a prime-time NHL telecast this weekend.
Both games, today's Dallas Stars-Detroit Red Wings game and tomorrow's Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins, are in the afternoon.
NBC will attempt to fit its telecast today into a three-hour window before going to Preakness Stakes coverage at 4:30 p.m.
NBC's prerace Preakness content will include a round table discussion on the state of the horse racing industry in the wake of the death of filly Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby.
NBC race analyst Gary Stevens on Derby winner and Preakness favourite Big Brown: "They have to run the race, but I don't see anyone in the field who is even close to his ability."
CBC's telecast of the fourth game of the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins series on Thursday was watched by 1.219 million viewers.
