A New Era: CFL announces landmark media agreements in Canada and globally

[Tecno]

NHL have done it. Fans complain about having to pay for multiple streaming services to see all the games but they still remain fans and watch the games.

82 NHL games a year per team vs 18.  Taking away 8 games or whatever a year from hockey fans is more palatable, as you still get 75 or whatever.  Even ardent hockey fans can't always watch all 82 of their team's games.  That's a boatload of time to invest.

But when there's only 18 games, missing 2-3 is really going to suck.

I can't be a parttime fan.

So true.  The casual fan can be part-time, but the uber-fan cannot.  How could I possibly just sit here on a day I know my Bombers are playing an away game?

The scary thing is the whisper of some uber-fans who'll just quit instead.  That should worry the CFL.  You don't want to keep adding another piece of straw to the camel's back.  And another...

[BomberFan73]

82 NHL games a year per team vs 18.  Taking away 8 games or whatever a year from hockey fans is more palatable, as you still get 75 or whatever.  Even ardent hockey fans can't always watch all 82 of their team's games.  That's a boatload of time to invest.

But when there's only 18 games, missing 2-3 is really going to suck.

So true.  The casual fan can be part-time, but the uber-fan cannot.  How could I possibly just sit here on a day I know my Bombers are playing an away game?

The scary thing is the whisper of some uber-fans who'll just quit instead.  That should worry the CFL.  You don't want to keep adding another piece of straw to the camel's back.  And another...

And that is where I'm at right now, infact I even think it has knocked down my excitement for this year.

You DAZN guys think the product will sell with empty stadiums?  No new fan is going to take the product seriously!

I was a NFL fan for years too, but the past couple years I hated how anytime I went to their site to check standings/stats etc, that DAZN pop up wouldn't let me do anything without creating an account. SO, I stopped going there.

I guess I'm at a cross roads here....

[Waffler]

Time for a conspiracy theory. What if ALL the changes were for one thing? To make the game easier to sell to gamblers. This will be a DAZN specialty and the Americanization makes it more understandable/predictabale to bet on.

Americans legally bet $166.94 billion on sports in 2025.

Something to ponder.

[bunker]

Time for a conspiracy theory. What if ALL the changes were for one thing? To make the game easier to sell to gamblers. This will be a DAZN specialty and the Americanization makes it more understandable/predictabale to bet on.

Americans legally bet $166.94 billion on sports in 2025.

Something to ponder.

I think there is a lot to this theory. Sports betting is a huge source of revenue. And a huge problem for those with a gambling addiction. My son has a couple of friends in big trouble with it. But hey, whatever helps the CFL's bottom line, right? Its not just specific to the CFL. I find the pervasive gambling ads, that are even invading the actual sports broadcasts, with odds lines, parlays, and prop bets getting as much airtime as player stats, is a real turn off. Maybe I'm just becoming a grouchy old man.


https://casinobeats.com/2026/01/19/dazn-bet-obtains-gambling-license-ontario-integrate-betting-live-sports/

[Jesse]

Time for a conspiracy theory. What if ALL the changes were for one thing? To make the game easier to sell to gamblers. This will be a DAZN specialty and the Americanization makes it more understandable/predictabale to bet on.

Americans legally bet $166.94 billion on sports in 2025.

Something to ponder.

It's not a conspiracy theory at all. It's a revenue stream sports are actively courting. It's the entire reason the CFL salary cap has increased in recent years.

[The Zipp]

Disingenuous comparison.  32 teams and 272 game season vs 81 games for the CFL.  Basically no station can reasonably air every NFL game simply because of time overlap.  But TSN can for the CFL, especially with 5 channels.

you can't even watch the nfl primetime games (thursday, sunday and monday) on free tv anymore in the USA

we actually have it better in canada for viewing nfl games - prime time games are all on tsn (or DAZN).

[markf]

"What began as a quiet price update has erupted into one of the most dramatic fan backlashes Canadian hockey has seen in years. Sportsnet's recent announcement of a significant price hike for its Sportsnet+ streaming service, set to take effect just before the 2025–26 NHL season, has left fans nationwide furious.

In hours, angry subscribers took to social media, flooded cancellation pages, and even crashed Rogers' billing system."

And, some facts:

In America, beloved of TSN:

"The "subscribe to everything" era is unraveling. After years of stacking streaming platforms, delivery perks, and digital add-ons, Americans are pulling back hard. A new survey from Self Financial shows the average household cut its paid subscriptions from 4.1 in 2024 to just 2.8 this year. That's a drop of nearly a third in twelve months."

Some people won't be able to afford it' some people will sail the seven seas.
In the past, I watched every CFL game. Pretty silly. I won't subscribe to DAZN and I won't watch  their games.

If it's Bombers I miss,  might go to the legion, which is fun, or just listen to CJOB which it's also fun.

[theaardvark]

I had never heard of DAZN before today.  What is that name even supposed to mean?  The best they could come up with?  Sounds like they just wanted to be their own stock ticker.

I guess you NFL people know, but I would expect 90% of the CFL-only people have never heard of it.

Like the world needs another streaming platform.

I believe is it pronounced "Da Season", to reflect that it revolves around sports.

Not sure if it was related in any way to (AI overview) "Comeback Szn" which was the rallying cry and official clothing brand coined by former Texas A&M Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel.

As to youtube, once a live event has aired, it has little value.  So no reason youtube would not have it as content (either free with commercials, or commercial free with paid subscription).  Youtubers get paid big bucks for content for just this reason.

If a Bomber game isn't available on a service I already subscribe to (not buying DAZN personally), I'd happily watch at a venue that does, or listen on CJOB and watch the game on youtube later, no problem.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

It's Da-zone.

[TBURGESS]

I'd have no complaints if I only had to buy a single service to get all the games. You know, like it is right now! 

I'd buy DAZN to watch all the games and drop TSN which I pay for just to watch the CFL or the other way round.

[wpg#1]

I am not subscribing to DAZN.
I've been watching CFL games for most of my life. I generally watch every game if possible. I've had season tickets for many many years. I've already decided that 2027 is going to be a year of change for me. I, like others have said on here, have even lost some interest this year, sadly.

[BomberFan73]

All I want to know is if CJOB will always broadcast the radio feed. I can at least settle for that.