– Canadian finale of PWHPA Secret Dream Gap Tour will be first ever professional sports live stream on TikTok in Canada –
– Championship matchup also airs live on TV on Sportsnet and Sportsnet ONE at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT –
TORONTO (December 17, 2021) – The Toronto stop of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association’s (PWHPA) Secret Dream Gap Tour wraps up this Sunday on Sportsnet, and marking a first in Canadian broadcast history, the game will be live streamed on Sportsnet’s TikTok account.
Airing live exclusively on TV on Sportsnet and Sportsnet ONE and on Sportsnet’s TikTok account this Sunday, Dec. 19 at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT, the winner of a game between Team adidas (Minnesota) and Team Scotiabank (Calgary) will battle Team Sonnet (Toronto) for the Secret Dream Gap Tour’s Toronto Showcase title in Toronto.
Sportsnet’s Ailish Forfar and Faizal Khamisa will co-host the pre-game, intermissions, and post-game on TikTok, while Harnarayan Singh and Jennifer Botterill will provide the live play-by-play and analysis on both the TV and TikTok broadcast. Also part of the TV broadcast crew for the game are Jeff Marek as in-arena host and a studio panel hosted by Caroline Cameron alongside analysts Sami Jo Small and Manon Rhéaume.
“Partnering with TikTok, as well as Secret Deodorant, allows us to continue to experiment and innovate with our broadcasts to increase visibility for the PWHPA and these world-class athletes, and to deliver the action to a growing fanbase on a platform where they consume sports content,” said Bart Yabsley, President of Sportsnet.
From working with creators like Jillian Fisher, to pairing trends with sports highlights, Sportsnet is using TikTok to reach one of Canada’s fastest growing digital sports communities.
“It will come as no surprise to Canadians that #WinterSports content continues to trend on TikTok. With over 10 billion views on TikTok, #Hockey, Canada’s national winter sport, has been taking over For You feeds across the country,” said Kathryn Hudson, Director of Media Partnerships, TikTok Canada. “Now Sportsnet will be tapping into that fandom as they bring the first official livestream of a professional sports game onto TikTok in Canada.”
“For the first time ever in Canada, a full PWHPA game will be live streamed through the TikTok platform, allowing us to better reach young women and further inspire them to keep sports a part of their lives,” added Lisa Reid, Vice President, Secret Canada. “At Secret we believe that equal sweat deserves equal opportunity. This broadcast partnership with Sportsnet allows us to continue to increase visibility of these top athletes, provide them with an opportunity to showcase their talent, grow their fan base and underscore the importance sports has had in their lives.”
The Championship Game for this weekend’s Toronto Showcase will take place at Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.
About Sportsnet
Sportsnet is Canada’s #1 sports network. Uniting Canadians through sport, Sportsnet’s multimedia offerings include Sportsnet (consisting of 4 regional channels: East, Ontario, West, and Pacific), Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet World, the Sportsnet Radio Network, Sportsnet.ca, SN NOW, the Sportsnet app, and podcasts. Sportsnet is the official Canadian NHL national multiplatform rights holder, and is the regional broadcaster for the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Sportsnet also has extensive coverage of the Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Raptors, as well as NBA, MLB, Grand Slam of Curling, National Bank Open presented by Rogers, FIBA, WWE, IndyCar, Super League Rugby, Premiership Rugby, Bundesliga, FA Women’s Super League, and FA Cup. Sportsnet is part of Rogers Sports & Media, which is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX, NYSE: RCI). Visit Sportsnet.ca.
About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Toronto, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo. www.tiktok.com
About PWHPA
Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association’s (PWHPA) mission is to promote, advance and support a viable professional women’s ice hockey league in North America that showcases the greatest product of women’s professional ice hockey in the world. The organization aims to provide a united voice to players advocating for the creation of a sustainable professional league. PWHPA is working to accomplish its mission by coordinating training needs and programming opportunities and collaborating with like-minded organizations to make hockey more inclusive for women and future generations. To learn more about PWHPA and the Secret Dream Gap Tour, visit pwhpa.com.