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With spring upon us, Canadians can now basically combine two great loves at the same time: Playoff hockey and the outdoors.
No longer is the hockey fan glued to the television set during the Stanley Cup playoffs as the increasing technology gives mobile device users a chance to watch games while on the move.
The CBC has launched live streaming games to its Hockey Night in Canada application through iTunes, while TSN has teamed up with Bell Mobility to provide its games in real time to those subscribers.
The catch with CBC's app is the games will cost $2.99 for single-use or $14.99 for the entire postseason.
TSN debuted its Masters app for last week's tournament and the reviews have been positive. It followed a featured group, Amen Corner and holes 15 and 16 among other highlights available on demand and it was available for free. Sampling these apps isn't easy for those of us who aren't tech savvy, but there are few free programs out there that will help sports fans keep track of the scores at least.
CBC's HNIC app is easy enough to navigate and quickly updated the NHL playoff scores starting Wednesday night.
The Score mobile iPhone edition has the easiest screens to navigate, while TSN Mobile is also user-friendly, with the added advantage of a ticker at the bottom of the screen.
Both provide enough updates that baseball fans can read boxscores and get a good view of what's happening, but the Score's app provides a few more features, such as detailed scoring plays and preview stories.
There are plenty of other apps for users willing to spend some cash, but there is enough content out there for free seekers. It might not always be that way, as this is more of a promotional tool for networks than a way of making money directly.
For instance, TSN is working on a CFL app for this season, but live streaming games will have a fee attached to them.
CBC chooses wisely
CBC had first pick in choosing playoff series and at first it looked like a tough decision. Montreal against Washington would be intriguing if it was expected to be a long series, so the mother corp. made a good choice in taking Pittsburgh against Ottawa instead.
The Canadiens will likely draw higher ratings for TSN, but with Sidney Crosby and the rest of the defending Stanley Cup champions getting upset in Game 1, that series becomes a must-see. It also didn't hurt that Crosby notched three assists.
TSN is the real winner from the first round of games, basically because it now has the side network TSN2. That allows it to show games in entirety while some might have to be joined in progress in case of long overtimes.
One of the most exciting first-round series will start Friday night on TSN2 as the Nashville Predators face off against the high-flying Chicago Blackhawks.
Around the dial
The Edmonton Oilers winning the draft lottery was a huge hit for TSN. The highest-rated draft lottery telecast was an 87% increase over last year ... The web is the place to be for curling fans this week. The Players' Championship will be available from Dawson Creek, B.C., on cbcsports.ca with only the finals in the men's and women's division on CBC television ... TSN has two NHL playoff games Thursday, so the first round of the NFL draft won't be available. Rounds 2 and 3 are on the sked for TSN2 the following night. This marks a huge difference between the U.S. and Canada. ESPN has 15 hours of live coverage on the NFL draft ... World championship hockey season starts next week with TSN's coverage of the under-18 championship from Belarus. Dave Randorf will call the action with Dave Reid as the colourman as coverage begins Sunday.
ian.busby@sunmedia.ca