| CFL on TSN | |
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| Starring | |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Production | |
| Running time | 3 hours |
| Original release | |
| Network | TSN (1987–current) |
| Release | 1987 (1987) – present |
TheCFL on TSN isTSN's presentation of theCanadian Football League. The Sports Network (TSN) has broadcast CFL games since the 1987 season and has been the exclusive broadcaster of all CFL games (including the playoffs andGrey Cup) since 2008. While the CFL on TSN shows all CFL games, a more entertainment-focusedThursday Night Football telecast (unrelated to theNational Football League package of the same name) was added in 2015.[1]
TheCFL on TSN's studio panel consists of hostKate Beirness and a rotating crew of former CFL all-star playersMilt Stegall,Davis Sanchez,Henoc Muamba, and former CFL coachJim Barker. FormerCFL on CBC studio hostBrian Williams occasionally contributed to the studio show also.
TSN first used a studio panel in 1996. It featuredLess Browne,Bob O'Billovich, andMarty York alongside hostDarren Dutchyshen.[2]Rod Smith replaced Dutchyshen for the 1997 season, with all three analysts returning.[3]
TSN replaced the entire panel for the 1998 season, with network newcomerJames Duthie hosting andChris Schultz andEric Tillman providing analysis.[4] Tillman became general manager of theToronto Argonauts in 1999 and was replaced by former CFL quarterbackMatt Dunigan.[5] Tillman was fired after one season in Toronto and returned to the panel.[6] In 2001,Dave Randorf took over hosting duties.[7] The following season, slotbackMontreal AlouettesJock Climie retired to become an analyst for TSN. He replaced Tillman, who became the general manager of the expansionOttawa Renegades.[8] Dunigan left TSN in 2004 to become the head coach and general manager of theCalgary Stampeders. He was fired after a single season and returned to TSN, where he remained until 2024.[9][10]
Milt Stegall joined TSN as a guest analyst in 2009 after a 14-year playing career in the CFL.[11]
Dave Randorf left TSN forSportsnet in 2014 and was replaced by Rod Smith.
Henry Burris joined TSN early in the2017 season as a guest off-screen analyst narrating short explainer films of standard CFL plays using file footage, then joined the studio panel full-time late in 2017. The record-setting retired quarterback was named the league'sMost Outstanding Player twice (2010,2015), won the Grey Cup three times (1998,2008,2016), and was named theGrey Cup MVP twice (2008, 2016) during his 19-year CFL career. Burris works as a television host for thelocal Ottawa version ofCTV Morning Live.
Davis Sanchez joined the CFL panel in 2018 after a stint withCKGM sports radio in Montreal commenting onAlouettes games. The 3-time Grey Cup-winning cornerback (2005,2009,2011) and three-time East Division defensive All-Star (2000,2004,2008) spent 10 seasons in the CFL and 2 in the NFL.
Mike Benevides rejoined the CFL panel in 2019 after being let go from his last coaching role with theEdmonton Eskimos. Benevides was part of the coaching staff of 3 Grey Cup winning teams (2001,2006,2011), and was previously a CFL commentator on TSN during the 2015 season.
Beirness took over studio host duties from Rod Smith in 2021.
John Wells (play-by-play),Leif Pettersen (colour commentary), andVic Rauter (host) made up TSN's first broadcast team.[12] In 1995, the network added a second broadcast team ofGord Miller (play-by-play) andGlen Suitor (colour).[13] For the 1997 season,David Archer was a third announcer in either the Wells–Pettersen or Miller–Suitor booths on Fridays.[14] During the 1998 season, Pettersen retired to focus on his business commitments and Suitor took over as TSN's lead commentator.[15]
In 2005,Chris Cuthbert joined TSN after he was fired by theCBC and replaced Wells as the lead announcer.Rod Black and Leif Petterson served as the secondary broadcast team, with Wells calling some games that season.[16] 3-time Grey Cup championDanny McManus replaced Petterson, whose full-time job conflicted with TSN's schedule, in 2007.[17] McManus lasted only one season and was replaced byDuane Forde.[18]
Cuthbert joinedRogers Sportsnet in June 2020 and Rod Black left in October 2021. Since then, TSN has usedRod Smith and Dustin Nielson on play-by-play and Glen Suitor and Duane Forde on commentary.[19]
Outside Canada, all games are carried on CFL+, a direct-to-consumer freestreaming television platform.
Since 2023,CBS Sports Network (not to be confused with the over-the-air CBS television network) has held exclusive rights to select games in the United States and has prohibited streaming outside of its ownTV Everywhere platform.
In the early 1990s,Prime Network simulcast TSN's coverage.
In 2008, Friday night games were shown on the World Sport channel ofVoom HD. However, in January 2009,Cablevision shut down Voom HD.America One held the rights to other TSN and (prior to 2008) CBC simulcasts through the 2009 season; America One syndicated its games to variousregional sports networks across the United States. After that agreement ended, the CFL secured one-year limited broadcast deals withNFL Network (2010–11) andNBC Sports Network (2012–13).
ESPN3, the online arm ofESPN Inc., carried most CFL games from 2008 through 2017; beginning in 2018, live broadcasts moved behind apaywall toESPN+, ESPN's subscription over-the-top service, with ESPN3 continuing to offer replays of games originally carried on one of ESPN's linear networks.
As part of the 2013 contract extension, which included both U.S. and Canadian broadcast rights, ESPN's terrestrial networks (particularlyESPN2) have carried TSN's coverage of select CFL games on U.S. television. Since 2017, the broadcast schedule began on opening weekend, when most (if not all) of the 4 games would be aired on traditional cable. After that, about one game (usually on a Thursday or Friday Night) every week would also air on cable, though ESPN has not arranged a specific/consistent timeslot for when that game would occur. This lasts throughout the summer, up until the start of theNCAA College Football season in late August/early September, when nearly all of the games move exclusively to ESPN+. This lasted until the start of the playoffs, when the broadcasts returned to cable (playoff games were divided between ESPN2 andESPNews, and the Grey Cup was placed ESPN2 from 2014 to 2022). In total, around 20 games were carried throughout the season on the ESPN networks, with the other 65 airing on ESPN+.[20] The CBS Sports Network package follows a nearly identical pattern to that followed by ESPN.
The TSN deal also allows for CFL games to be simulcast on ESPN's other international networks, as well as throughBT Sport, ESPN's licensing partner in theBritish Isles.
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Owners:Walt Disney Company (80%);Hearst Communications (20%) | |||||||||||||||||||
