NEWS RELEASE

 

Insight Sports and WFN: World Fishing Network to Launch Million Dollar Pro-Am WFN Tour Bass Championships for 2008

 

TORONTO, November 13, 2007 – Insight Sports Ltd. and WFN: World Fishing Network announced today the launch of the WFN Tour Bass Championships, a Pro-Am Canadian fishing circuit that will debut in 2008, feature five events, and award a total of $1,000,000 in prize money.

 

The WFN Tour will include top professional anglers including Bob Izumi, J.P. DeRose and Dave Mercer as well as many international competitors from the United States and overseas.  During the first four WFN Tour events, anglers will compete for a tournament purse of $150,000 while the fifth and final event, the WFN Canadian Open, will see competitors vie for a total purse of $300,000.

 

“The WFN Tour is an obvious extension of our WFN broadcast and online properties,” said Dan Cimoroni, Vice President, Sports & Entertainment, Insight Sports.  “With more people actively participating in fishing than in golf and tennis combined, we believe the WFN Tour will provide an excellent opportunity to grow one of the world’s most popular sports.  With the launch of the WFN Tour, we are looking forward to providing anglers and fans of competitive fishing with the first elite, Canadian-based, world class tour.”

 

The following is an overview of the 2008 WFN Tour competition schedule:

 

Dates                          Lakes and Rivers                                         Location

July 4-6                        Lake Simcoe/ Lake Couchiching                   Town of Georgina, Ont.         

July 25-27                    Detroit River / Lake St. Clair / Lake Huron     Sarnia, Ont.

August 22-24               Lake Erie                                                        Port Colborne, Ont.

September 5-7            Lake Muskoka                                                 Gravenhurst, Ont.

September 19-21        St. Lawrence / Lake Ontario                           Kingston, Ont.

 

“I have been fishing competitively for several decades and have not seen anything of this magnitude in Canada ,” said Izumi.  “The calibre of event that WFN is producing should put Canada back on the world stage it deserves. Not only will this tour attract the best anglers, it will be a great sporting event for the fans.”

 

Each WFN Tour event will be open to both amateurs and professionals.  Amateurs will battle for a variety of fishing related prizes, while professionals will compete exclusively for prize money.  Coverage of each WFN Tour event will be broadcast on WFN as well as a national television network.

 

“The WFN Tour Bass Championships will be a world class event and we are thrilled to be a tour partner in order to help grow the sport of fishing,” said Tom Brooke, Vice President of Canadian Operations Shimano, whose organization will serve as the live release company for the WFN Tour. “WFN is onto something great, and we applaud their leadership within the fishing community.”

 

All five tournaments will be held over the course of three days.  Amateurs will compete on both Friday and Saturday while professionals will be eligible to compete during all three days. The top 10 professional anglers, based on cumulative weight, will advance to Sunday’s final round. 

The WFN Tour will allow a maximum of five fish, per weigh-in, per boat. The angler with the highest cumulative weight over the three-day event will be declared the tournament champion.  The top 50 professional anglers from each event will win a portion of the overall tournament purse.

 

The following is an overview of the tournament purse for each WFN Tour event:

First Four WFN Tour Events                       WFN Canadian Open

1st                   $25,000                                   1st                   $70,000

2nd                  $12,500                                   2nd                  $30,000

3rd                   $10,000                                   3rd                   $20,000

4th                   $  8,000                                   4th                   $15,000

5th                   $  7,000                                   5th                   $10,000

6th                   $  6,500                                   6th                   $  9,000

7th                   $  6,000                                   7th                   $  8,000

8th                   $  5,000                                   8th                   $  7,000

9th                   $  4,000                                   9th                   $  6,000

10th                 $  3,000                                   10th                 $  5,000

11th-25th         $  1,700                                   11th-25th         $  3,500

26th-50th         $  1,500                                   26th-50th         $  2,700

Total Purse:   $  150,000 per event             Total Purse:   $  300,000

 

The WFN Tour will also present a season-ending WFN Angler of the Year award as well as a Big Fish award, which is presented to the angler who catches the heaviest fish at each event.

 

Together, both awards will pay out a total of $100,000 in cash and prizes.

 

A complete list of WFN tour information, schedules and results is available exclusively at www.wfn.tv/2008basstour.

 

About WFN- World Fishing Network

Get hooked on the only network dedicated 24-hours a day, seven days a week to every single aspect of fishing.  WFN provides a daily escape for Canada ’s 6 million recreational and sport fishing enthusiasts, with a programming lineup that covers all aspects of angling, in five distinct programming blocks. International Waters gives viewers an instant passport to adventure, featuring the world’s top fishing destinations.  Ultimate Fishing is the home of competitive fishing in Canada , with coverage of the best tournaments and tours. School of Fish is an instructional and lifestyle block that appeals to fishing enthusiasts of all ages. All-Canadian Fishing features the best fishing shows from the Great White North, including Canada ’s fishing icon, Bob Izumi. American Angling gives viewers access to some of the most popular programs from south of the border. WFN is home of the FLW Tour in Canada . Get hooked on-line at www.WFN.tv.

 

About Insight Sports Ltd.

Insight Sports Ltd. is a leading sports media and entertainment company which creates and distributes sports and entertainment content across multiple platforms, including broadcast television, DVD, on-line, mobile, in-arena and video on-demand.

 

Insight Sports operates three specialty television networks: GOLTV Canada (www.goltv.ca), a 24-hour soccer network; WFN: World Fishing Network (www.wfn.tv), North America's only network devoted entirely to fishing; and GameTV (www.igametv.com), the only Canadian television network that gives viewers a chance to win great prizes every day, simply by tuning in. The company owns and operates the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling, the most prestigious events on the World Curling Tour and Ford Major League Gaming Canada (www.mlgcanada.com), an affiliate of Major League Gaming and the largest organized league and international sanctioning body for professional video gaming.  Insight Sports also manages Wayne Gretzky’s official website, www.gretzky.com and holds a significant interest in the NHL Network (www.nhlnetwork.ca), a 24-hour hockey channel.

 

Aquila Productions Inc., a leader in sports television production, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Insight Sports. Based in Toronto , the principal shareholders of Insight Sports include Larry Tanenbaum (Kilmer Enterprises Inc., a subsidiary of Kilmer Van Nostrand Co. Limited) and MWI & Partners. For more information see www.insightsports.com.

 

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For further information contact:

 

Eric Michalko

Communications Manager

Insight Sports Ltd.

Phone: 416.593.0915, ext. 253

Cell: 647.669.0900

Email: emichalko@insightsports.com