2007 and most CFL stadiums were at or near capacity for their games and then the league signed an exclusive TV contract with TSN and its been a steady decline since then. Hmmm.

OHL teams also struggle in the GTA compared to elsewhere.

Toronto just thinks it's too big for Canada-only leagues.

As for what diffrerent owners would do differently - I think they would do a lot of the same things, only they would try harder, stick with it longer, and actually care about it working. MLSE can't be arsed with giving the Argos their own president.

NCAA regional gymnastics semi-finals between Moorehead State and Ole Miss on TSN prime time have always been a family favourite in my household!

Fixed that for you ;)

A sadly accurate correction.

Yes and no. I'm not caught up on CEBL crowds but some CPL teams are on pace to set season records for average crowds, namely Victoria and Calgary. CHL crowds, last I saw, weren't drastically different from pre-COVID, although we'll need likely another season to see if there's any sort of widespread trend.

Oshawa does fine. Demographics everywhere else, like Mississauga and Markham, don't really add up for CHL teams, and don't make economic sense within the city itself. Hockey, like gridiron, isn't an urban sport.

If you say so.

I see.

I would agree with demographics too Torontos don't really work well for gridiron and hockey as much as it used to either. It's more and more a Soccer and basketball town

Never claimed to know.

Money. The amount of TFC fans they'd close compared to the rent from having the Argos play there is miniscule. Added to that City Hall has been pro-sharing the stadium in the past. No reason to think MLSE wouldn't take their money. Besides, it's not like there's any real feasible stadiums for a CFL team elsewhere, unless you count Guelph.

I've been a follower of the CFL all my life. Not overly enthusiastic but I follow the scores, the standings and go to games every now and then.

When many players don't earn enough to live in the cities that they play for ie: Toronto and Vancouver - that's a REAL problem.

The other is of course 10 teams but that's been long standing..

The clown show 'crossover' b.s. is just sad.

https://www.ledevoir.com/sports/7393...es-de-montreal

FIX Auto CEO Steve Leal has put in a bid for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL, and a relocation to somewhere in or around Montreal is a condition of that purchase. They would need to find a location to build a 3-4K capacity CHL arena, likely on the South Shore of Montreal, likely in one of the following communities: Boucherville, Chambly, Châteauguay, Longueuil, Saint-Constant, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Sainte-Julie.

FIX Auto is based out of Blainville, where there is already a Q team.

The Titan originally played in Laval between 1971 and 1998 before relocating to Bathurst.

The 3downnation folks are starting to ask why there are no games on CTV and trying to promote Sunday games in the summer, both subjects need to be explored.

NFL is on CTV because of advertising incentives.
CFL is on TSN because of subscriber incentives.

Bell can use each in each silo to push numbers in both directions. It's fair to assume that CFL games on TSN wouldn't raise advertising rates and so their exclusivity on TSN is to encourage people to not cut the cord on that platform. I'm assuming the guys at 3down know this already.

What ever Bell's aim is, its not working for the CFL.

I read today fox is paying the USFL 150 million over 3 years on their TV deal for 8 teams which is almost 2 million more per club then what tsn is paying the CFL these days. CFL needs to diversify their content providers

Comparing American TV contracts to Canadian TV contracts is apples to oranges. That said, the CFL should do what they can to try and get a better contact with ESPN in the future. Their games draw quite well for a foreign league, which just goes to show how football-hungry the States are.

CFL is better quality players and game and far more valuable an asset to TSN than what USFL is to Fox programming i think in this instance its a fair comparison.

CFL usually gets 100 to 250k viewers on ESPN 2 but its been stuck in that zone for years now not sure they can get more out of ESPN than what they already get

I don't know if having better players matters, but Fox clearly values the USFL since they own the league. :shrug: It's also a matter of what Canadian channels are willing to pay for CFL content. I don't really see them getting more than what they currently are, which is approximately $50 million a year.

Dave Naylor was commenting on Twitter a few days ago and said the CFL's deal with ESPN is up after this year and that the League thinks it can get a good windfall for their rights. Hopefully they figure out something.

Thought some of you might find this interesting

3900 miles (the longest single microwave network in the world) 139 microwave towers, about every 30 miles, costing $50 million. beginning the service July 1, 1958.

Video: CBC: The Marvellous Microwave Network

Cfl ratings last week as per 3downnation. Lions-riders 700,000 viewers. Alouettes Ticats 353,000 on TSN. Alouettes president Mario Mancini said team is averaging 200,000 viewers on RDS per game. Bombers Stampeders 607,000. Argos Redblacks 428,000.

Thurmas, I appreciate your posts but it would be nice if you would include confirming links to credit your source and also provide proof for down the road to the naysayers that the league isn't dead yet. Your quote came from here, where did the Cecchini quote come from? That would be useful information to have.

Normally I would but just working as we speak so unable to. Folks can go to 3downnation to verify alouettes number was in the 3downnation podcast closer to the end of it

Not sure where it came from but it's pretty consistent with what I have always heard.

The Alouettes average 200k on RDS in so-so years, but are more in the 250k range during their better seasons when they are more in the public eye.

I wasn't doubting Thurmas (or you Acajack), I am looking for the official source, I'm listening to the podcast and will post if/when I find it.

Now we have some definitive proof about Alouette ratings. Dunk mentions at 37:35 that Als President Mario Cecchini tweeted that the Als have averaged around 200k viewers so far this season.

The 3down guys again making the case for Sunday games over Thursday as well.

Sure, who do you suggest? Sportsnet is busy with Jays all summer and CBC has no funding.

I think sportsnet could find a slot for 1 game a week and Global would be another option too.

Part of the rumours back when Rogers got in on the Argo purchase was they were looking for content and a CFL Game of the Week would likely be part of that. Still a mystery why Rogers did become involved, they must have had a reason.

I don't think there is a lack of interest in the CFL's rights among other broadcasters. When you're pulling in half a million viewers a game for the regular season, you'll find a taker. The CFL simply made a conscious decision to go all in with Bell/TSN on the basis that it is worth more to the league, even if they have to pay a price in terms of decreased visibility to some extent.

I'm not sure how MLSE works, whether Rogers has a veto on things like this or not, or if they were simply outvoted by the 2 other partners who had originally purchased the Argos and later rolled it into MLSE. At the time, it was said that becoming part of MLSE would help the Argos in terms of marketing and ticketing and off-field things like that. Which as the last 5 or so years has shown, that didn't really help.

I'm not surprised that the Lions had the highest viewership last week.

Highest weekly CFL viewership is usually tied to Riders games.

It's interesting to ponder how many more viewers the CFL gets from casual viewers in Quebec on RDS. If the Als have been averaging 200k, I'd be interested to know how many watch the other teams 10k, 20k, 50k? That number would certainly add to showing the value of a still valuable property. And of course that would also turn Alouettes-Ticats 353,000 into possibly 500k, taking into consideration some eyes might be watching TSN in Quebec instead of RDS

I can't imagine if the bandwagon for Rourke hasn't started yet. As the 3d article said he is appointment viewing (I'll speak for myself on that)

Last week's game definitely got a higher audience due to Rourke. Lions' games have been doing well all year because of him.

The League has a genuine attraction with him. Why they aren't getting him in Tim Hortons ads with Crosby and Davies is beyond me.

Rogers trying to limit competition? Say it ain’t so!🤣
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/busi...rtc-complaint/

Noticed a few Jays fans in Minneapolis for the Jays series there. :hmmm:

A lot of Jays fans from NWO, Manitoba and Sask make the trip to Target Field for that series. It's an annual event for many.

I think there would need to be a breakdown on people who would prefer to attend games on Sunday nights versus people who would prefer to watch games on TV on Sunday nights. For TV i'm sure it would be better but i'm not convinced Sunday night crowds would be conducive in most markets (for CFL or other leagues). Consumers typically prefer to stay at home on Sundays in preparing for the workweek, so things like streaming services and TV typically do best on Sunday.

For physical attendance I think it would be a tough ask, to say nothing of the schedule being more heavily-weighted to Sundays in June/July/August and then suddenly shifting September-onwards as the NFL starts. There's a lot to be said for consistent home scheduling throughout the year to create consistency and reliability in consumers.

I think there would be a huge difference depending on kickoff time. Sunday afternoon I would love, evening not so much (for attending).

TV - evening would be a bit better.

There really is a conflict between "doing stuff" time and "staying home watching stuff" time.

Rob Williams
@RobTheHockeyGuy
Attendance numbers from the first day of the #WorldJuniors in Edmonton.

The three games combined for just 1,635 fans:
Czechia-Slovakia: 430
Latvia-Finland: 376
USA-Germany: 829

Chalk this up to whatever you like - matchups, timing, summer, Hockey Canada scandals, but the numbers are the numbers.

Combine this with the lack of on-ice and board sponsors at the venue and you get what can only be described as a disappointing event for Hockey Canada, TSN, and the IIHF in what is otherwise the biggest annual money-maker for HC.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FZw9LpiU...pg&name=medium

Yeah with it summer time and the scandals right now not surprised at all its turning out like this.

I don't get what's going on. I get that it's summer and people aren't thinking about hockey, plus the terrible Hockey Canada headlines have left a bad taste in peoples' mouths. And did all the package buyers from Christmas demand refunds?

But that said, the organizers could easily improve the optics by ratcheting down the ticket prices somewhat. Sure they might not take in more gate receipts if they charge $20 a pop, but at least they might have a shot drawing a few thousand people and not dealing with the optics of playing in front of a totally empty arena. This has to be more than disappointing for the organizing stakeholders... it's a disaster.

I'll be curious to see how Team Canada's games do.

World juniors averaging 890 fans a game so far ouch!!! I think U Sports football draws better crowds these days.

^ U Sports football doesn't charge two hundred bucks a ticket to watch the home team

Another learning experience for hockey canada glad to see this bitting them in the ass like this

https://3downnation.com/2022/08/16/r...gs-in-week-10/

Following the worst week on television for the CFL in 2022, the Saskatchewan Roughriders returned from a bye to boost ratings on TSN in Week 10.

Cody Fajardo totalled three touchdowns as the green and white won 34-23 in Edmonton, the Riders’ second victory over the Elks this season. Saskatchewan improved to 5-4 and sent Edmonton to 2-7 during the first year with Chris Jones back as head coach in the Alberta capital. The Roughriders have secured the season series between the two teams and are in the crossover playoff spot well ahead of the Elks.

It was the Riders’ fifth game of the regular season schedule with 600,000-plus viewers tuning in. Only one other CFL game has gone over that number, Winnipeg’s showdown with Calgary in Week 8. Saskatchewan has been the TV ratings champions for many years running and the Roughriders’ presence pushed the three-down league to its second-best average week this year.

The Alouettes upsetting the previously undefeated Blue Bombers brought in a respectable number as well. Canadian kicker Marc Liegghio missed a 32-yard field goal at the end of regulation and Montreal prevailed 20-17 in overtime. It was a tightly-contested game with neither team holding more than a one-score lead at any time, which created intrigued and helped the total audience.

Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke leading an unbelievable comeback at McMahon Stadium was the third-highest rated contest despite being the most exciting. Rourke brought his B.C. Lions back from 15 points down in the second half to win 41-40 on a last-second field goal by Sean Whyte.

2022 Week 10 TV ratings:

Thursday
Montreal at Winnipeg — 591,900

Friday
Toronto at Hamilton — 433,900

Saturday
B.C. at Calgary — 454,400
Saskatchewan at Edmonton — 610,200

Total Week 10 average: 522,600

(These numbers do not include viewership from RDS, TSN’s French-language affiliate, which has averaged approximately 200,000 viewers for Alouettes games in 2022.)

I assume not just Als games are on RDS. Can anyone offer an educated guess on how many RDS viewers there might be for the games not involving the Als.

Good to see 3down including the RDS stat.

Apparently WWE is considering Netflix in its bid for rights to smackdown and raw with Netflix new ad tier they want to get into live sports. Also Netflix bid on right the rights to formula 1. If they are able to land these then the sports landscape maybe even more inclined to leave traditional broadcasters who are slowly dying off for failure to innovate ie tsn and sportsnet