TSN Hits the Gridiron with Entire 77-Game CFL Package:
Details of 2009 CFL ON TSN Broadcast Plan Unveiled
TORONTO — Ladies and gentlemen…we have kickoff! TSN gets Canadian football fans back on the gridiron on Canada Day with its prestigious and all-encompassing CFL ON TSN broadcast campaign, featuring every single CFL game – including the playoffs and the GREY CUP. All regular and post-season match-ups will air in High Definition on TSN HD, and games will also be available on demand at TSN.ca. Encore presentations of most games on TSN will air on TSN2 on a three-hour delay.
TSN’s complete 77-game broadcast package is part of its exclusive multi-year deal with the CFL, which kicked off last year. Along with every game, CFL fans will be well-served this season with the return of the weekly staple, WENDY’S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, plus the CFL ON TSN PREVIEW SHOW, the GREY CUP PLAYOFFS, GREY CUP SATURDAY, and the season’s marquee event: the 97th GREY CUP CHAMPIONSHIP from Calgary.
TSN kicks off regular season coverage of Canada’s game on Canada Day (July 1) with an opening night doubleheader featuring Toronto @ Hamilton at 7 p.m. ET, immediately followed by Montreal @ Calgary at 10 p.m. ET in a rematch of last year’s GREY CUP final. Also starting the season in Calgary is the CFL ON TSN studio panel, as host Dave Randorf and analysts Chris Schultz, Matt Dunigan and Jock Climie are live, on location in McMahon Stadium. The panel will bring TSN’s coverage full-circle in November, when they return to McMahon Stadium for the 97th GREY CUP.
In addition, joining the CFL ON TSN broadcast team this season is recently retired Winnipeg Blue Bombers all-star receiver Milt Stegall.
During its inaugural season as exclusive Canadian broadcaster of all CFL games, TSN saw its regular season audiences increase last year by 6% compared to 2007, when games aired on both CBC and TSN. Along with impressive overall regular season audience growth, TSN also delivered ratings growth in the key advertising demographics last season compared to 2007: Adults 18-34 increased by 31%, while Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 increased by 8% and 7%, respectively. In addition, TSN and RDS’ exclusive coverage of the 96th GREY CUP from Montreal delivered 3.65 million viewers, marking a 5% increase over 2007.*
TSN has been televising CFL games since 1986.
Broadcast Schedule
Once again, TSN will televise every regular season game (72), plus the four divisional playoff match-ups and the GREY CUP, making TSN the home of all 77 CFL games each year through the 2012 season! All games will be available in High Definition on TSN HD, and games will also be available on demand at TSN.ca.
WENDY’S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL returns for its 13th season and continues to be the marquee night of the week for the CFL ON TSN, with a minimum of one game every Friday night throughout the regular season.
Highlights of the game/broadcast schedule include the Labour Day Classic games featuring the league’s traditional weekend match-ups, plus the Thanksgiving Weekend games and the GREY CUP PLAYOFFS returning to a Sunday format, with the East and West Semifinals on November 15 and East and West Finals on November 22.
Broadcast Team
The CFL ON TSN welcomes a ‘new recruit’ to its award-winning broadcast team with the off-season addition of former Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver Milt Stegall as guest analyst. A former CFL standout, Stegall broke into the league in 1995 and played 14 seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as a receiver before announcing his retirement at the end of last season. Stegall is a nine-time CFL All-Star (1997, 2000-2007) and was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player in 2002. He is the CFL’s all-time leading receiver in both receiving touchdowns (144) and career yardage (15,071), and also holds the CFL record for most touchdowns scored (147). In 2006, Stegall was named one of the TSN Top 50 CFL Players of the modern era (#15).
Chris Cuthbert returns as the primary voice of TSN’s CFL coverage alongside Glen Suitor, TSN’s long-time game analyst. Together, Cuthbert and Suitor won a Gemini Award for Best Sports Play-by-Play or Analyst for their work on the CFL ON TSN broadcasts. TSN’s Rod Black and Duane Forde are also back in the broadcast booth, providing fans with play-by-play and game analysis, respectively.
Brian Williams returns as on-site host and continues to conduct in-depth features and reports with key newsmakers from around the league. Dave Randorf returns as host of the TSN Studio Show alongside the always informative – and very entertaining – analysts Schultz, Hall-of-Famer Dunigan, and Climie.
CFL ON TSN PREVIEW SHOW
Leading up to the season opener, TSN will produce and televise a two-hour CFL ON TSN PREVIEW SHOW on Sunday, June 28 at 7 p.m. ET. Hosted by Dave Randorf, the hard-hitting program includes in-depth analysis of all eight CFL teams by the CFL ON TSN panel featuring analysts Chris Schultz, Matt Dunigan and Jock Climie, plus additional insight from guest analyst Milt Stegall and predictions from the CFL ON TSN broadcast team. Brian Williams returns with an in-depth interview with CFL commissioner Mark Cohon, while analyst Duane Forde takes a look at the top Canadian players in the league and analyst Glen Suitor takes his weekly Friday Night Gladiator one step further, as he selects key traits from some of the best CFL players to build his ‘Ultimate Gladiator’. In addition, Dunigan, Climie and CFL Insider Dave Naylor debate the off-season changes in the CFL in Three Downs with Dunigan.
CFL ON TSN Promotions
Wendy’s Kick for a Million – TSN is once again looking for Canada’s next millionaire as the award-winning contest returns for its fifth instalment…with a twist! One lucky fan will get the chance to kick field goals during halftime for great prizes including a 50-yard field goal for $1,000,000 – and even if the ball lands short, they would win $1,000 for every yard kicked. Last year’s promotion received 2.8 million total entries, marking a 115% increase over 2007. In 2005, Brian Diesbourg of Belle River, ON, became an overnight sensation by splitting the uprights from 50 yards and winning the $1 million grand prize. This year’s contest launches on August 14, at which time all details will be announced.
Purolator Tackle Hunger – The multi-award winning promotion returns for a seventh season with spokesperson Chris Schultz. In addition to the Game Day Food Drive in each CFL city, every time a quarterback is sacked, Purolator donates his weight in food to the home team’s local food bank. Last season, Purolator delivered more than 500,000 pounds of food to local food banks across Canada. Since its launch in 2003, the program has delivered more than 2.5 million pounds of food.
Friday Night Gladiators – Back for an eighth consecutive season, Glen Suitor selects one player during each WENDY’S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL telecast as the game’s ‘Gladiator’ for his prowess and on-field performance. This year, each week’s chosen Gladiator will receive a Movado watch.
