CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston said he would make significant change when he was hired and he has followed up on his word. Late last year the league announced significant rule changes would occur in 2026 and 2027 and yesterday the league announced a new broadcast deal.
Bell Media, owners of TSN and RDS, have been the exclusive broadcast partner since 2008, but that will end after this season. Starting next season TSN will broadcast 60 regular season games and six of the eight playoff games and the Grey Cup while the sports digital streaming platform DAZN will broadcast two playoff games and 21 regular season games.
The league deemed it “the largest media valuation in league history.” Neither side released official numbers, but the current with Bell paid around $50 million per season and this new six-year deal is expected to be around a half of a billion dollars.
The CFL released this statement.
“These record-setting agreements mark a transformative moment for the CFL,” said CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston. “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 worldclass entertainment and put the CFL in prime position for its next era of growth.”
This is great news for the CFL and fans. Change is hard and some won’t like having to pay for DAZN, and some fans will opt to watch only the games on TSN and not pay the $24.99/month fee on DAZN. That is understandable, but the league is taking a risk that the upside is worth it. DAZN currently is home to the NFL and other major sports and the CFL will be exposed to more eyeballs by partnering with DAZN.
I think it is a good bet. The CFL needs to think bigger. It has been stuck in their old ways for too long, but this is a great first step. Having a presence on both TV and streaming is good, but also YouTube will play a role in 2027. The younger generation resides on YouTube and the league called them a “premier platform partner.”
YouTube won’t carry games, but here is an outline of what they will provide.
- Expanded live and on-demand platform content, including live preseason games (excluding Bell Media and DAZN games), enhanced CFL Combine coverage, an All-Access unscripted series, and a steady pipeline of highlights, interviews, analysis and behind-the-scenes content
- Creator-focused initiatives, including a CFL-YouTube creator sporting event, creator partnerships across CFL markets, and expanded content opportunities for media partners on YouTube
- Partnership to boost the CFL’s presence on the platform, expand live stream content, and increase accessibility to the CFL’s historical game archive
The CFL needs to connect with the younger demographic, and this broadcast deal connects with both the older, loyal generation and the younger generation the league desperately needs to attract.
There could be some growing pains and there will be a lot of people, maybe myself included, who originally won’t love needing two different places to watch the games, but that is the reality of professional sports. We’ve seen it in the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL and the CFL needed to adapt or die a slow death.
This is a great financial gain for the league, teams and players and more coverage, even in a different location is good for CFL fans.
FINAL PRESEASON GAME….
The Elks host Calgary tonight in their second of two preseason games. The Green and Gold defeated BC 34-16 last Saturday and while some believe the result doesn’t matter, I’d argue for an organization stuck in losing, every chance to garner a win is important.
Cody Fajardo needs to play well. He completed two of six passes for 26 yards last Saturday. He wasn’t expected to play much, and he didn’t, but Taylor Powell went 13-for-14 with one touchdown and he’s pushing Fajardo.
Fajardo will be the opening day starter, but if he can’t put points on the board, I don’t think head coach Mark Kilam would hesitate to give Powell a chance. Fajardo needs to generate a few solid drives tonight by moving the ball efficiently, using the middle of the field and ultimately scoring some touchdowns.
Here is tonight’s depth chart.
We will see both the starting defense and offences tonight. Corners JJ Ross and Ty Ford, halfback Kordell Jackson, linebacker Joel Dublanko and defensive linemen Malik Carney, Jared Brinkman and Robbie Smith will play after sitting out last week.
While on offence, running back Justin Rankin and receiver Brendan O’Leary-Orange will play. Joseph Robustelli will sit out as he is banged up and the Elks want him ready to start the season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH…
The secondary looks set with Ross, Jackson, Chelan Garnes, Kobe Williams and Tre Ford. Dublanko and Kenny Logan Jr. will be the outside linebackers, but Nick Anderson and Brock Mogenson are battling for the middle linebacker job. Anderson is the favourite to win the job, but Mogenson got a lot of playing time last year when Anderson was out and he is pushing hard. Anderson is a better blitzer while Mogenson is better on coverage.
The D-line will see a lot of player rotation, but they got some awful injury news. Darien Newell and Brandon Barlow are done for the season with Achilles tears. Both won’t play this season. Newell sat out last season with a suspension and now will miss this year. Brutal. And Barlow is a big loss as he really took off in the second half of last year.
Noah Taylor is still injured and we aren’t sure when he will return, so that opens up a spot. Tamari Fox, Gavin Meyer and Elijah Alston are battling for spots, while second year Canadian Silas Hubert has really impressed. He played every special teams snap last year, which is damn impressive, and he’s made plays almost every day in camp. Watch #99 closely if you are going to the game.
On offence, Fajardo needs a few good series moving the ball. The main battle is at the receiver position. Joshua Cephus (#18), TJ Luther (88), Justin McGriff (89) and Victor Bengimen (87) are battling for the American spots on the roster after Austin Mack and Robustelli, who will be two of the starters.
Canadian rookie Carter Kettyle has been the best Canadian in camp and is pushing Zach Mathis. Kaion Julien-Grant is still injured and that will give Mathis, Kettyle and O’Leary-Orange more snaps and opportunities to impress the coaches.
The O-Line is set at the tackle and guard positions with Brendan Bordner, Carter O’Donnell (LG), Coulter Woodmansey (RG) and Jordan Murray (RT), while veterans Mark Korte and David Beard are battling for the centre job. Beard started in BC and Korte will start tonight, but both will get close to equal time to get a fair evaluation.
This is the Elks best O-line in a decade and the Fajardo should be able to move the ball.
Enjoy the game tonight and the unique, up-close experience of watching the game at Clarke stadium. There are a few tickets still available for tonight’s game.
