The Canadian Football League announced a collection of new broadcast agreements Thursday, including one longstanding media partner and two newer ones, with deals beginning in the 2027 season.
Bell Media, which owns TSN and RDS, will remain the league’s main broadcasting partner for around three-quarters of the regular season, with TSN continuing Thursday and Friday Night Football telecasts, seven playoff games, and the Grey Cup. TSN and RDS started broadcasting CFL games in the 1980s, and Bell Media has been its exclusive broadcaster since 2008.
The league also has a new deal with DAZN, which will broadcast one game per week to Canadian audiences and the entire slate of CFL games to audiences in over 200 countries.
The league also announced a deal with YouTube to air all CFL preseason games as well as other live content.
All of the media agreements are for six years.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but the CFL said in the announcement that “Collectively, these domestic and global partnerships represent the largest media valuation in league history.” The CFL’s current agreement with TSN, which expires this year, paid an average of $50 million annually.
“These record-setting agreements mark a transformative moment for the CFL,” said CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston in a release. “They reflect the deep passion of our powerful fanbase and the accelerating momentum of our league. We are thrilled to be aligning ourselves with Bell Media, Canada’s leading media entertainment company, DAZN, the world’s leading sports entertainment platform, and YouTube, the world’s largest video platform. Together, they will unlock new CFL audiences, deliver world-class entertainment and put the CFL in prime position for its next era of growth.”
The CFL’s American broadcast contract with CBS Sports Network also expires after this season, but the league is still exploring its next media partnerships in that market.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.