Soccer net GOLTV Canada unleashed a new series entitled The Contenders last week in a bid to fan the soccer flames in anticipation of Germany 2006. The six-parter debuted on Thursday, airing weekly at 8 p.m. The Contenders highlights teams’ trek to the qualifiers with insight from soccer experts Paul James and Jim Brennan. Fifteen-minute webisodes are also on offer on goltv.ca for those who just can’t get enough of The Contenders. Chris Doyle, VP, marketing at Toronto-based Insight Sports says, ‘[The webisodes] gives people access to material they just wouldn’t otherwise see. It’s essentially more content that would otherwise be on the cutting room floor.’ He says that the webisodes are supported via ads running during the on-air component. Six more webisodes are in production, and these will be rolled out online on a weekly basis. Doyle adds that sponsor opportunities are available both online and on-air. The series and its accompanying webisodes target M18-34.
