[KevinRiley2]

Yep, the CFL shouldn't go against HNIC, better to have 2 Sunday or Friday games. The average CFL rating on TSN this year is higher than NFL Sunday. Last week, all NFL 4:00 pm games combined drew 450k viewers across Canada on CTV/TSN/CBS/FOX sim-subbed. The little 'ole CFL comes through again! (Did you see the BJ's drew 180k last game? The MLS would kill for those numbers

Perhaps the CFL should have a schedule more like this:

Summer:
CFL Thursday Night Football - (Thur. eve.)
Friday Night Football - (Fri. eve.)
CFL Saturday Football - (Sat. 7:00 pm)
CFL Sunday Football - (Sun. 6:00 pm)

Fall:
Friday Night Football - (Fri. Double-header)
CFL Saturday Football - (Sat 3:00 pm)
CFL Sunday Football - (Sun. 6:00 pm)

The problem is TSN probably doesn't want to televise a CFL Sunday night game, despite likely drawing higher ratings than the NFL version, despite it being simulcast on NBC/CTV2/TSN1 in prime-time (and again on Thursday night).

Bell is losing two 3-hour blocks a week televising the NFL on CTV in prime-time. Instead they could be sim-subbing a popular American program, drawing 1.5M to 2M viewers (which competitors Global/CBC can now pick up). Bell is obviously totally dedicated to the NFL "pulling out all the stops" despite the cratering NFL ratings in Canada and U.S.

Too bad they don't love Canada's game with as much vigor.

Well said.

[Gornaldatron]

You can't have Friday double headers every week because of the time zones. We'll either have more games overlap (such as two 7pm ET and 9:30pm ET occurrences this season), or later starts for the second game (such as BC having an 8pm PT game or Calgary and Edmonton having 8pm MT games). 

Double headers should be almost exclusively on Saturdays.

[jaybird24]

You can't have Friday double headers every week because of the time zones. We'll either have more games overlap (such as two 7pm ET and 9:30pm ET occurrences this season), or later starts for the second game (such as BC having an 8pm PT game or Calgary and Edmonton having 8pm MT games).

Double headers should be almost exclusively on Saturdays.

Agreed,  the poster above that said  "well said"  - doesn't understand that Sundays is NFL this time of year.   
As for CTV showing NFL games,   they don't have a choice.   If CTV did not simulcast an NBC or CBS NFL game,  Canadians would watch the US broadcast.   That's the reason why the NFL is not exclusively on TSN like the CFL games.
The ratings show that at this time of year Canadians love to watch the NFL on Sundays and the CFL on Saturdays.  Why would TSN want to risk advertising revenue by broadcasting a Sunday CFL double header?

[prairiewolf77]

My ideal schedule:
1 Friday Night game: Let the NFL have Thursdays, football is a weekend sport.
1-2 Saturday games: However, games should be done before the regular HNIC double header. CFL generally gets creamed by HNIC, as do most other sports.
1-2 Sunday games: CFL does better ratings wise vs NFL than the NHL HNIC. Plus, Sunday was not a designated day for NFL, previously, it was the designated day for Football watching. 
Of course Long weekends can push a few games into Mondays.

CFL schedule today, is clearly influenced heavily by TSN. I realize as long as TSN does not have NHL, they are completely dependent on other sports, namely Football. Both the NFL and CFL give them good ratings, and Sunday puts their two best rating shows up against each other. Probably the Big dollar image of the NFL and the gambling attention it gets, puts it ahead of the CFL. Plus, Saturday nights leaves a huge gap needed to fill, so they plug the CFL in there. Problem is, is that they are throwing away ratings for CFL programming.

[KevinRiley2]

You can't have Friday double headers every week because of the time zones. We'll either have more games overlap (such as two 7pm ET and 9:30pm ET occurrences this season), or later starts for the second game (such as BC having an 8pm PT game or Calgary and Edmonton having 8pm MT games).

Double headers should be almost exclusively on Saturdays.

Agreed,  the poster above that said  "well said"  - doesn't understand that Sundays is NFL this time of year.  
As for CTV showing NFL games,   they don't have a choice.   If CTV did not simulcast an NBC or CBS NFL game,  Canadians would watch the US broadcast.   That's the reason why the NFL is not exclusively on TSN like the CFL games.
The ratings show that at this time of year Canadians love to watch the NFL on Sundays and the CFL on Saturdays.  Why would TSN want to risk advertising revenue by broadcasting a Sunday CFL double header?

I understand just fine.  However, I would rather compete against the late NFL game than the NHL - and we have to fit 4 CFL games in somewhere.

With the expansion of the schedule, in 2018, more weekends will only require 3 three hour time slots so the scheduling might be easier.

[BCRiderFan]

You can't have Friday double headers every week because of the time zones. We'll either have more games overlap (such as two 7pm ET and 9:30pm ET occurrences this season), or later starts for the second game (such as BC having an 8pm PT game or Calgary and Edmonton having 8pm MT games).

Double headers should be almost exclusively on Saturdays.

Agreed,  the poster above that said  "well said"  - doesn't understand that Sundays is NFL this time of year.  
As for CTV showing NFL games,   they don't have a choice.   If CTV did not simulcast an NBC or CBS NFL game,  Canadians would watch the US broadcast.   That's the reason why the NFL is not exclusively on TSN like the CFL games.
The ratings show that at this time of year Canadians love to watch the NFL on Sundays and the CFL on Saturdays.  Why would TSN want to risk advertising revenue by broadcasting a Sunday CFL double header?

Sunday is football day for me and I would absolutely prefer CFL games on Sunday.

[KevinRiley2]

You can't have Friday double headers every week because of the time zones. We'll either have more games overlap (such as two 7pm ET and 9:30pm ET occurrences this season), or later starts for the second game (such as BC having an 8pm PT game or Calgary and Edmonton having 8pm MT games).

Double headers should be almost exclusively on Saturdays.

Agreed,  the poster above that said  "well said"  - doesn't understand that Sundays is NFL this time of year.  
As for CTV showing NFL games,   they don't have a choice.   If CTV did not simulcast an NBC or CBS NFL game,  Canadians would watch the US broadcast.   That's the reason why the NFL is not exclusively on TSN like the CFL games.
The ratings show that at this time of year Canadians love to watch the NFL on Sundays and the CFL on Saturdays.  Why would TSN want to risk advertising revenue by broadcasting a Sunday CFL double header?

Sunday is football day for me and I would absolutely prefer CFL games on Sunday.

I like a game on Sunday, too.  Preferably 4 pm.

[Argofan_1000]

My ideal schedule:
1 Friday Night game: Let the NFL have Thursdays, football is a weekend sport.
1-2 Saturday games: However, games should be done before the regular HNIC double header. CFL generally gets creamed by HNIC, as do most other sports.
1-2 Sunday games: CFL does better ratings wise vs NFL than the NHL HNIC. Plus, Sunday was not a designated day for NFL, previously, it was the designated day for Football watching.
Of course Long weekends can push a few games into Mondays.

CFL schedule today, is clearly influenced heavily by TSN. I realize as long as TSN does not have NHL, they are completely dependent on other sports, namely Football. Both the NFL and CFL give them good ratings, and Sunday puts their two best rating shows up against each other. Probably the Big dollar image of the NFL and the gambling attention it gets, puts it ahead of the CFL. Plus, Saturday nights leaves a huge gap needed to fill, so they plug the CFL in there. Problem is, is that they are throwing away ratings for CFL programming.

Don't think it has too much to do with gambling.   The NFL is much more popular than the CFL among young people.   The NFL ratings are down in the US but up in Canada.
I think it comes down to the fact that in the southern Ontario/GTA region they don't see the CFL as major league and that's also evident from the attendance at Argo games.

Globe and Mail survey from 2016 disagrees with you. More younger follow the CFL it says.

Also Professor Bibby from Alberta has done extensive sports surveys every year and his results back up the Globe.

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/sports/basketball/canadians-dont-care-about-thenba/article30015716/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&

If you look at quality and quantity of players available to a specific league in Canada the CFL has the most - and the NHL has the least. Google NCAA players turning pro.  Actually Football because of the NCAA has more players playing then all other sports combined. If you do a side by side comparison of the athletes in Toronto the best athletes look to be on the Argos - no question. If major league, to you means how much US money there is to suck on to support a Canadian team, well yes the CFL has to do it alone in Canada and the other leagues have there hand out or they wouldn't be here

[Vermonter]

If you rebrand the league as Football without Politics, and make the games more readily available in the US... your ratings will skyrocket. 

[PTBO Dave]

Let's steer this thread back to a focus on the CFL. Other sports ratings can be discussed in the Other Sports and Leagues section.

[TravelPat1]

Good point Dave - and my next post - which will be there in that other thread - will give a good illustration of why Kevin is right - when he says the CFL should avoid Saturday nights once HNIC starts. 

[PTBO Dave]

Good point Dave - and my next post - which will be there in that other thread - will give a good illustration of why Kevin is right - when he says the CFL should avoid Saturday nights once HNIC starts.

Thanks, Pat. This one was starting to go off the rails.

And for those interested, you can find Pat's (and others') related post here: ALL-SPORTS TV RATINGS DISCUSSION

[Preisst]

I think once fall descends the CFL has got to go with a Friday night game.  Double header on Saturday and a game on Sunday.

I haven't yet thought out what it will be like next year with the extra bye/weeks in the season.

[ArgoT]

I think once fall descends the CFL has got to go with a Friday night game.  Double header on Saturday and a game on Sunday.

I haven't yet thought out what it will be like next year with the extra bye/weeks in the season.

Agreed, in fact this type of a schedule should be permanent every week save and except on the long weekends, such as Canada day and Labour day.
Although at one time I was of the opinion how the Sunday game in the summer should be prime time then switching to afternoon in the fall, I have now changed and believe all Sunday games have to be at night.
On top of which we desperately need a 10th team to balance the schedule and bring us the much needed 5th game of the week.

[Gornaldatron]

I think once fall descends the CFL has got to go with a Friday night game.  Double header on Saturday and a game on Sunday.

I haven't yet thought out what it will be like next year with the extra bye/weeks in the season.

Agreed, in fact this type of a schedule should be permanent every week save and except on the long weekends, such as Canada day and Labour day.
Although at one time I was of the opinion how the Sunday game in the summer should be prime time then switching to afternoon in the fall, I have now changed and believe all Sunday games have to be at night.
On top of which we desperately need a 10th team to balance the schedule and bring us the much needed 5th game of the week.

I'm on the same line as you guys; I really like the Sunday game. I sometimes have to work Saturdays, so Sundays are perfect. I would want the league to take advantage of the gap between the NFL's 4pm ET game and SNF at 8:30pm ET. The CFL could have a game start at 5:30pm ET every Sunday so the casual and NFL viewers have something to watch between games. And maybe they'll get hooked on it and they'll watch games they normally wouldn't watch. I've never really understood the league's stance on starting games on Sundays at 1pm or 4pm ET, right when the NFL games start.