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- New contracts worth 66 per cent more than previous Bell Media deal
- DAZN gets 21 exclusive games and global broadcast rights
- TSN and RDS to air 60 regular season games
The Canadian Football League (CFL) has secured the most lucrative broadcast deals in its history with Bell Media and DAZN signing six-year contracts worth a reported CAN$500 million (US$362 million) from 2027.
At a reported CAN$83 million (US$60 million) a season, the new deals are a significant increase from the CAN$50 (US$36.2 million) Bell Media currently pays for exclusivity.
Bell’s English language sports channel TSN will air 60 regular season matchups and six playoff contests, while its French language counterpart RDS will air 25 games, including all Montreal Alouettes games, and all playoff contests.
Bell will broadcast the Grey Cup championship game exclusively in both languages, with live coverage also available on free-to-air (FTA) network CTV and the Crave steaming service.
However, it will now need to share the rights with streaming service DAZN, which has won the rights to 21 regular season games and two playoff contests on Saturday nights.
Bell Media has been the league’s exclusive broadcaster since 2008, with its TSN sports channel and its French language counterpart RDS airing Canadian football games since the mid-1980s.
The CFL has become a more integral part of its schedule after it lost national rights to the National Hockey League (NHL) to rival Rogers Sportsnet in 2014, even though it maintains a presence through local broadcasts.
DAZN, which does not have any NHL rights, secures prime domestic content to complement its existing coverage of global soccer and the National Football League (NFL) in the Canadian market.
DAZN also secures global rights to the CFL, complementing a North American football lineup that includes the NFL’s GamePass International service, the global rights to the United Football League (UFL), and the European League of Football (ELF). DAZN also has significant global rights to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football season.
The sports streaming service now boasts year-round coverage of gridiron, while its global presence should widen the audience for the CFL.
“The Canadian Football League combines heritage, loyalty, and growing international appeal. Adding the world’s second-largest professional football league is a no-brainer,” said DAZN chief executive Shay Segev. “The CFL is a strong addition to our robust football portfolio and reinforces our commitment to offering top-tier sports to fans globally.”
Additionally, YouTube has become a premier platform partner with the CFL. YouTube will offer live preseason games, CFL combine coverage, highlights, interviews, analysis and original content, while the two sides will partner on creator-focused content in a bid to attract and engage a larger audience and direct fans to live broadcasts.
“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.”
The increase in the annual value of the CFL’s contracts reflects the rising popularity of the league as well as an expanded playoff format which has created more valuable inventory to take to market. The league is adamant the new format increases the excitement of the postseason without reducing the appeal of the regular season.
However, the CFL is still dwarfed by the NHL, which is by far and away the most important property in the Canadian market. The NHL has signed a 12-year, US$7.7 billion extension with Rogers that comes into effect from next season.
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