CBC expands role in curling with 5-year deal for Grand Slam, Rock League

CBC is set to have a bigger presence in Canadian curling, with a new five-year broadcast agreement bringing more Grand Slam of Curling playoff coverage and every Rock League game to its platforms.

The agreement with The Curling Group, announced Thursday, will contribute to more than 300 hours of combined television coverage across CBC and Sportsnet during the 2026-27 season.

The professional league, which held its inaugural season in April, will return to CBC in January 2027. Every game will be available on CBC television and CBC Gem, while selected games will also be carried on Radio-Canada's ICI TOU.TV and Sportsnet on Thursdays and Fridays.

Rock League has six mixed-gender franchises featuring curlers from around the world. Its second season will feature events on select weekends in January and April, with games scheduled from Thursday through Sunday.

Sportsnet will remain the main broadcaster for all five Grand Slam events, starting in October.

It will show three draws a day from Tuesday through Friday. CBC and CBC Gem will then join Sportsnet+ for Saturday's playoff coverage.

Sportsnet will carry the championship finals on Sundays, with CBC also showing select finals throughout the season.

Morning round-robin draws and tiebreakers from Tuesday through Saturday will continue to be streamed on Rock Channel.

The new agreement builds on CBC's long history with the sport and gives the broadcaster a bigger presence around some of Canada's biggest curling events.

"CBC has a long history of curling coverage," said Chris Wilson, CBC's executive director of sports and Olympics. "We're excited to share another season of Rock League with audiences across Canada."

For The Curling Group, the agreements give both the Grand Slam and Rock League a larger national audience.

"This is a defining moment for the sport," said Nic Sulsky, CEO and co-founder of The Curling Group.

For Canadian viewers, the next five years will bring more ways to follow both, from Grand Slam playoff weekends to the second season of Rock League on CBC.