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WINNIPEG JETS
Record: 24 – 21 – 3
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Winnipeg fans flying to buy TSN Jets
'Thousands' sign on with Shaw, MTS
For those who can't be at Jets games in person, TV is proving to be a popular option. (CP)
'If you don't have season tickets, it's worth it'
WE asked our Facebook and Twitter followers if they'd subscribed to the Jets channel since the free previews had ended, and their reasons for opting in or out. Here's a sample of their replies:
Scott Hazlitt: $10 bucks a month is nothing. Signed up with MTS as soon as I could... If you don't have season tickets it's worth it!
Jacquie North: We got it as soon as it was available!
Jamie Mager: I don't have the time with school being so busy. It's not worth the extra monthly cost when I won't be able to watch the games.
Ev Tjader: Not available in our area
smcnewf: Of course. Since I got shut out on season tickets what's $10 a month to watch all the games.
charaton: Want to, but nope: $10 is almost a quarter of our total tv bill. I'll be listening to games on the radio/catching them on CBC.
TBone68: Yes I've subscribed to TSNJets. I was mad about "The Pittsburgh Glitch", but at least fans can see all 82 games.
Dan Vadeboncoeur: I honestly don't have time to watch every single game, so it's not worth the extra monthly cost. If I could purchase it on a game-by-game basis (Like pay-per-view, I guess) I might do that if it was something like $5 per game. As it stands, I'm happy with watching the main TSN and CBC coverage when it is on.
BisonGuy51: I have subscribed to the Jets channel via Shaw. Why? I want to see every minute of every game.
Matt Pentecost: Me and my brother in law subscribed as soon as we heard about the channel, he lives in Selkirk and I live in Minnedosa but we are both originally from England. The channel is awesome and it's good to cheer for a local team on a national scale the only thing I would say is that it should really be free for people in Manitoba but I love it anyway!!
-- Lindsey Wiebe
Winnipeg Jets fans are voting with their remote controls.
The two primary providers of the specialty channel showing the team's games aren't providing subscriber numbers now that the free viewing periods are over but anecdotally, if fans aren't watching the games live at the MTS Centre, they're tuning on the television.
"We're seeing thousands of customers subscribe to TSN Jets with Shaw each day. It is fantastic to see the support Winnipeg is bringing to its home team," said Peter Bissonnette, president of Shaw Communications Inc.
MTS TV is seeing the same kind of activity, according to Selena Hinds, director of corporate communications and community investment at MTS Allstream.
"Thousands of MTS customers have signed up for the TSN Jets channel on MTS TV. With all of the excitement surrounding the Jets, we're happy to provide the service to our customers and pleased with the results so far," she said.
Shaw's free trial for TSN Jets ended following the Dec. 6 game against the Boston Bruins while the free period on MTS TV ended five weeks earlier. Both providers charge $9.95 per month for the channel. TSN Jets is part of the basic package with Bell satellite TV service, so there is no additional charge to its customers.
Bissonnette said Shaw customers who haven't signed up for the channel but want to watch the team's 39 games still to come on TSN Jets this season can do so on the phone or online. It takes a few minutes either way so if the face off is at 7:30 p.m., Shaw recommends giving yourself some wiggle room so you don't miss any action.
Thanks to customer suggestions, Shaw has also decided to enable subscribers to put TSN Jets underneath the Christmas tree. It didn't have a procedure by which people could give the gift of cable previously but it has now come up with a solution.
Shaw can either issue a one-time lump sum credit compensating the recipient for the monthly charge they would incur until the season ends on April 9th or it can manually track the account and apply a discount every month off the bill.
The rest of the Jets' television schedule this season is split between CBC, which is showing 12 more games on Hockey Night in Canada, and TSN, which will air another three on its main network.
geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 10, 2011 A12
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