CBC SPORTS AND MEDIAPRO CANADA PARTNER TO PROVIDE BROADCAST AND STREAMING COVERAGE OF CANADIAN PREMIER LEAGUE / ISLAND GAMES MATCHES

CBC will be the exclusive television broadcast home for CPL Saturday matches*

August 11, 2020 – CBC Sports and MEDIAPRO Canada today announced a partnership that will see broadcast and streaming coverage every Saturday starting with the first stage (8 games), throughout the Canadian Premier League 2020 season – taking place in Charlottetown, PEI and known as The Island Games. Coverage will consist of Saturday double-header broadcasts available exclusively on CBC at 1 p.m. ET (2 p.m. AT).  All games will be simultaneously streamed via the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca and the CBC Sports App for iOS and Android devices, and will be produced by MEDIAPRO.

The first match of the Saturday double-header kicks off this week (Saturday, Aug. 15) at 1 p.m. ET (2 p.m. AT) at UPEI Alumni Place – Turf Field as York 9 FC (York Region) hosts expansion club Atletico Ottawa in their first official match since joining CPL in February 2020 and establishing a new Ontario battle. At 3 p.m. ET (4 p.m. AT) HFX Wanderers meet Pacific FC in a coastal clash. The full schedule of games included in the partnership is listed below.

CBC Sports’ Andi Petrillo will host the network’s coverage of the games broadcast this weekend, before handing the reins over to Scott Russell for the remainder of the season. Nigel Reed will handle the play-by-play and Canadian former professional soccer player Craig Forrest will serve as analyst. CBC Sports will also offer Canadian Premier League videos, player profiles and highlight shows across its platforms.

The 2020 season will begin with an eight-club first stage where each CPL team will play each other once (28 game total first phase), with the top four clubs to the second round six-match group phase. The Island Games will be played behind closed doors in a sequestered environment at Alumni Place in Charlottetown, PEI and will see the eight clubs – Pacific FC (Vancouver Island, British Columbia), FC Edmonton (Edmonton, Alberta), Cavalry FC (Calgary, Alberta), Valour FC (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Forge FC (Hamilton, Ontario – 2019 Canadian Premier League Champion), York9 FC (York Region, Ontario), Atletico Ottawa (Ottawa, ON) and HFX Wanderers FC (Halifax, Nova Scotia) battle it out until the top two clubs remain to compete in a single-match Final to be crowned the 2020 Canadian Premier League Champion.

Since there is no home-field advantage it will be a one-match Final to crown the 2020 Canadian Premier League Champion who will be awarded the North Star Shield and a 2021 CONCACAF League berth.

* subject to change

CPL/Island Games First Stage broadcast coverage on CBC

*Broadcasts will also be available via CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca and the CBC Sports app.

**Live to tape

All matches to be broadcast LIVE on OneSoccer, the Canadian Premier League’s media partner. Link to full league schedule:   www.canpl.ca/schedule

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About CBC Sports

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s Olympic Network through 2024 and Canada’s Paralympic Network through 2020. The national public broadcaster is committed to showcasing Canadian and international athletes and sports across all platforms under the CBC Sports and Hockey Night in Canada brands, including on television, online at cbcsports.ca and via the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices. CBC Sports prides itself on telling the story of the high-performance athlete’s journey every step of the way, ensuring Canadians always know the people who represent them before they see them atop the podium.

About The Island Games

Charlottetown Prince Edward Island will be the host location for the Canadian Premier League’s 2020 season.

The Island Games will commence on Thursday, August 13 with all eight (8) Canadian Premier League Clubs participating: HFX Wanderers FC, Atlético Ottawa, York9 FC, Forge FC, Valour FC, FC Edmonton, Cavalry FC and Pacific FC.  All matches will be played at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) FIFA quality Turf Field.

About the Canadian Premier League

Canadian Premier League (CPL) is Canada’s professional men’s soccer league that debuted on April 27, 2019. Headquartered in Toronto, ON, the Canadian Premier League features eight clubs from coast-to-coast. For updates and more information on the CPL, a league for Canadians by Canadians, visit CanPL.ca.

Connect with us on Twitter: @CPLsoccer and #CanPL

About MEDIAPRO Group

The MEDIAPRO Group, which recorded annual revenue of close to €2 billion in 2018, is a leader in the European audiovisual sector. With a fleet of 70 High Definition and 4K Outside Broad- cast units, the Group produces some 7,000 events around the world each year. It is currently involved in the production of 16 national soccer competitions around the world, including top-tier leagues in Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Kenya, Angola, Slovenia, Serbia, Colombia, Bolivia, Mexico and now Canada. Mediapro Group crews produce events for the UEFA Champions League, FIFA Confederations Cup, FIBA, Euroleague, FIFA World Cup, the Arab Games, the Africa Cup of Nations and Formula 1.

In Spain, MEDIAPRO manages the rights to the LaLiga Santander for public establishments and was awarded a wide package of rights for the four seasons from 2020-21 to France’s Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, where it is set to launch a 24/7 channel to carry live coverage of league matches. The MEDIAPRO Group produces more than 15 TV channels worldwide, including several specialty sports channels, such as beIN SPORTS and beIN LaLiga (in association with the beIN Media Group), Real Madrid TV and Golf Channel.

With 58 offices on four continents, MEDIAPRO is also one of the most important creators of content in the world, with projects for HBO, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Turner, DirecTV, Movistar, FOX, Viacom and Televisa.

For more information:

Micki Benedetti
Canadian Premier League
micki.benedetti@canpl.ca
905.466.2575

Joanna Landsberg
CBC PR
joanna.landsberg@cbc.ca
647.628.4788