CFL returns to CTV for fall Saturday games & playoffs, including Grey Cup

Photo: Timothy Matwey/3DownNation. Edit: 3DownNation.

The Canadian Football League is returning to the CTV Television Network.

For the 2024 season, all Saturday regular season games at 3:00 p.m. ET will be shown on CTV. For the postseason, TSN and CTV will air all playoff games, including the 111th Grey Cup in Vancouver.

“This is a truly special day – not only for our great game and the 111th Grey Cup, but also for every fan of Canadian football across the country,” CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement. “After a stellar 2023 season filled with terrific crowds and spectacular audiences, we’re looking forward to building on that momentum alongside our partners at TSN, RDS and now CTV.”

CTV was launched in 1961 and purchased by Bell in 2001, it remains Canada’s largest television network. TSN is also owned by Bell, though the parent company has kept its CFL broadcasting rights exclusively on the sports cable network since becoming the league’s exclusive broadcast partner in 2008.

“Bell Media is primed and ready to kick off another phenomenal season of CFL action,” Bell Media Sports vice president Shawn Redmond said as part of the announcement. “With more preview coverage across all our platforms than ever before, along with comprehensive news and analysis, and live game coverage across TSN, RDS, and CTV for the first time ever, we can’t wait to connect with Canadian football fans for another unforgettable season.”

The CFL was shown on CTV from 1962 to 1986 with the network simulcasting the Grey Cup with CBC during that time.

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The CFL on TSN saw 11.9 percent growth in its ratings this past season with the league’s 81 regular season games drawing an average audience of 483,900, not including French-language broadcasts from RDS or streaming.

TSN’s highest single-game rating of 975,000 occurred when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visited the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the annual Labour Day Classic. Its lowest rating of 200,900 came when the Montreal Alouettes visited the Ottawa Redblacks on Sept. 30.

The 110th Grey Cup in Hamilton drew strong ratings as over 2.8 million Canadians watched on TSN, including over 1 million people in the 25-54 age demographic. An additional 752,600 tuned in on RDS, TSN’s French-language affiliate, as the Montreal Alouettes upset the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by a score of 28-24.

A total of 8.9 million Canadians watched at least some part of the CFL’s championship game, according to TSN, with the audience peaking at 5.2 million in the final minute. An average of 4.1 million viewers watched Green Day rock the halftime show.

The full schedule of CFL games set for broadcast on CTV can be found below. All times are Eastern.

September 7 | Saskatchewan at Winnipeg | 3 p.m.
September 14 | Ottawa at Hamilton | 3 p.m.
September 21 | Montreal at Ottawa | 3 p.m.
September 28 | Ottawa at Saskatchewan | 3 p.m.
October 12 | Edmonton at Calgary | 3 p.m.
October 19 | Ottawa at Toronto | 3 p.m.
October 26 | Winnipeg at Montreal | 3 p.m.
November 2 | Eastern Semi-final | 3 p.m.
November 9 | Eastern Final | 3 p.m.
November 17 | 111th Grey Cup | 6 p.m.

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