Toronto Blue Jays on Sportsnet
Canadian television home of Toronto Blue Jays baseball since 1999.
Since 2026, the telecast has been branded as Rogers Blue Jays Baseball for sponsorship reasons. The games air on Sportsnet, Sportsnet One, or Sportsnet 360, and stream on Sportsnet+ across Canada. Sportsnet first carried Blue Jays games in 1999 and has since become the team's official television carrier, handling every televised regular-season game. The network also serves as Canada's primary TV outlet for Major League Baseball.
Some games began broadcasting in high definition in 2003. By 2007, all games on the network were in HD, and from 2016 onward, every home game has been produced in ultra-high definition. Non-Blue Jays MLB games on Sportsnet are branded as MLB on Sportsnet.
History
Sportsnet launched in October 1998 as CTV Sportsnet and aired its first Blue Jays game on April 6, 1999. In the early years, it broadcast between 40 and 60 games per season. Starting in 2002, Sportsnet carried more games than TSN and took over the majority of the rights. It aired 120 Jays games in 2003 and 2004, 103 in 2005, 122 in 2006 and 2009, 116 in 2007, and all 162 games in 2010. The digital channel Sportsnet One began carrying games when it launched in August 2010. Because both the Blue Jays and Sportsnet are wholly owned by Rogers Communications, the broadcast rights have no set end date. As of the 2023 season, the only Blue Jays games not shown by Sportsnet were those exclusive to digital platforms worldwide—specifically Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV.
Sportsnet also holds Canadian rights to Fox's Saturday MLB games, the All-Star Game, and the postseason. The Sportsnet channels simulcast non-Blue Jays games from U.S. regional sports networks. Sportsnet previously aired ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball but sub-licensed those games to TSN in exchange for TSN's former package of Blue Jays games.
On October 5, 2015, Rogers announced that all Blue Jays home games during the 2016 season would be broadcast in 4K. Due to the structure of Rogers' MLB broadcast contracts, Sportsnet was not allowed to use its own domestic production for Blue Jays postseason games—since it was still considered a regional broadcaster—and instead carried the U.S. broadcast (such as Fox in 2015 and TBS in 2016).
- Launched
- October 1998 as CTV Sportsnet
- First blue jays game
- April 6, 1999
- Branding change
- 2026 as Rogers Blue Jays Baseball
- Hd broadcasts started
- 2003
- All games hd
- 2007
- Home games 4k
- 2016
- Rights duration
- Indefinite (Rogers Communications ownership)
Lore & Background
Sportsnet launched in October 1998 as CTV Sportsnet and began covering Blue Jays games on April 6, 1999. During the early years, Sportsnet broadcast between 40 and 60 games. Starting in 2002, Sportsnet took over the majority rights from TSN. Rogers Sportsnet broadcast 120 Jays games in 2003 and 2004, 103 in 2005, 122 in 2006 and 2009, 116 in 2007, and all 162 games in 2010. Games also began to air on digital channel Sportsnet One upon its launch in August 2010. Since the Blue Jays and Sportsnet are both wholly owned by Rogers Communications, Sportsnet's rights are of indefinite duration. As of the 2023 season, the only Blue Jays games not shown by Sportsnet have been those exclusive to digital platforms worldwide—specifically Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV.
On October 5, 2015, Rogers announced that it would broadcast all Blue Jays home games during the 2016 season in 4K. Due to the structure of Rogers' MLB broadcast contracts, Sportsnet was not permitted to use its domestic production for Blue Jays games if the team is in postseason play (as it is technically still considered a regional broadcaster), and instead carried the U.S. broadcast (such as Fox in 2015, and TBS in 2016). In 2020, Sportsnet received the right to produce its own telecasts of postseason games as MLB's national Canadian broadcaster, which would allow the network to carry its 'regional' production into postseason games if the Blue Jays were to advance starting in 2022 American League Wild Card Series. The 2025 American League Championship Series between the Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners was the first ALCS, and the 2025 World Series between the Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers was the first World Series to have a dedicated Canadian English-language television broadcast.
Reader's Guide
Toronto Blue Jays on Sportsnet represents a significant chapter in Canadian sports broadcasting, as the network has been the exclusive television home of the Blue Jays since taking over majority rights in 2002. Its importance lies in its role as the primary outlet for MLB in Canada, carrying not only Blue Jays games but also Fox's Saturday MLB games, the All-Star Game, and the postseason. The broadcast's evolution from standard definition to high definition in 2007 and ultra-high definition for home games in 2016 reflects technological advancements. The network's indefinite rights, due to common ownership by Rogers Communications, ensure long-term stability. The shift to producing its own postseason telecasts in 2020, culminating in the first dedicated Canadian English-language broadcasts of the ALCS and World Series in 2025, marked a milestone in Canadian sports media. The commentary team has featured notable figures such as Buck Martinez, Dan Shulman, and Pat Tabler, with Martinez retiring in 2026 and being replaced by Joe Siddall.
Did You Know?
- Sportsnet began showing Blue Jays games in 1999 and broadcast all 162 games in 2010.
- Starting in 2016, all home games are broadcast in ultra-high definition.
- The 2025 World Series was the first to have a dedicated Canadian English-language television broadcast.
- Buck Martinez announced his retirement from broadcasting on February 6, 2026.
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