The decision by Rogers Sportsnet to move 12 Ottawa Senators games to a new specialty channel could leave Centretown pubs out in the cold.
Sportsnet One, launched in late July by Rogers Communications Inc., is only available to residents and businesses who subscribe to Rogers or Shaw.
Other television distributors, such as Bell Canada, have not yet agreed to carry the channel.
Two different Royal Oak locations in Centretown depend on Senators games for revenue but will not be able to show the games because they get their television service from Bell,
“If the guy down the road is using Rogers cable as his mode of video for his pub and we use Bell for ours, then he has a competitive advantage and it would be very tough for us,” says Jonathan Hatchell, vice-president of the Royal Oak.
Hatchell wrote an email to the Senators expressing his disappointment since the team said earlier in the summer that every game would be televised this year.
A spokesperson for the Senators declined to return phone calls.
While the decision to air the games on Sportsnet One is creating problems for bars such as the Royal Oak, it has the potential to create a boom for those that do.
The James Street Pub, which is just down the street from the Royal Oak’s two Centretown locations, could see more business from fans who don’t have Rogers cable.
“Hockey games generate a fair amount of revenue. We’re full when the Sens play,” says manager Jamie Lennox.
Luckily for Lennox, the James Street Pub uses Rogers for their television service.
“You could have a lot of very upset people if they came in to watch the game and we couldn’t get it because it was on a separate channel.”
Even if Bell does decide to carry the channel before the season starts, there’s no guarantee that it won’t cost the Oak to get it on their TVs.
Rogers’ decision to launch the new specialty channel sparked anger this summer with fans of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The cable provider, which owns the Major League Baseball team, moved a number of games onto the new channel mid-way through the season, making it next to impossible for fans who didn’t use Rogers to view the games.
Spokespeople for Rogers and Bell declined to give any details about when the channel might be offered through other television providers.