TSN eliminates two CFL preseason games from 2023 broadcast schedule

Photo courtesy: CFL on TSN

Canadian football fans will only have half as much CFL preseason action to watch on television in 2023 as they had one year ago.

TSN distributed a broadcast schedule in January indicating that four preseason CFL games would be televised this year. On Tuesday, a new schedule was released featuring only two preseason games. A source at the network confirmed that two contests were removed from the broadcast schedule but declined to comment on why the change was made.

The two games that will still be televised both fall on Fridays, one of which is between the Montreal Alouettes and Ottawa Redblacks on May 26 and the other of which is between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers on June 2.

The two contests that were eliminated from the schedule are between the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Tim Hortons Field and B.C. Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday, May 27.

TSN televised four preseason games per year just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and did so again in 2022. There were no preseason games in 2021 due to the CFL’s shortened 14-game regular season, nor were they any in 2020 amid the league’s cancelled season.

The maximum number of preseason games that TSN could have televised this year is seven as there are games scheduled to be played concurrently on May 27 and June 2.

All 81 of this year’s regular season CFL games will be televised by TSN along with four postseason games ahead of the Grey Cup on Sunday, Nov. 19.

The league has traditionally played its four postseason games on Sunday but have moved them to Saturday this year. The East and West Semi-Finals will take place on for Saturday, Nov. 4, while the East and West Finals are slated for Saturday, Nov. 11.