ESPN2 to Broadcast one game a week in July

Time to start a new topic about US TV.
With ESPN3 already broadcasting all of TSNs Broadcasts making the move to place one game a week on one of there cable Networks will be great as they will be able to promote the games and times across a wide variety of there Networks during other programing.
Entering the Fall and NCAA college football season who knows what the plan will be. Whether ESPN will just continue to broadcast game on ESPN3 Webcasts would probably be the plan.
Which other Network may pick up a game a week in the Fall is yet to be seen.
Friday night football would probably be the best time to braodcast a CFL game in the States post Labor Day.
NBC SportsNet moves a lot of MLS games to friday nights in the fall.
CBS SN is becoming a Network that will pcik up Packages of games from such Leagues as the NBA Dleague to NCAA hockey.
With TSN production of the games it would not be the usual CBS SN deal where they send a broadcast crew for a fee.
CBS SN is already available in Canada in some cable packages so obviously during a possible friday Night CFL Broadcst in the US in Canada showing an MLL replay or the Arena Bowl Football Replay.
This would be my best guestimation from what I have seen with ESPN sharing Broadcast rights to several Leagues with other Networks and NBC SN aquiring the rights to a Package of 10 or so games.
Playoffs and Grey Cup may be something that will revert back to ESPN2. Yes Games will be on Sundays ip against the NFL but ESPN does not have the rights to NFL games until monday nights so the slot for CFL on ESPN2 should be wide open and will have nothing to lose really by showing the CFL games as anything that is shown sports wise on sunday afternoons will lose out to the NFL so for CFL and NFL fans the Channel surfing or picture in picture watching of several games or getting your local Pub with the NFL Package to sneak on a CFL playoff game on one of there 50 TVs for you and just mix the CFL games in with the madness of football watching of 10 games at once every sunday

Would be nice...

I t just seems like NBC SN just does not have its heart into this one. For the Summer Months they would have a nice spot available on friday night but post Labor Day Friday Nights will be dominated by MLS coverage in which they have committed to already financially and promotion wise and if ESPN2 is going to air one of the four games with the other three staying on the ESPN3 would be a very easy and better for promotional of the CFL.
A nine or 10 game package after labor day for friday nights on CBS SN would fit nicely into the Networks programing and along the lines of the programming that they are providing and would not have to send their own Broadcast Crew as they do with the AFL with TSN Broadcasting every game.

Well it's great that at least we'll have some TV action in July and the rest I'll just have to watch online as usual.

Okay Steve which is your favourite team? Argos is my guess.

Here are the upcoming ESPN2 broadcasts according to their TV schedule:

Sat. June 29 – 3:30 ET – Saskatchewan at Edmonton
Thu. July 4 – 7:00 ET – Winnipeg at Montreal
Sat. July 13 – 9:30 ET – B.C. at Edmonton
Sat. July 20 – 7:00 ET – Montreal at Calgary
Thu. July 25 – 7:30 ET – Edmonton at Montreal


It should be noted that ESPN3 online broadcasts will be blacked-out in the lower 48, when ESPN2 carries the game. This could indicate that ESPN is paying for the CFL rights and wants to maximize their TV ratings and ad revenue (by blacking-out ESPN3).

Good point, but it could also indicate that advertising revenue is still better on TV than online, and thus want to squeeze that for what it is worth.

absolutely right on both accounts. Having games on the NFL Network re introduced the CFL back to the US on a well known Network. ESPN was able during this time to get the online rights for ESPN3 and would know if it was worth taking it to the next level by upping one game a week onto the ESPN2 Network at least for the summer till Labor Day until the NCAA FALL Football season begins and then the playoffs on the duece on sundays at 1:00 and 4:00 will have nothing to program. This is where another Network can use the ESPN to fill a friday Night slot a night with no NFL or major NCAA games.
Still gota beleive it will be the CBS SN small package of games in which they have been doing and will continue their weekend coverage of Saturday Night Arena Football and replace it with CFL friday night football with the Canadian CBS Networks blacking out the game and replacing it with one of the many replays of the large variety of sports that they have carried.
It could even be possible if any Arena Football Fans are still watching the AFL especially coming off the Arena Bowl with will be Broadcast on the regular CBS could take an interest with quite a few former Arena Football League players on CFL Rosters.

Don't forget that although we don't know who's carrying games past July, last year the CFL was adamant that NBC Sports Network carry the playoffs (although tape delayed on occasion due to MLS coverage) and 100th Grey Cup live. This is after NFL Network's coverage dropped off in years past once the NFL season began. I imagine we will see playoffs and Grey Cup on TV once again this year, either on ESPN2 or NBC Sports Network. Hopefully, anyway!

Oh I cannot see it on one or the other or possibily a combo of both. Espn already has the rights to all games via ESPN3 and have apparently gotten the OK to move games onto ESPN2 as well.
ESPN and NBC SN already share broadcast rights to the MLS and many Networks now share coverage of a league. For the Playoff games if either network will be willing to show the games live then I am sure they will get the OK. NBC SN did show the Grey Cup Live last year and not on tape delay as the playoff games. CFL may award NBC SN the Grey Cup to keep them involved with the CFL

So far NBC Sports Network has confirmed they're broadcasting the Bombers home opener: Thursday, June 27 — Montreal at Winnipeg, 9 p.m.

There's no official announcement by either party, but the stumbling block could be the rights to the playoffs and Grey Cup game. NBC-SN, which broadcast the playoffs last year, apparently wants them again. ESPN has entered the foray and might sweeten the pot to secure the Grey Cup rights and playoffs...which draw huge numbers in Canada and maybe the U.S. too.

As we've seen with the doubling or tripling of TSN's new CFL contract, their TV rights has been undervalued for many years...so perhaps the media is finally waking up to the CFL. :thup:

As I don't get ESPN2, only ESPN3, I hope that they will at least repeat those games on 3, if not simulcast them. Otherwise I'll have to Slingbox the game, or use one of those unofficial Russian feeds :stuck_out_tongue:

I would imagine espn2 will probably be dropping live CFL coverage come September through the end of the regular season during which there are a lot of CFL games occurring on Friday and Saturday nights. ESPN and ESPN2 carry a lot of NCAA football on those days which I doubt they drop. Last year NBCSN carried most of their games after August. A combination of the two adding more coverage for the first half of the season carrying through till the end of the season will be good for the league. Come playoff time though I would think that espn 2 might be the more attractive option to carry the games including the Grey Cup. With NBC showing NFL sunday night football games on their main network, how likely are they to promote those games and the Grey Cup which would play in the same time slot? ESPN2 on the other hand would not have a competing interest and might do a better job promoting those games.

Russian feeds? Rpaege you need help! I’ll post better than that on here during the games.

How do you get the one but not the other? That seems backwards?

ESPN2 is a TV cable channel. ESPN3 is a website that shows various sports from around the world. Its content is restricted to only certain internet providers in the US with which ESPN has an agreement.

Correct. I can get ESPN3 because I use Comcast as my internet provider. However, I don’t have cable TV (because it’s a freakin’ ripoff, don’t get me started).

Oh yeah… I have mid grade cable and its over $60 per month… rediculous…

Seriously, I would have no reservations about helping folks get it for nothing so long as they have an old standard definition TV. I even offered a neighbour some help.

I will continue to feel the same way unless and until cable ever changes its antiquated pricing model as has not changed much since the 1980s but for the addition of the equivalent of days of informercials each week for which they dare to charge subscribers the same rates! As if they pass on the savings generated by the increase in income from those over alternatives! :thdn: :thdn: :thdn:

Maybe, like some of the banks, this is one matter that won’t change until some old greedy fogeys finally die off.