TVA Sports is a Canadian French-language sports specialty channel owned by the Groupe TVA, a publicly traded subsidiary of Quebecor Media. The channel is a general-interest sports network, and the first major competitor to RDS, the only other French-language sports channel in the country. TVA Sports obtains much of its programming via sub-licensing and resource-sharing agreements with the English-language network Sportsnet and its owner Rogers Communications. As of the 2014–15 season, TVA Sports is the national French-language broadcaster of the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer in Canada (the latter including the league's CF Montréal), and also carries coverage of Toronto Blue Jays baseball and other events. History The formation of TVA Sports was first announced at a press event in May 2011, where TVA announced its plans for the network, and some of its launch programming. TVA made numerous efforts to acquire content for the network in the years prior to the launch; including Quebecor's failed attempt to purchase a stake in the Montreal Canadiens, and the company's backing of a proposed National Hockey League expansion franchise in Quebec City—which included acquiring naming and management rights to a new arena in Quebec City built to potentially house a new or relocated NHL team. On August 18, 2011, Rogers Media, owners of the English-language sports channel Sportsnet, announced that it would partner with TVA Sports to provide production resources, and sub-licensing of French-language rights to some of Sportsnet's event programming. Rogers had obtained CRTC approval for its own French-language sports network prior to the announcement. The channel was launched on September 12, 2011. Concurrently with the announcement that TVA would obtain French-language rights to the NHL through Rogers' 12-year deal with the league, a multiplex channel known as TVA Sports 2 was announced. Programming Event programming aired by TVA Sports includes the CF Montreal (24 games during the 2012 season), Toronto Blue Jays baseball (60 games during the 2012 season), the Canadian Hockey League, as well as Toronto Raptors basketball games, plus other NBA matches, including the playoffs and Finals. TVA Sports aired French-language coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi through a sub-licensing deal with Radio-Canada. In 2013, again in tandem with Sportsnet, TVA Sports acquired French-language rights to the IndyCar Series. On January 10, 2017, TVA Sports acquired national French-language rights to Major League Soccer. NHL coverage On November 26, 2013, Rogers announced that it had