CFL TO BE ON ESPN+ AND ESPN NETWORKS IN MULTI-YEAR AGREEMENT
Exclusive agreement for U.S. rights will see more than 65 CFL games on ESPN+ direct-to-consumer streaming service and 20 CFL games on ESPN networks
TORONTO/BRISTOL (January 14, 2019) -- Every game from the Canadian Football League (CFL) will be available live to fans in the United States through a new multi-year agreement with ESPN and ESPN+ the league announced today.
“It’s exciting for the CFL to continue its relationship with ESPN and expand onto ESPN+,” said CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie. “We have seen increases in interest in the U.S. market for Canadian football and we look forward to building on the momentum and captivating American audiences for seasons to come.”
A minimum of 20 games, including one Division Final and the Grey Cup, will be televised live on ESPN networks, with more than 65 regular season games available exclusively on ESPN+, the direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment and ESPN.
“ESPN+ is an exciting new platform that is letting us directly serve fans in new ways, and we’re excited that it will help us expand the way we cover the CFL,” said Burke Magnus, executive vice president, programming, ESPN. “We have a great, long-standing relationship with the CFL and look forward to bringing their dynamic league to the growing number of CFL fans in the US for years to come.”
The 2019 CFL season will open in June and continue for over five months, with the 107th Grey Cup presented by Shaw capping the season on Sunday, November 24 in Calgary.
ESPN began televising CFL games in 1980, and its coverage in 2018 on ESPN2 averaged 163,000 viewers, up 19% vs. 2017.
In the UK and Ireland, BT Sport will feature coverage of up to 85 CFL games per season, as a part of its long-term collaboration with ESPN.
In Canada, TSN is the exclusive English language broadcaster for the CFL and Grey Cup, and RDS is the exclusive French language broadcaster.
CFL teams are scheduled to open their training camps for the 2019 season on Sunday, May 19. The season begins on Thursday June 13 when the Saskatchewan Roughriders face off against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Edmonton will host Montreal on Friday June 14 and the Calgary Stampeders will launch the defense of their championship on Saturday June 15 when they host the Ottawa REDBLACKS. Opening week wraps up with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers travelling to BC to play the Lions.
For the entire 2019 CFL schedule, click here.
About ESPN+
ESPN+, which surpassed one million paying subscribers in just five months, is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It offers fans thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content. ESPN+ is an integrated part of the ESPN App, the leading sports app and the premier all-in-one digital sports platform for fans. The ESPN App is available across nearly all mobile and connected device platforms and delivers a rich, personalized experience that curates all of ESPN’s content around each fan’s individual tastes. ESPN+ is also be available through ESPN.com.
