CFL moves from ESPN to CBSSN for US linear broadcasts

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After almost a decade of having ESPN as their exclusive U.S. television partner, carrying all games on linear or digital platforms, the Canadian Football League is now changing course. CFL games had been broadcast on ESPN since 1980, and exclusively on ESPN platforms since 2014, but CBS Sports Network will now be the league’s “U.S. broadcast partner” under a new multi-year deal. However, CBSSN will only carry 34 of the league’s 86 games this season (81 regular-season, five playoff, including the 110th Grey Cup), with the destination for the rest of the games set to be announced later.

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This will mark a year-over-year increase in linear television games for the CFL. Last year saw 20 of 81 regular-season games on linear networks (ESPN2 and ESPNEWS), with the remainder on ESPN+; that was a rise over 15 of 81 in 2019.

However, it will also come with a reduction in the number of households able to view those linear games. ESPN2 was in 73 million homes in April, while ESPNEWS was in 56 million last fall. It is not clear how many homes CBSSN currently is in, as it’s not Nielsen-rated and isn’t broken out in Paramount Global’s financial reports, but the answer seems quite likely to be “not as many” given how few cable, satellite, and virtual multichannel video providers carry it in basic or lower-tier packages.

The other big part of this picture is what’s going to happen to the 52 games not carried on CBSSN. The above release says “The CFL will also announce how U.S. fans can watch games not being broadcast on CBS Sports Network at a later date.” The release doesn’t fully spell out exclusivity for CBSSN in the linear TV realm, but that seems likely, with the “U.S. broadcast partner” language in the tweet supporting that. So it seems probable the other games here are heading to a streaming service of some sort.

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The initial slate of CFL on CBS Sports Network games will feature the league’s season opener and its traditional holiday weekend matchups, including Labour Day Weekend – home to Canadian football’s most historic and heated rivalries.

For example:

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June 8 at 9 p.m. ET | Season Opener | BC Lions at Calgary Stampeders

July 1 at 7 p.m. ET | Canada Day | Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Montreal Alouettes

September 3 at 7 p.m. ET | Labour Day Classic | Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Saskatchewan Roughriders

September 4 at 3:30 p.m. ET | Labour Day Classic | Toronto Argonauts at Hamilton Tiger-Cats

September 4 at 7 p.m. ET | Labour Day Classic | Edmonton Elks at Calgary Stampeders

October 9 at 1 p.m. ET | Thanksgiving Day | Ottawa REDBLACKS at Montreal Alouettes

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The full CFL on CBS Sports Network schedule will be announced closer to the beginning of the season.

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