TSN to remain exclusive producer and broadcaster of CFL & The Grey Cup through 2021

[TVViewer]

CFL, TSN and RDS Extend Successful Broadcast Agreement through to 2021



– Bell Media sports networks extend their long-term partnership with Canadian Football League –




TORONTO (May 28, 2015) – The Canadian Football League (CFL) and Bell Media’s TSN and RDS announced today they have extended their long-term, successful partnership through to 2021.


As part of the extension, TSN and RDS continue to hold exclusive media rights to all CFL games, including pre-season, regular season, playoffs, and the iconic celebration of Canadian sports that is the Grey Cup. In addition to broadcast and digital rights, the deal features exclusive radio rights to the Grey Cup for Bell Media’s Grey Cup Radio Network.


“The CFL’s partnership with TSN and RDS has been central to our growth and momentum and we look forward to working together to reach new and even bigger audiences,” said Jeffrey L. Orridge, Commissioner of the Canadian Football League.
“The CFL continues to rank as one of Canada’s leading sports properties,” said Phil King, President – CTV, Sports, and Entertainment Programming. “With many new stadiums opening across the league and a new era beginning in Toronto, this is truly an exciting time for the CFL. We are thrilled to extend our partnership and to continue to shine the spotlight on this beloved Canadian sports institution for years to come.”


TSN has been broadcasting CFL games since 1986 and RDS has been a CFL broadcaster since 1989. In 2008, TSN and RDS became the exclusive broadcasters of the CFL and the Grey Cup. Since that time, the networks have established new audience records for CFL broadcasts.


TSN and RDS’s current agreement with the CFL was scheduled to expire at the end of the 2018 season.
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This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, no way TSN would let SportsNet outbid them for one of their biggest events, and everyone should know by now that it makes zero sense for sports that don't need a simulcast to air on a conventional network as opposed to sports specialty channels that have access to subscription fees.

[PokerFace]

It's all hype. If a few CFL games aired on a conventional network, the audience "records" would not be affected.

Sports fans are still going to subscribe to TSN, even if half of the CFL games were on a conventional network. It's just that the conventional networks prefer simsub opportunities and fans of TV generally don't like having their favourite shows being delayed by sports, anyway.

The CFL was available for years on conventional networks and even I watched it. Nothing has changed, other than the fact that the CBC is perhaps dying a slow death and Bell has decided to keep a Canadian sports product away from its mostly American-content-driven networks. Sports generally belong on sports networks, even if there's a simsub possibility. If the CRTC removed the simsub option for all sporting events, then what? Well, we would all get used to it and simply tune to the American OTA networks, watch on Canadian specialty channels, or use the Internet. No more NFL on CTV? C'est la vie.

If TSN didn't have access to subscription fees because it suddenly became a conventional network, then what? Do you let Sportsnet get the CFL rights? You could, or TSN might just decide to keep the CFL away from Sportsnet, just because it can.

[InMontreal]

and everyone should know by now that it makes zero sense for sports that don't need a simulcast to air on a conventional network as opposed to sports specialty channels that have access to subscription fees.

Then why is CTV airing the Juno Awards every mid-march by dumping the simsub lineup to CTV Two ?

Why has Global passed on simsub opportunities to priorize Big Brother Canada ?

[PokerFace]

It's easier to justify sports exclusives as specialty channel content. They often go past the scheduled end times, get rained out (etc.), and thus are best suited for the sports channels.

Big Brother Canada was a Slice exclusive and now it's not. Pure marketing mumbo jumbo, scheduling reasons, and now Global decides to wave the Canadian flag. Logic doesn't have to be part of any broadcast television network. It's always a work in progress. What works one year, might not work as well the next.

The Junos on CTV Two? I don't see why the Junos would accept being dumped to CTV Two. The organizers are hoping to at least maintain the illusion of relevance, but if it's dumped to CTV Two, boom goes the dynamite. You could probably air the Junos a week after they were held and most people wouldn't even notice, or care.

The CFL doesn't seem to care where it airs, as long as there's somebody foolish enough to overpay for the rights.

[TVViewer]

Okay, clearly everyone doesn't know by now why it makes zero sense for sports that don't need a simulcast to air on a conventional network as opposed to sports specialty channels that have access to subscription fees. InMontreal has been told all the reasons why several times but I will explain to PokerFace:

Pokerface: If a conventional channel buys the rights to broadcast a sporting event, the only way they can get their money back is with advertising revenue for the broadcast. TSN can make money on it with both advertising revenue and subscription fees. Not only that, but subscriber fees are impacted by how many people watch, the more people who watch TSN the higher the subscriber fee TSN can ask for when their agreement with the BDU is up. If TSN became a conventional network (which would never happen) the only way they would be able to outbid SportsNet for rights is if they did so knowing that they would lose money. TSN makes more than $100 Million dollars per year but TSN would lose OVER $150 MILLION dollars PER YEAR if they operated as an OTA network. Conventional networks are buying rights with advertising as their only source of revenue, TSN is buying rights with the dual revenue stream of advertising and subscription fees. Many of the other factors you listed are true, but at the end of the day it's more profitable to air big sporting events like these on sports specialty channels because they can use their subscription fees to help pay for the rights.

[InMontreal]

InMontreal has been told all the reasons why several times but I will explain to PokerFace:

It doesn't matter what you say or any explanation you can provide... The Grey Cup game (the last one) should be broadcast on conventional television. Period.

Some saturday or sunday afternoon games of the regular season on CTV is a better option than a marathon of Corner Gas / Cash Gab fillers, where the intention is to get canadians to get hooked to the CFL.

There are many american NFL games broadcast on conventional television where they reach bigger audiences, why hide all of CFL (canadian league) games exclusive to the TSN closet ? How fair is that ?

The CFL deserve their primetime moment (Grey Cup) on broader audiences.

[TVViewer]

[QUOTE=InMontreal;68959]

It doesn't matter what you say or any explanation you can provide... The Grey Cup game (the last one) should be broadcast on conventional television. Period.

This is the typical InMontreal response. You make up your mind that something should be done this way and don't let any facts or logic get in the way of changing your opinion. At least here you admit that you don't care about any logic or facts.

Some saturday or sunday afternoon games of the regular season on CTV is a better option than a marathon of Corner Gas / Cash Gab fillers, where the intention is to get canadians to get hooked to the CFL.

Well, the real intention is to properly run a business, but even if we assume that Bell's sole intention is to "get canadians to get hooked to the CFL." regardless of how much harm it brings to their business, it still makes sense to air on TSN. The target audience for CFL is people who enjoy watching sports, and the best place to reach people who enjoy watching sports is TSN. If you don't watch any sports and therefore don't subscribe to TSN, it's not realistic that you are suddenly going to fall in love with CFL Football because a game was broadcast on CTV. I don't think there are many people who aren't aware that the CFL exists anyway, but even if we assume there are, there is no better channel to reach them than TSN. TSN is where the CFL's target audience is, not CTV. CFL has hit audience records since moving from a conventional network to TSN.

There are many american NFL games broadcast on conventional television where they reach bigger audiences, why hide all of CFL (canadian league) games exclusive to the TSN closet ? How fair is that ?

TSN is not a place to hide. TSN does reach a broad audience. It's one of the most watched television channels in Canada. If you like sports, you are an idiot if you make the decision to not subscribe to TSN. If you are interested in watching sports you subscribe to TSN, it's as simple as that. This isn't some obscure channel, it's a channel the entire CFL audience and CFL target audience is familiar with. TSN has less subscribers than a channel everyone includes in basic like CTV because not everyone is interested in sports or CFL so therefore not everyone is going to subscribe to the channel broadcasting sports or the CFL. It's just illogical to assume that the CFL is missing all these potential viewers because they are broadcast on a top rated sports channel.

The CFL deserve their primetime moment (Grey Cup) on broader audiences.

Clearly the CFL doesn't think they "deserve" to be on a conventional network over TSN since the CFL voluntarily made the decision to move to TSN from a conventional network. Nobody is entitled to watch a football game, or any sporting event, on a conventional network. This isn't some public service every Canadian has the right to see, no sport broadcast falls under that category.

By the way, the vast majority of sports are broadcast exclusively on TSN or SportsNet. That's just the way it is so there is nothing unusual about CFL Football joining pretty much all other sports in airing on dedicated sports channels. It's a pretty unrealistic to argue that CFL should be the exception. Your complaints are even more funny considering the very position you support (denying conventional stations access to subscription fees) is why it's not viable for Canadian conventional stations to broadcast major sports like this in Canada.

[PokerFace]

I think I see what my heart is doing. It still wants to believe in Santa Claus, so it tells my brain that Santa Claus still exists, even though TVViewer (aka: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas) is saying otherwise.

The major something that has changed since my childhood is the domination of the Canadian specialty channels. And as the rights for sports content rise, Santa Claus (hello, all Canadian OTA channels) is less relevant. He has been reduced to a part-time worker, with fewer children believing in his existence.

NFL rights are expensive, but without a simsub possibility, Santa Claus would not be able to deliver as many presents (as he currently does) to cheapskates like me.

CFL rights should be cheaper, but with a specialty channel market that eats sports all day and night long, Santa Claus can't compete with the Grinch.

Santa had to retire some of his Reindeer. Rudolph now works for the Arena Football League as one of the mascots. Poor Rudolph.

Yes, PokerFace, there is a Santa Claus, but he's not the Santa Claus that you so fondly remember. The modern-day Santa has been defeated by clauses within contracts that have made him virtually obsolete. However, there are now several Canadian specialty channels willing to deliver Christmas cheer to everyone willing to pay through the nose for it. Rudolph's red nose has been bloodied in a battle with the Grinch. Bah, humbug!

[InMontreal]

Are you done with your Fee-For-Carriage promotion already ? Who gives a rat ass about it except yourself ?

Of course the CFL will sign an exclusive deal with TSN, they want MONEY, and that's what they get. The WWE signed a bargain deal with Rogers for a channel launched with very limited distribution, but hey, it's there. Toronto Blue Jays were very happy to have their games dumped to Sportsnet One when it launched as Rogers was the only one distributor of that channel. All canadians were happy to NOT have access to those games that summer.

Suuuure, dumping a whole sunday night of american simsub to CTV Two one time every year for the big CFL game is harmful to the whole canadian broadcasting system ! Because that's what our conventional stations exist for, simsubbing over american networks, all day, all night.

[Donovan's Monkey]

The CFL doesn't seem to care where it airs, as long as there's somebody foolish enough to overpay for the rights.

They need to take whatever they can get.
For decades the CFL has done a good job of continuing to get away with a lot of hokum and doublespeak in promoting itself as being some kind of deserving charity worthy of handouts (corporate or government) yet simultaneously being a supposedly thriving business, going back to at least 1974 when they somehow were able to convince the federal government to threaten to prevent a proposed new US based league (the WFL) from having a team in Canada. The Hamilton CFL franchise is now allegedly not losing money for the first time in decades, almost entirely because it was able to get a new stadium built for them without putting any of their own money into it. Bell's recent actions of renewing the TV deal and buying the Toronto Argos (who lose millions of dollars a year and had no other serious potential buyers) come across more as doing something people tell them they 'have to do' as good corporate citizens, as opposed to something they've done because they think it was a good business move. But of course pro sports is business and certainly not charity, and at least here in southern Ontario it has a kind of 'last gasp' feel to it, as over time there are fewer people willing to gullibly go along with the contention that the CFL is somehow inherently more deserving of receiving the preferential treatment than any other pro sport or business. Can you imagine the laughter if, for example, the owner of the failing Lingerie Football League team in Toronto had asked for government handouts, or got media people to claim with a straight face that Bell or Rogers must buy the team to be "good corporate citizens"?

But none of that necessarily means the CFL is a few years away from collapsing and disappearing. Eventually TSN may understand that no one else would be willing to pay anything close to what they do for CFL TV rights and any renewal talks may involve a substantially reduced offer. The CFL's popularity in western Canada should almost certainly keep it going, even if it would have to involve some kind of reorganization to reduce expenses and more evenly distribute revenue to keep at least a minimal number of teams going.