The 110th Grey Cup game will not be available to watch on broadcast television in the United States.
The CFL confirmed on Friday that the league’s championship game would not be picked up by an American network and would instead be accessible to U.S. consumers through their free streaming service, CFL+.
The league struck a new American television deal with CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) valued at $1 million this offseason, improving on their previous contract with ESPN that only paid between $100,000 to $200,000 USD annually. The deal runs through the 2026 season.
While CBSSN delivered on their promise to market the league more prominently, they did not exercise the option to pick up any additional broadcasts beyond the 34 games initially purchased, which did not include the Grey Cup. The last CFL game broadcast on American television in 2023 took place in Week 18.
“What I can tell you is that CBS, in our conversations with them, they are thrilled. They felt like they had a very good first year. They’re very committed to this relationship and partnership with us,” CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said during his State of the League address earlier this week.
The CFL launched their own direct-to-consumer streaming service, CFL+, prior to the season, a project spearheaded by data and technology partner Genius Sports. Americans were able to watch any game not broadcast by CBSSN on the service free of charge this year, with all contests available to international viewers.
The Grey Cup remains one of the highest-viewed television events annually in Canada but has yet to generate a significant following south of the border. An average of just 158,000 Americans tuned in to view the 109th Grey Cup on ESPN2 last year as the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a thrilling finish, representing a 22 percent uptick over the previous season. The average viewership in Canada was over 3.1 million.
It is unclear how many people on average viewed CFL regular-season contests on CBS Sports Network this season, as the network is not Nielsen-rated. When asked on Tuesday, commissioner Ambrosie would not reveal streaming numbers.
“We’ve seen a nice rise in the activation of our CFL+ platform. We’re going to wait until we get through the year to really evaluate the data there to make sure that when we start to share that, that we’re sharing the fully understood numbers rather than just a casual understanding.”
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Montreal Alouettes will meet in the 110th Grey Cup on Sunday, Nov. 19 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m. EST.
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