I just came across this today, how MLSE has bought majority share of Goal TV and will turn same basically into the TFC channel and you know whats coming at some point, pay per view.
Which got me thinking, some 20 years ago the league tried and had CFN for a few years, they produced their own games but it wasn't their own channel.
Even though the league signed the deal with TSN, why not have your own channel so you can produce year long similar to the NFL, showing old games like ESPN(TSN) and doing live pre and post game.
There is so much that can be done with merchandise etc..
I know how MLSE is a big player, but surely the league can finance this endevour. Ultimately it may lead to the other necessity, a CFL video game.
Its an interesting idea but I don't think the league is at point it would be viable enough, attendance and viewership is up but the CFL in the last 25 years hasn't ulitized the power of visual marketing to sell the game. There really isn't enough programming to warrant a channel, even the NFL Network viewership isn't all the that amazing and even though they have alot of NFL Films programs and intersting shows they have to fill up there programming with College football and a ton of reruns. CFL doesn't have much on hardest hits or top ten segments, or biographies on players or teams, there's not much made of the lighter side of the CFL like blooper shows. That kind of stuff takes time to make, in the meantime all the CFL network would show is gameday information which would also be seen on TSN, and old games. The programming that would be on the network is the stuff already shown on ESPN Canada Classics,the 1962 or 1971 1/2 hour documentary segment of the Grey Cup in poor film quality maybe interesting for a first view but its not top grade documentary film and after a week you wouldn't watch much of the channel until they had more original programming. That would take a good couple years and though the league has improved financially I don't think making the CFL Network at this time is a smart investment. Maybe in ten years if the league continues to grow and the Toronto market isn't supporting two football leagues.
They won't have CFL live games thats for TSN and to make an audience pay for another channel to watch live CFL football I don't see that flying its like asking the CFL fans to pay for PPV. So until the network has enough footage and quality shows that show interesting aspects to the game beyond showing a old game, or showing live CIS acton which has no financially stable tv audience for viewing anyways the CFL would be creating a channel of filler that would be repeated daily. The channel would be a bomb
I don't see how it could not work in this country. I'm pretty sure they could team up with the NFL to do it because the NFL probably wouldn't mind having a network in this country, the only problem is Canadian content which the CFL would fill pefectly. I pretty sure CIS games would do better in ratings than the ECHL on the NHL network, maybe throw in some European football or Rugby. There are lots of options a Football network in the country could look at that could make it work. Throw TSN into the mix aswell, that way they could air some games like the NHL network or reair the game on the Football network the next day for people who missed it the night before, also another thing TSN does with the NHL network.
Not sure how often you watch the NFL channel, but in IMHO opinion it sucks dead bears. It's also a premium channel where I live. In fact, I can get it for free from a Canadian feed but I would have to pay extra for it here, which is a total joke. I personally couldn't care less about cheerleader bake-offs or some such nonsense, and that's the kind of filler the NFL channel has.
Now if the NFL channel also carried a large number of CFL games I would have to consider getting it because THAT would be high quality content.
ESPN Classic Canada shows CFL games every Tuesday nite.
I don't think there is enough content to fill the day. How many old games can you really show? How many times can you show the Traditions show?
There just isn't enough news generated by the CFL to warrant a channel.
Its not feasible to have a CFL channel. Its nice to watch the old games, but how many times do you want to watch GC games before you get sick of them? Seeing them one or two more times is OK, but it would get old after watching those games umpteen dozen times. Even if they televised off season events, like the Coach of the Year or the CFL draft, those are one day or one evening of programming. There just isn't enough events to justify starting a league channel.
I can not see a channel for the reason stated. There just is not enough to keep it going through out the year. I could see if you had CFLand a Canadian College football program. But that woul;d be it. College football could do profiles of players, teams and coaches. Players to watch for in the draft and during the season show all the games not just a featured game. Then the CFL could have a program as well hour long during the season and shrink it to half an hour off season. This would be great for marketing the CFL not just during the season but off season as well. Their own channel no it would not work.
Thanks red white for a chance to see 08 GC again. A definite win win for Calgary Cavillo's interceptions were part of a supurb defense for Calgary. I would like a channel for the CFL. It would be great to see the CIS future pros play and, a CFL channel that operated after the GC would, at minimum, have all the CFL forum viewers interested.
I think we are onto something here.
Why not show CIS games and hey while we are at it, let's put the cart before the horse.
If we had this channel on free TV of course, then perhaps just maybe some sort of a second tear CFL2 be it outdoors or let's say we try indoors over the winter to fill TV time.
There is all kinds of TV "filler" possibilities involved, the draft is another and couldn't this lead to dare I say......expansion.
Can anyone think of other "filler"?
I don't think there's enough quality content for this channel to be a reality, at least at this point in time.
There's really not many TV "filler" possibilites thats wouldn't cost a fortune. It'd would cost a fortune to broadcast all the CIS games, and the production quality of the local recordings of the game leave a LOT to be desired.
I think for the CFL to reach it's full potential, we need two things to happen. The first is not a huge deal, but 10 teams atleast. People get tired of running through the same 8 teams over and over again. The 2nd thing is we need a truly dominant Canadian player. There has not been one in decades. A player of the calibre of Mike Pringle, Cam Wake, or Doug Flutie. I think currently there is only one player who has the potential for this, Jesse Lumsden, but with him constantly being injured he can never make a name for himself. A homegrown star will bring alot of attention to the CFL, the older generation will want to see the greatest homegrown player ever to play the game, and the younger generation will model themselves after the player, and try to be as good as him. A homegrown superstar would be huge for the CFL.
:lol:
I saw some of that competition once and as much as cheerleaders have a rep for being airheads, the host asked the stupidest question I’ve ever heard.
“All right, Amy, the next event is the 100-yard dash. What is your strategy going into this even?”
In the 100-yard dash?? My strategy, if I were her coach would be to, I don’t know…try to run faster than the other person? :?
Two words: Lingerie Bowl. 