CBC Sports sees brighter days ahead thanks to online strategy and budget boost

When the most recent federal budget included a few extra million dollars for the CBC, there was no doubt a lot of cheering at the corporation's Toronto headquarters -- or at least as much cheering as its government-dictated mandate allows.

But the CBC should be allowed a moment of celebration after all the cuts previous governments have forced on it, cuts that played a big role in the corporation losing its lifeblood NHL contract to Rogers.

While reclaiming hockey isn't in the cards -- at least for another decade -- the added funding could help CBC get back into the game as something more than a broadcaster of Olympics and Olympic-related sports.

CBC Sports head Greg Stremlaw emphasizes that any added federal dollars aren't part of his plan yet, but that they certainly could help beef up the corporation's somewhat depleted sports lineup.

``We've tabled a business plan and a budget not based on us being reliant on any of those moneys," he said in an interview with Yahoo Sports. ``I think that's important."

But he admitted that with the CBC coffers a little more robust once the promised cash arrives, that plan could include going after pro sports.

``If there is a way to use that as a business investment in sport in the years ahead ... I'm certainly interested in having that conversation with the executives here," he said.

``Where it makes true business sense, I think it's important that CBC looks at those (other sports)."

Those other sports could include almost anything as long as they fit the CBC's mandate to carry ``high-performance sports" that are important to Canadians. While that includes the likes of skiing, athletics and figure skating right now, there's no reason why the NBA, CFL, curling and MLS could once again be on CBC's radar. After all, they're high-performance sports and Canadians care about them.

``Where it makes true business sense, I think it's important that CBC looks at those," he said. ``Some of those sports have overlays with national teams, so I wouldn't want to discard those sports like basketball, for example. We're not pursuing NBA rights, but I wouldn't want to suggest that. But what used to be amateur or professional is no longer that ...There is a lot of overlap."

Stremlaw isn't saying that the CBC of the next few years could include the Toronto Raptors, the CFL or other pro sports that have migrated away from the corporation in recent years. What he's saying is that they won't be dismissed out of hand, which is great news for leagues and teams hoping to stir up competition for rights.

That would be good news for fans. Increased rights fees could mean the difference between signing a top-ranked free agent and settling for second best.

The problem CBC faces if it decides to go that route isn't simply a matter of dollars. The likes of TSN and Sportsnet have made a lot of long-term deals in recent years and rights won't come up for renewal for some time -- far enough ahead that a new government could even taketh away what the Liberals hath given.

If CBC is unable to add to its larder, Stremlaw says he's more than happy to continue down the road the corporation is on now. Its new strategy of giving scads of online coverage and lots of weekend TV space to Olympic-related sports is paying off with gains that range from modest to substantial.

Stremlaw says the new approach is protecting the taxpayers' investment with a strong business model.

``The key is doing it within a full business framework," he said. ``I'm not suggesting there wasn't a business framework before but we're trying to do this on full sustainability.

``That can be a challenge, but I'm very proud that we're upfront with this and that. Our business model needs to take a front seat with every event."

That means CBC Sports has to either break even or make a profit on its coverage -- something that hasn't always happened in the past.

While financial details aren't available, the new approach is producing some positive results. Overall, sports TV ratings are up 7 per cent over last year -- a good gain in light of dwindling audiences across North America.

The star was this year's world figure skating championships, which produced a 45 per cent bump in ratings. Having the competition in Boston as opposed to Shanghai definitely played a part, but 45 per cent is nothing to sneeze at.

Online is where CBC has experienced the greatest growth. Live streams showed a whopping 569 per cent increase over 2015 and video on demand rose 74 per cent.

The numbers still aren't huge -- we're talking the likes of skiing and kayaking here -- but any increase is encouraging.

Despite the negative publicity heading into the Summer Olympics, Rio should be a winner for CBC as will the next Winter Games. After that, there may even be a few more horses in CBC's stable.