The Toronto Arrows Rugby Football Club is pleased to announce that TSN will return as the team’s Canadian media partner for the 2023 Major League Rugby season.
The partnership will once again see Canada’s Sports Leader deliver the club’s 16 regular season games in 2023, as well as potential MLR Championship Series matches, to TSN and TSN+ subscribers through the network’s suite of linear and digital platforms, including its national television feeds, TSN.ca, and the TSN app.
Currently available for a limited-time free preview, TSN+ is a new, direct-to-consumer streaming product available exclusively on mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs. TSN+ lets fans go deeper into the sports they love, featuring live streaming-only coverage from a multitude of marquee sports properties. Additional information about TSN+ is available at TSN.ca/TSN+. Direct-to-consumer pricing and subscription options will be announced in the coming weeks.
“We’re looking forward to continuing our partnership with TSN this upcoming season,” said Rahul Srinivasan, Toronto Arrows Chief Commercial Officer. “As Canada’s first and only professional rugby team, we’re excited to showcase our uniquely Canadian brand of rugby to our audiences throughout the country via TSN’s comprehensive and accessible coverage.”
The Arrows will begin their fifth campaign in North America’s top-flight professional rugby league with a road match against Rugby ATL on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.
The Week 1 clash will also serve as the 2023 edition of the Fire and Ice Cup; serving as a commemoration of sportsmanship and unity through rugby, the Cup salutes the Arrows’ full season spent living away from home throughout the 2021 campaign during the height of the pandemic, as well as Rugby ATL’s camaraderie in opening their doors to host their nomadic Canadian brothers.
Rugby ATL successfully retained the Fire and Ice Cup with a 34-23 victory at Atlanta Silverbacks Park last season. The opening-week fixture represents the lone regular-season opportunity for Toronto to vie for the hardware, as the Cup can only be claimed if won in the home stadium of the previous year’s winner.
The following week, the club will take on reigning MLR champions Rugby New York Ironworkers in an away tilt in the Big Apple.
Week 4 will see the Arrows get their first crack at expansion side Chicago, with the 28,000-seat SeatGeek Stadium serving as the home base for the league’s newest franchise.
Toronto will host New York at York Lions Stadium for the club’s home opener on Saturday, April 8, and will round out an exciting three-match homestand by welcoming Eastern Conference finalists New England Free Jacks in Week 9 and MLR Championship finalists Seattle Seawolves in Week 10.
During the entirety of the 2023 season, the club will compete in 16 regular season matches over 18 weeks between February 17 and June 17, with nine games scheduled on Saturdays, four on Sundays, two on Fridays, and one on the Thursday preceding the Victoria Day long weekend.
The team’s bye weeks fall in Week 3 and Week 12.
The upcoming MLR season will feature 12 teams competing throughout North America over 18 weeks. The conclusion of the regular season will bring the MLR Championship Series, with the top three seeds from each conference qualifying for the post-season.
Conference semi-finals will be played over the weekend of June 24-25, conference finals will be contested over the weekend of July 1-2, and the MLR Championship Final will be held on July 8.
Programming Notes: specific linear and digital viewing options for each match will be confirmed and announced at least 48 hours ahead of match kickoff (e.g. for a match kicking off on a Friday evening at 7PM ET, broadcast information will be announced no later than the preceding Wednesday evening at 7PM ET).
For all digital-exclusive matches carried on TSN’s platforms, the match will also be available for Canadian viewers to watch via The Rugby Network.
Please note that match dates, kickoff times, and broadcast feeds (linear / digital viewing options) are subject to change; viewers are urged to check local listings for the most up-to-date broadcast information.
