Game+

Game+ is a Canadian English-language specialty television channel focused on fantasy sports, esports, poker, and action sports, owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment.^{1 • 2} It was originally licensed as "The League – Fantasy Sports TV" in January 2013 and launched as the FNTSY Sports Network in 2015, before being renamed Game+ on April 1, 2019.^{3 • 4} The name should not be confused with GamePlus, a separate online feature that Rogers offers within its NHL GameCentre LIVE streaming service.⁵

Origin and licensing

The service launched in 2015.⁴

Licence conditions. At its 2019 renewal, the licensee Fantasy Sports Media Group confirmed adherence to the standard requirements for discretionary services and proposed to devote at least 10% of the previous broadcast year's gross revenues to Canadian programming expenditures (CPE).⁴ The CRTC noted that since launch, Game+ had spent more on Canadian programming than it earned in total revenue and had never been profitable; the licensee argued the spending level was unsustainable given its small subscriber base.⁴ The Commission nevertheless set a 10% CPE requirement and added incentives: a 50% CPE credit for programming produced by Indigenous producers and a 25% credit for productions by official language minority community producers, each capped at 10% of the overall CPE requirement.⁴ The Commission also found the licensee in non-compliance for filing its 2014-2015 annual return late, attributing it to a technical upload failure, and took no further action because it was the first such instance.⁴

Ownership and distribution

Game+ is part of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a multi-platform media company whose portfolio also includes AXS TV, Fight Network, IMPACT Wrestling, GameTV, and HDNet Movies.⁷ In November 2019, Anthem announced that Game+ had launched an HD feed on Videotron, the largest cable operator in Quebec, with a freeview running until February 3, 2020, and that ordering either Game+ or GameTV gave subscribers both networks at no additional charge.⁷

The channel's own distribution page lists carriage on Telus (channel 535 in Alberta and British Columbia channel 924), Videotron (channel 778), Cogeco (channel 482 HD and 430 SD), SaskTel (channel 427 HD and 127 SD), and Bell (channel 1425 HD and 425 SD), plus streaming options.¹ Rogers customers can add Game+ to an Xfinity TV plan as a standalone channel or as part of a theme pack; under CRTC packaging rules, standalone channels can only be ordered by customers who already subscribe to a Rogers Xfinity TV package.²

Programming

Game+ carries fantasy sports gaming news and information, wagering information programming, esports, high-stakes poker, live action sports, wrestling, and other action-driven shows and lifestyle programming.⁷ A 2019 lineup description listed live coverage of Swiss Hockey League games, Drone Champions League, FIBA 3-on-3 basketball, World Showdown of Esports, the series The League and Kenny vs. Spenny, and the daily programs A Numbers Game and Cheddar ESports, the latter covering analytics, sports betting, and esports.⁷ Rogers's channel page names The Rod Pedersen Show and Esports Highlights among popular programs.²

The separate Rogers "GamePlus" feature

The similar name GamePlus refers to an unrelated service. GamePlus was an online content offering within Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE, available only to Rogers customers at no additional charge with a GameCentre subscription.⁵ It let viewers use a second screen, such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone, to select camera feeds and multiple-angle replays during hockey games while watching the regular television broadcast, including the Ref Cam (attached to the referee's helmet), Sky Cam, POV Cam, Goal Line Cam, and Star Cam, as well as a MyReplay feature drawing on up to six cameras, insider analysis, interviews, and original on-demand content.⁵

The feature became the subject of a regulatory dispute: Bell Canada complained that Rogers's exclusive offering of GamePlus violated the Digital Media Exemption Order. In March 2015 the CRTC dismissed the complaint, finding that GamePlus was not "television programming" within the meaning of the order because it gave users control over how they viewed a game rather than delivering an edited linear broadcast, and that Rogers's exclusive distribution to its own customers was therefore not an undue preference.⁵ According to Rogers, the angles were available on a selection of NHL games weekly, on some Stanley Cup Playoff games, on the NHL All-Star Game, and on the 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic.⁸

References

1. Where to Watch, Game+ (gameplusnetwork.com)
2. Watch, Stream and enjoy your favourite programs on Game+, Rogers
3. Optik TV service programming and rate updates (FNTSY Sports Network is now GAME+), archived Telus notice
4. Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2019-284, Game+ licence renewal
5. Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2015-89, Complaint by Bell Canada against Rogers Media Inc.
6. CRTC broadcasting services list, BC9-30-2019 (Game+ formerly FNTSY Sports Network)
7. Anthem's Game+ Network Launches on Videotron, GameTV Deal Extended, Anthem Sports & Entertainment (Nov 13, 2019)
8. GamePlus stays exclusive to Rogers customers, as CRTC dismisses Bell complaint, Rogers (March 16, 2015)

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen production organizations › Television networks › Genre and audience networks › Sports networks › Canadian sports networks

Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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