Canada's TKO Championship Fighting Signs Television Deal

by Luke Thomas on Sep 10, 2008 2:05 PM EDT in MMA News

I encourage our Canadian readers to help explain the significance of the deal - specifically, how large the reach is of TQS - but this seems ultra-encouraging to me:

Montreal’s TKO Championship Fighting revealed that they have signed a television deal with the TQS television network, and began airing “TKO - Friday Night Knockouts” on Sept. 5 and every Friday night thereafter at 9 p.m.

The news was promising for TKO, as TQS is not primarily a sports channel, but more of a variety channel. Patry used the analogy that TQS is like Spike TV, except it isn’t on cable. Everybody that has a TV set in Quebec has TQS.

“Our first show was Friday night and the response was just amazing,” said Patry. “The sport was already very popular here in Quebec but this weekend I went out with my girlfriend and we couldn’t even walk in the streets with Steve Bosse, who was part of the show with Derek Gauthier and Martin Grandmont. Everybody was talking to them about the show.”

Somewhere, Mark Pavelich is fuming.

UPDATE: It turns out the readers think this isn't that much of a deal. The reach of TQS is very regional and doesn't even really affect Pavelich's MFC base of operations. Thanks for the clarification.

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TQS is non existent outside of Quebec (save for 1 transmitter for New Brunswick).
Sorry but this isn’t really big news outside of Quebec.
I don’t know if TQS has any influence on any english speaking channels, probably not.

by pr0cs on Sep 10, 2008 1:45 PM EDT reply actions

TQS is EXTREMELY limited in reach. It’s basically just Quebec and some of the Maritimes. I think you CAN get it on satellite, though I don’t know anyone who does or who actively watches it if they do.

If they’d gotten A Channel or something like that, Pavelich would be fuming. As it is, it’s so regional that it really doesn’t affect anyone west of Ottawa.

by AJB on Sep 10, 2008 1:47 PM EDT reply actions

That said

TKO is a profitable well run MMA organizaiton. So ya, this isn’t anything big, but good for them.

by ghettoiam on Sep 10, 2008 2:51 PM EDT reply actions

Absolutely true. It just doesn’t step on anyone else’s toes. Like so much in Canada, MMA is very regionalized right now.

by AJB on Sep 10, 2008 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions

I live in Nova Scotia and I’ve never heard of this station. But TKO re-runs are already on The Fight Network pretty much non-stop.

The two big national sports networks are TSN and Rogers Sportsnet. TSN runs WEC live events (though often delayed for days or buried on their alternate feed) and Sportsnet has TUF reruns and UFC Countdown shows.

by smoogy on Sep 10, 2008 4:03 PM EDT reply actions

Good info, thanks.

by Luke Thomas on Sep 10, 2008 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Television Quatre Saison is the station

Cmon Smoogy, I lived in NS for a long time and you get it there on cable. You telling me you never watched Bleu Nuit growing up?!?!

At any rate, it’s true, it’s not available everywhere. You can subscribe to it on digital cable and satellite in other places in the country though.

by LiuLang on Sep 10, 2008 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions

I get it

I get TQS here and I’m in Nova Scotia as well and I also know for a fact that I’ve had the station in Alberta when I’ve lived out there. It’s like one of the higher channels that I’ve never really watched but I know for a fact I do get it. At first I thought this was the french equivalent to TSN but I was wrong.

This channel basically serves no purpose for me but I’ll watch TKO if it’s on, though I’m pretty sure the fight network picks up TKO as well but that may have changed since this french station now has it.

by ChrisHowie on Sep 10, 2008 8:02 PM EDT reply actions

The French TSN equivalent is RDS, and I’m surprised – given the level of support in Quebec – that they haven’t already picked up some MMA broadcasting beyond what TSN does.

by AJB on Sep 10, 2008 11:11 PM EDT up reply actions