Keith White, president of the Royal St. John’s Regatta Committee, on Monday, August 3. Photo by Kyle MooneyArticle contentThe president of the Royal St. John’s Regatta Committee says he is “disappointed” Rogers TV will not be broadcasting the live races this year, but vows the 2026 installation of the annual event will be much the same as previous years.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content“NTV will continue to do as NTV has always done and cover the Men’s and Women’s championship races at 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively, on Regatta night,” Keith White, committee president, told The Telegram on Monday, Aug. 3.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentNTV’s general manager and chief operation officer Lindsey Andrew confirmed to The Telegram on Monday that NTV “will be down there lake side like we’ve always been.” Adams said the station only ever provided live coverage of the championship races and thus their involvement in the annual event remains unchanged.Article contentWhite says the Regatta Committee will broadcast drone footage of the races and the medals ceremonies without commentary throughout Regatta Day via its online channels.Article content“That’s no different from what we’ve done in 2024 and 2025 when we partnered with NTV,” he said. “The only difference between this year and last is NTV streamed the races on their streaming service, NTV+, with no commentary. So we did pick up where NTV left off. So the only change this year has been Rogers.”Article content Crews line up at the 207th Royal St. John’s Regatta. Rogers TV announced it will not be providing live coverage of the races in 2026, the Regatta Committee says. Photo by Nicholas Mercer/The TelegramArticle content‘DISAPPOINTING DECISION’Article contentThe Regatta Committee announced via social media on Sunday, Aug. 2 that Rogers TV will no longer provide live coverage of the races on Regatta Day as it has done in previous years. A spokesperson for Rogers Sports & Media said Monday the decision to cease live coverage of the Regatta was the result of “a recent change in local station resourcing.”Article contentArticle content“We know how much this long-standing community tradition means to St. John’s and we’re committed to covering the Regatta as part of our local news coverage,” the emailed statement read.Article contentWhite said he was “disappointed” by the decision. “It was not something we were expecting, so there was no Plan B in place.”Article contentWhite said the committee learned of Rogers’ decision to cease live coverage of the Regatta “in recent weeks,” and has since been “trying to mitigate the fallout of this decision, and looking at alternative ways to stream the races.”Article content“We’re doing the best we can do with the time we had,” he said.Article contentSPONSORSHIP QUESTIONSArticle contentWhite says the committee received hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from some 30 sponsors for the 2026 races. The Regatta’s website lists “verbal recognition on TV and radio” among the benefits included in sponsorship packages. But White says nothing in the sponsorship contract guarantees TV coverage.Article content“As part of their package we do offer a variety of things including signage around the pond, social media shoutouts, and invitations to a variety of events,” White said. He says sponsors also present trophies and medals and are given naming rights for the races.
Regatta committee ‘disappointed’ by loss of Rogers TV coverage; says races will be broadcast live online
