Canadian broadcasters say demand down for sports betting ad time

Thursday, September 26, 2024 7:36 PM
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  • Geoff Zochodne, Covers

Canadian broadcasters say the demand from sportsbook operators for ad time is already weakening, and a bill aiming to rein in that marketing is a bit hasty.

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The Senate of Canada’s Transport and Communications Committee met again Wednesday evening to hear more testimony in connection with Bill S-269, which proposes the creation of a national framework for sports betting-related advertising.

That framework would identify ways of regulating sportsbook ads, “with a view to restricting the use of such advertising, limiting the number, scope or location,” the text of the legislation states.

But what the Senate committee heard on Wednesday is that those commercials are already being limited, both on the initiative of broadcasters and because sportsbook operators are buying less ad time.