As a long time CFL supporter through the Toronto Argonauts, I want to issue this poll as an endorsement by those of us who answer, to have the CFL broadcast over both Cable and over the air networks. Not because we feel it best for our interests, but for the interests of the CFL as a staple of Canadian culture. to better expand the league in terms of its market accessibility and cultural prominence. As so happens, this is in our interest as a result of of the CFL being major interest of ours, but I say this in hopes that I'm speaking in unison with many others, that to call this Our League, it h to be accessible to ALL Canadians. Not just the ones who can afford/choose cable, satellite or other media. This boils down to building a relationship and eventually a routine with Canadians which will benefit the league as a business and in turn add a dimension to our cultural landscape.
We wish to see this league flourish, please negotiate the terms that grant exclusivity to tsn without a simulcast on another bell network. It would be invaluable for the league to showcase regular season, playoffs and the grey cup on CTV the way the nfl is gaining exposure. Please get this done.
In my humble and perhaps uninformed opinion, I agree that there seems to be a shortsightedness in how the game is being delivered to consumers. It is a shortsightedness that today may be akin to the local TV blackouts of yesteryear.
We can't restrict the league's media delivery to radio and subscription cable. Moreover, over the air network TV while beneficial, is not the present let alone the future. The league and its broadcast TV partner need to get games live online without a cable subscription. I don't know how you do this as a sound business practice but if the league wants to be a staple in Canadian culture for the generations to come, it has to do this somehow.
The other thing that is very restrictive with the TSN deal, is TSN's inability to broadcast live games online overseas. It forces fans abroad or curious would be fans of international sports to use pirated websites or VPN if there is no domestic alternative as only exists in the US and UK currently. If you can somehow get the international community's idea of Canadiana to include our football, it will be easier to sell to our newer immigrants.
No doubt at least one game a week should be over the air.
The TSN/CTV relationship should be more like what you see in the USA with ESPN/ABC or NBCSN/NBC or even the way Rogers does the NHL now with some Key games on CITY and/or CBC.
College Football - most games on ESPN but some key match-ups on ABC. NHL or Premier League soccer - most games on NBCSN - but some key games on NBC.
Doing a game a week on CTV would give the game more exposure and make at least soome games available to the 20% of so that do not get TSN.
Joe: 100% in agreement as well, I guess I should have stipulated the digital aspect as well. I wasn't too concerned because Orridge was brought in to help grow the CFL over digital media(as a part of his personal and corporate mandate). Not so much on that front has occurred as of yet. Let's wait and see
TSN won't stream live because it cuts into their cable/satellite subscribers. You can stream live if you have TSN with your provider, but TSN needs to create online subscriptions. Why should I have to have a cable/satellite provider? The world is moving away from traditional TV providers to an online experience as more and more young people spend their money on bandwidth and not Cable/satellite. Those that don't embrace this shift will not have viewers in 10-15 years.
The CFL is a business, TSN is a business, TSN parent BellMedia is a business. Therefore, they will do what gets them all the best return. This means that CTV isn't carrying games because CTV can make more money carrying other programming. IF, the CFL wants to trade short term for better exposure on over-the-air TV they can attempt to negotiate that into their coverage but you can be assured it will mean less to the CFL in the short-term. If BellMedia thought they could get more $ by broadcasting games on CTV as well as TSN they would pursue such an agreement on their own internally between TSN and CTV.
DcMoses, robsawatsky - you're both correct, the issue however still remains that this is very short sighted f the CFL.
It is essentially making money off the fans/viewers it knows it has. At the present time it is heavily a Baby Boomer league. It needs maximum exposure, even if it means sacrificing a few dollars, in order to replace it's aging fan base.
If they were to be factored out of viewership numbers I fear(and I can't back this) that we would be pulling slightly better than mls numbers. Worst case scenario, as a Toronto boy, The leafs become playoff contenders and the jays are post season mainstays then what happens to the Argos if/when the two of those gain ultra major prominence?
I not trying to sound like doomsday bell, just think the CFL Could be smarter about this.
I don't buy that. Bell usually puts the NFL on CTV and generally it still doesn't get as good of ratings as the CFL which is only on TSN. The CFL would get even better ratings on CTV. At the very least the Grey Cup should be on CTV.
The CFL needs to get some games on CTV as it is in a lot more homes than TSN. Plus CTV is in the Basic Cable / Satellite Packages everywhere, TSN is not.
I’m one of many people that doesn’t have any sort of television package. I’ve never in my life had it. I can’t watch any games unless I’m Attending Argos games or crash at a bud’s. I
WISH I could watch at home.
Interestingly in the US you have quite the opposite situation more than ever with all the folks cutting out their cable and satellite TV. I've done it for years when I did not have cable through any given clever arrangement , but most folks are not signing up for new cable TV or satellite when they move anymore.
The experienced cable installer of my high-speed internet and 5G WiFi back in July told me that hardly anyone under about the age of 50 signs up for cable TV any more.
Down here many like the NFL over-the-air, for the game accesses also many fans who quite simply cannot afford cable TV on top of the internet. And nowadays it's rather hard to get by without access to the internet at all you know, and functionality via cell phones is still too limited. Many loathe ESPN's coverage of Monday Night Football as do I, and the NFL has given ESPN its rights only by forcing it to pay the most and also take usually crappy games.
Essentially in this way, the NFL feels it has more control over the finished product and makes up the lower fees for rights over-the-air in volume and reach.
I like this idea of having at least one game over-the-air in Canada per week.
It is criminal that the CFL is not available over the air. The NFL on CTV is one of the main reasons for their recent growth. NFL rating numbers in Canada were nothing ten years ago. The Super Bore out rating the Grey Cup is only a recent phenomena.
CTV has nearly a 20 percent larger footprint than TSN. Cable cutting is a growing lifestyle as many people are using downloading and streaming for their "TV" viewing (I'm one of them) I have a set of rabbit ears hooked up to the TV and can get NFL on CTV in glorious uncompressed HD. But that's no good to me because I don't like the NFL.
Bell/TSN wake up! You are growing a foreign product and killing a Canadian one that people might want to see by limiting its access. It's almost like a blackout. If I wasn't able to stream CFL I would have no access but I can see NFL on CTV where for some reason they can put on any old American drivel and get big numbers.
By comparison, the first Monday night of the regular NFL season has had two consecutive games on ESPN for years.
In the media markets of the teams, they show the game that is otherwise on cable on ESPN on a simulcast on free TV for the away teams and also for the home teams if the game is a sellout as is usually the case too.
Why can’t the CFL do that at least for the away teams up there?
Ce que je crois surtout, c'est que le contenu vidéo ne devrait pas être accessible par internet seulement aux abonnés de Rogers, Bell et des quelques fournisseurs qui auront cédé au chantage de Bell.
Je n'aurais aucun avantage monétaire à changer de fournisseur de services, et compte tenu de l'historique de mauvais services tant de la part de Bell que de Rogers, je ne vois aucune raison de changer de fournisseur seulement pour accéder à ce contenu internet.
Lorsque ce contenu était disponible, je regardais au moins 5 fois chacune des parties de toutes les équipes de la LCF. Je ne regarde plus que celles des Alouettes car il est trop compliqué de concilier l'enregistrement de toutes les parties avec l'ensemble des téléspectateurs de la maison. Je ne crois pas être le seul dans cette situation, aussi la LCF perd clairement de l'auditoire à limiter son matériel vidéo internet à ces quelques fourisseurs seulement.
, but most folks are not signing up for new cable TV or satellite when they move anymore.