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Not familiar with the author but just came across this recent article pondering the viability of the CFL having its own cable network like other major pro leagues. Would be great to see but would it make enough money to last is the real question.

The CFL Network?

No chance. No chance at all.

On the face of it, it would seem to challenge TSN if games were to be broadcast. Since the CFL depends so much on their contract with TSN, I'm doubtful that the latter would agree to anything that cut into their game-broadcasting monopoly. But maybe there's more to this than I'm seeing.

It would be better to have a dailly 30-min "That's Football" show on TSN. TSN could lever of its CTV affiates for content every day plus its own content and news and insiders.

I had suggested the league buy "The Score" when it was for sale. It could have been transformed into The CFL Network which could show all CFL games, playoffs and Grey Cup. The league would sell the ads and sponsorships, which would likely generate much more than the $40 million a year TSN is paying the CFL for the TV rights. I would estimate the ad revenue for CFL/Grey Cup games would be $80 million to $100 million, which TSN now reaps.

The CFL Network would have to bolster its schedule by televising all CIS Football Games, Junior Football playoffs and championship, High School Metro Bowls, Canada National Rugby games, International Rugby games and tournaments, Australian Football, Irish Hurling, possibly Lacrosse and other sports which are not currently available on mainstream TV (but no NHL, NFL, NCAA games or babble, which should be banned from the network.)

The CFL tried to own its own rights and syndicate the product in the late 1980s. How'd the CFN work out for them?

cromartie wrote:The CFL tried to own its own rights and syndicate the product in the late 1980s. How'd the CFN work out for them?

Yah, thats right. I tried to find the logo because I remember the name.....

Here's what I found on wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Football_Network

cromartie wrote:The CFL tried to own its own rights and syndicate the product in the late 1980s. How'd the CFN work out for them?

The CFL had no choice but to form their own network because nobody else wanted the rights when CTV dropped them. The league might have earned $4-5 million from CBC and TSN back then. Now TSN is paying $40 million, so obviously they view the CFL is an improved product if networks have increased their bids by 800%. So a CFL Network would obviously more successful now, too. This is even more prescient using 2013's revenue, with TSN paying only $15 million for the rights including the Grey Cup. The league could have certainly made more money than $15 million this year with their own network. The $40 million next year is closer to the mark.

sj-roc wrote:Not familiar with the author but just came across this recent article pondering the viability of the CFL having its own cable network like other major pro leagues. Would be great to see but would it make enough money to last is the real question.

The CFL Network?

If there was such a thing, get your wallets out.

JohnHenry wrote: The league might have earned $4-5 million from CBC and TSN back then. Now TSN is paying $40 million, so obviously they view the CFL is an improved product if networks have increased their bids by 800%. So a CFL Network would obviously more successful now, too. This is even more prescient using 2013's revenue, with TSN paying only $15 million for the rights including the Grey Cup. The league could have certainly made more money than $15 million this year with their own network. The $40 million next year is closer to the mark.

Oh stop. Even the $15 million number assumes a CFL Network would get equivalent tiering on cable and satellite systems, corresponding cross promotion and an equivalent audience on top of the expense of building their own production, sales, advertising/marketing, on air, legal, technical and real estate infastructure.

This is a network that can't even find the revenue and partner to put out a bleeping video game for $1 million and you think they can put out a full on television network that clears $15 to $40 million? Seriously?

cromartie wrote:

JohnHenry wrote: The league might have earned $4-5 million from CBC and TSN back then. Now TSN is paying $40 million, so obviously they view the CFL is an improved product if networks have increased their bids by 800%. So a CFL Network would obviously more successful now, too. This is even more prescient using 2013's revenue, with TSN paying only $15 million for the rights including the Grey Cup. The league could have certainly made more money than $15 million this year with their own network. The $40 million next year is closer to the mark.

Oh stop. Even the $15 million number assumes a CFL Network would get equivalent tiering on cable and satellite systems, corresponding cross promotion and an equivalent audience on top of the expense of building their own production, sales, advertising/marketing, on air, legal, technical and real estate infastructure.

This is a network that can't even find the revenue and partner to put out a bleeping video game for $1 million and you think they can put out a full on television network that clears $15 to $40 million? Seriously?

^This

I am sorry, but TSN gives them exposure. If CFL moved everything to a CFL network, the only people watching it would be big CURRENT CFL fans. They would essentially cut off any young viewers as they can be more tempted to watch only NFL as it is on FOX, CBS, TSN, CTV and so on.

CFL network would MAYBE work in the short term (even then I disagree it would), but then it would have done irrefutable harm to the league within a few years IMHO.

cromartie wrote:The CFL tried to own its own rights and syndicate the product in the late 1980s. How'd the CFN work out for them?

The CFN was a critical success but, unfortunately, not a financial one.

Ravi wrote:

cromartie wrote:The CFL tried to own its own rights and syndicate the product in the late 1980s. How'd the CFN work out for them?

The CFN was a critical success but, unfortunately, not a financial one.

Part of that problem was the lack of coverage, they didn't run coast to coast IIRC. Plus at that time, there was noway that you could generate the same advertising dollars that the CFL can command today. But as others have said, those dynamics belong to TSN, and as a hand and hand partner from the lows to today's levels has helped build a solid relationship.

What you guys might be overlooking is the possibility of the CFL partnering with TSN to produce a network. I think it could be done very easily actually.

The NHL network works because it's (at least partly) based out of TSN's studios. So you've got talent going back and forth between shows like NHL on the Fly (NHL network) and That's Hockey Tonight (TSN).

TSN also essentially runs ESPN Classic Canada, so you'll see CFL guys like Schultz and Dunigan introducing old Grey Cup games, etc. There's a massive amount of material that could be carried over from there.

I think TSN could swing this without huge start-up costs, because its operation is so big these days, including its CFL resources. There would be lots of re-run content for sure, but I certainly wouldn't mind.

Upper Bowl wrote: The NHL network works because it's (at least partly) based out of TSN's studios.

It does? Because I'd love to see some BBM numbers that prove that. The NHL Network, a network that supports a league that plays a half dozen games per night, only clears $36 million after expenses, and that's with the NHL cooking the books.

TSN also essentially runs ESPN Classic Canada, so you'll see CFL guys like Schultz and Dunigan introducing old Grey Cup games, etc. There's a massive amount of material that could be carried over from there.

There is? Because most of the CFL games I see on that network are from ESPN2 coverage. They don't typically have rights to the CBC games, which make up a significant portion of the back catalog. TSN did such a great job on NHLN that the league took over production from CTV/TSN in 2010.

And with TSN being the rights holder to all of the games currently, I find it unlikely that they would be willing to help dilude the product by giving up live game programming to another network.