The Canadian Football League (CFL) has announced a new, six-year rights agreement that solidifies Bell Media as the home of Canadian football across TSN, RDS, CTV, and Crave, while sports streamer DAZN becomes the exclusive home of Saturday Night Football games in Canada.
TSN will continue to deliver English-language broadcasts as the majority partner, while RDS proceeds as the CFL’s French-language broadcast and streaming partner. TSN’s 60-game lineup includes three weekly regular-season matchups, including the Thursday and Friday Night Football windows, in addition to six out of eight playoff games. As part of the new agreement, Bell Media also remains the exclusive home of the Grey Cup and Grey Cup Halftime Show.
The new multi-year agreement begins with the 2027 CFL season, which shifts to a Victoria Day Weekend kickoff and includes a revamped post-season featuring four additional playoff games.
Starting in 2027, DAZN will stream 21 Saturday Night Football games per season in Canada – produced by DAZN with its own on-air team – encompassing the regular season and two playoff games. The streamer will also become the global home of the CFL with every game available to fans worldwide (excluding the U.S.), including the playoffs and Grey Cup. All CFL content will be available for free on DAZN outside of North America.
“We are thrilled to align with DAZN, the global leader in sports media and innovation,” CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston said, in an announcement. “From our first conversations, they have been steadfast in their pursuit of the CFL. That drive and passion for our game, combined with their cutting-edge capabilities, an unwavering commitment to football and unparalleled global reach, will deliver a new viewing experience for all CFL fans, while introducing broader audiences to Canadian football.”
“Having grown up as an Albertan with Saskatchewan roots, I’ve witnessed firsthand the proud history and passionate fan base the Canadian Football League has across the country,” added Deidra Dionne, Head of DAZN Canada. “The CFL has built on that legacy through recent innovation and modernization and has solidified its place among Canada’s elite properties. Our partnership enables DAZN to showcase the CFL in new ways, with accessible coverage and authentic storytelling, while keeping it uniquely Canadian.”
YouTube to become ‘Premier Platform Partner’
YouTube will additionally join forces with the CFL as a Premier Platform Partner beginning in 2027 “through an expanded, multi-faceted partnership designed to redefine the fan experience and attract new audiences.”
The league says the collaboration will create new opportunities for content creation, fan engagement and digital innovation, with media partners able to leverage the platform to highlight their live and on-demand content across their respective YouTube channels.
The CFL plans to significantly expand “the volume, variety and speed of content on its official YouTube channel, including live streams of preseason games not otherwise available on Bell Media or DAZN, enhanced CFL Combine coverage, an All-Access unscripted series, a robust slate of on-demand content, highlights, interviews, analysis, behind-the-scenes storytelling, creator collaborations, and original programming produced exclusively for YouTube.”
In addition to expanding the league’s streaming library and digital presence, the partnership also aims to offer more access to CFL’s historical game archive.
