Speed (TV network)
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North America (outside the United States)
Speed became available in
Canada shortly after its U.S. launch. As Speedvision, Speed was approved by the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to be added to its list of non-Canadian network approved for carriage on Canadian cable and satellite providers in 1997.[SUP]
[19][/SUP] As such, Speed is carried by most Canadian television service providers. Prior to August 2013, the schedule seen in Canada was largely identical to the U.S. schedule, except that some programming, particularly live Formula 1 events, were
blacked out to protect
TSN, the owner of F1 broadcast rights in Canada (as foreign services must own Canadian broadcast rights to the content they air).[SUP]
[20][/SUP] However, this point became moot in the 2013 season, as
NBC Sports Network is not carried in Canada.
For viewers in Canada, as well as the
Caribbean and
Puerto Rico, Speed was not converted to Fox Sports 1. The exact reasons for this have not been confirmed, although in the case of Canada, it is not clear whether Fox would have had the ability to make such a change given that Speed's Canadian authorization was based on it being a motorsports-based network . The version of Speed available in these areas continues to carry various NASCAR and other motorsports events, as well as related studio programming, mostly simulcast with their U.S. broadcasts on Fox Sports 1 or
Fox Sports 2, but does not otherwise originate any new programming of its own. During hours when the network is not simulcasting FS1 or FS2, it carries repeats of Speed's past reality and documentary programming. The international feed only carries advertising for Speed's own programming and
Big Ten Network during commercial breaks, with no outside advertising aside from promotions inserted by local providers.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
In early 2014, major Canadian service providers including
Rogers Cable and
Bell TV began to drop the service as their contracts expired. Reports indicate that Fox attempted to raise the channel's fees significantly, despite the major reductions in original programming for international viewers,[SUP]
[21][/SUP] and Rogers suggests Fox was unwilling to allow Speed to be moved to a more specialized package in light of the programming and cost changes.[SUP]
[22][/SUP]
