With every single pass run, punt and two-point conversion on its schedule, TSN ensures football fans across the country won’t miss a second of the 2011 CFL season with the network’s all-encompassing CFL ON TSN broadcast campaign.
TSN’s complete 77-game package in High Definition is part of its exclusive multi-year deal with the CFL, and includes the playoffs and the season’s marquee event: the 99th GREY CUP from BC Place in Vancouver. All games are available live on TSN MOBILE TV and on-demand at TSN.ca.
Regular season coverage gets underway on Thursday, June 30 with RONA Canada Day Kickoff featuring an opening night match-up at 7 p.m. ET as the Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes host the BC Lions at Percival Molson Stadium. Also starting the season in Montreal is the CFL ON TSN studio panel with host Dave Randorf alongside analysts Chris Schultz, Matt Dunigan and Jock Climie.
In addition to every game, TSN brings fans closer to Canada’s league than ever before with a full-slate of CFL programming, including the return of the weekly staple, WENDY’S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, and the premiere of TSN Presents THE EXTRA YARD: INSIDE THE 2011 ARGOS – the network’s four-part original documentary series. SPORTSCENTRE also has daily CFL coverage throughout the season with news, highlights and interviews, plus the CFL ON TSN panel breaking down games and handing out game balls to the league’s standout players each week.
Last year, TSN continued to set new ratings benchmarks for the CFL, as the 2010 regular season was the most-watched ever with an average audience of 807,000 viewers* tuning in over 72 games. The CFL’s post-season also saw record audiences with the Western Final featuring Saskatchewan @ Calgary delivering an average audience of 2.54 million viewers (TSN and RDS), making it the most-watched CFL playoff game ever recorded.
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 official broadcaster of all 77 CFL games this year through to the 2012 season. Live coverage of all Toronto Argonauts games is also available on TSN RADIO 1050 – the official radio station of the Double Blue – along with pre- and post-game analysis.
Returning for a 15th season is WENDY’S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, as it continues to be the CFL ON TSN’s marquee night of the week with at least one game every Friday night throughout the regular season. All WENDY’S FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL games are also available live on TSN.ca.
Additional highlights of the broadcast schedule include the Canadian Football Hall of Fame Game featuring BC @ Calgary on Saturday, Sept. 17 and the league’s return to Moncton, NB for Scotiabank Touchdown Atlantic with the Calgary Stampeders taking on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday, Sept. 25. In addition, the CFL features both traditional match-ups and emerging rivalries during Scotiabank Labour Day Weekend and four games on Thanksgiving Weekend. (See attached PDF or visit TSN.ca for complete broadcast schedule.)
Complementing TSN’s full-slate of CFL games is the network’s original four-part documentary series, THE EXTRA YARD: INSIDE THE 2011 ARGOS, profiling the Toronto Argonauts and giving fans an all-access pass inside North America’s oldest professional football club. The first of its kind for the CFL, THE EXTRA YARD: INSIDE THE 2011 ARGOS, premieres July 3 and airs throughout the summer.
TSN’s extensive lineup of live game action and programming is supported by an integrated multi-platform CFL ON TSN marketing campaign, which includes national radio spots on Bell Media Radio stations, outdoor campaigns in Toronto and Vancouver, promotion on TSN.ca and TSN’s Fan Page on Facebook, and original 30-second promotional TV spots featuring TSN’s football experts and die-hard CFL fans from across the country.
Broadcast Team
The CFL ON TSN is back with its veteran broadcast team delivering all the action to Canadian football fans each week.
Chris Cuthbert returns as the primary voice of TSN’s CFL coverage alongside long-time game analyst Glen Suitor. TSN’s Rod Black and Duane Forde are also back in the broadcast booth providing fans with play-by-play commentary and game analysis.
Brian Williams continues to bring his in-depth features and interviews with key newsmakers to the CFL ON TSN, while Dave Naylor keeps his finger on the pulse of the league’s hot button issues as TSN’s Football Insider.
Also returning is the popular CFL ON TSN panel, with host Dave Randorf alongside the always informative – and very entertaining – analysts Chris Schultz, Hall-of-Famer Matt Dunigan, Jock Climie, and the CFL’s all-time leading receiver Milt Stegall.
TSN.ca
Fans can get their football fix on TSN.ca, as Canada’s industry-leading sports website has all the latest CFL news, analysis, interviews, exclusive video and game highlights from around the league, plus every single game on-demand.
Also featured on TSN.ca is an in-depth preview of the upcoming season from TSN’s CFL experts along with the return of the highly-interactive CFL Roundtable, enabling fans to submit questions to members of the CFL ON TSN panel by email, on TSN’s Fan Page on Facebook, or on Twitter by sending tweets to @CFLonTSN. The CFL PLAY OF THE YEAR SHOWDOWN also returns in November, as all the top plays during the CFL regular season go head-to-head in match-ups voted on by fans.
Chris Schultz, Matt Dunigan, Glen Suitor and Duane Forde are back on TSN.ca with their regular CFL columns and blogs, while Suitor and Forde, along with Dave Randorf and TSN Football Insider Dave Naylor, deliver breaking news and information to their followers on Twitter. Once again, fans can go head-to-head with Schultz in the popular online feature, Schultz Against the World, as the Big Man himself puts his prognosticating skills to the test and predicts the outcome of each week’s CFL games.
Fans can also play the Canadian Football version of the popular TSN PREDICTOR game on TSN.ca or TSN’s Fan Page on Facebook for the chance to win the ultimate Grey Cup Giveaway.
And, as usual, TSN MOBILE’s app for BlackBerry, iPhone and iPad keeps fans on-the-go up to date with CFL news, scores and stats all season long.
TSN RADIO 1050
Complementing its live coverage of Toronto Argonauts games this season, TSN RADIO 1050 also delivers all the latest news, interviews and analysis on the Double Blue in its weekly radio show, ARGOS ALL-ACCESS. Hosted by Mike Hogan and featuring TSN’s football experts and insiders, ARGOS ALL-ACCESS airs Monday nights at 7 p.m. ET.
2011 CFL ON TSN Broadcast Schedule
Regular Season
June
• Thursday, June 30 B.C @ Montreal 7 p.m. ET
July
• Friday, July 1 Winnipeg @ Hamilton 6 p.m. ET
• Friday, July 1 Toronto @ Calgary 9 p.m. ET
• Sunday, July 3 Edmonton @ Saskatchewan 7 p.m. ET
• Friday, July 8 Toronto @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. ET
• Friday, July 8 Calgary @ B.C. 10:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, July 9 Montreal @ Saskatchewan 3:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, July 9 Hamilton @ Edmonton 7 p.m. ET
• Thursday, July 14 Calgary @ Winnipeg 7:30 p.m. ET
• Friday, July 15 Toronto @ Montreal 7 p.m. ET
• Saturday, July 16 Saskatchewan @ Hamilton 3:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, July 16 B.C. @ Edmonton 7 p.m. ET
• Friday, July 22 Hamilton @ B.C. 10 p.m. ET
• Saturday, July 23 Winnipeg @ Toronto 3:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, July 23 Edmonton @ Calgary 7 p.m. ET
• Sunday, July 24 Saskatchewan @ Montreal 7 p.m. ET
• Thursday, July 28 B.C. @ Winnipeg 7:30 p.m. ET
• Friday, July 29 Montreal @ Hamilton 6:30 p.m. ET
• Friday, July 29 Toronto @ Edmonton 9:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, July 30 Calgary @ Saskatchewan 9:30 p.m. ET
August
• Thursday, Aug. 4 Montreal @ Toronto 7 p.m. ET
• Friday, Aug. 5 Edmonton @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. ET
• Friday, Aug. 5 Saskatchewan @ B.C. 10:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Aug. 6 Hamilton @ Calgary 9:30 p.m. ET
• Thursday, Aug. 11 Edmonton @ Montreal 7:30 p.m. ET
• Friday, Aug. 12 Calgary @ Saskatchewan 8:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Aug. 13 Toronto @ Hamilton 7 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Aug. 13 Winnipeg @ B.C. 10 p.m. ET
• Thursday, Aug. 18 Saskatchewan @ Toronto 7 p.m. ET
• Friday, Aug. 19 B.C. @ Edmonton 8:30 p.m. ET
• Friday, Aug. 26 Hamilton @ Winnipeg 7:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Aug. 27 Montreal @ Calgary 3:30 p.m. ET
September
• Friday, Sept. 2 B.C. @ Toronto 7:30 p.m. ET
• Sunday, Sept. 4 Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan 3:30 p.m. ET
• Monday, Sept. 5 Montreal @ Hamilton 12:30 p.m. ET
• Monday, Sept. 5 Edmonton @ Calgary 4 p.m. ET
• Friday, Sept. 9 Calgary @ Edmonton 8:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Sept. 10 Toronto @ B.C. 3:30 p.m. ET
• Sunday, Sept. 11 Hamilton @ Montreal 1 p.m. ET
• Sunday, Sept. 11 Saskatchewan @ Winnipeg 4 p.m. ET
• Friday, Sept. 16 Edmonton @ Hamilton 7 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Sept. 17 Toronto @ Saskatchewan 3:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Sept. 17 B.C. @ Calgary 7 p.m. ET
• Sunday, Sept. 18 Winnipeg @ Montreal 1 p.m. ET
• Friday, Sept. 23 Montreal @ Edmonton 8:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Sept. 24 B.C. @ Saskatchewan 3:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Sept. 24 Winnipeg @ Toronto 7 p.m. ET
• Sunday, Sept. 25 Calgary @ Hamilton 1 p.m. ET
• Friday, Sept. 30 Montreal @ Winnipeg 7 p.m. ET
• Friday, Sept. 30 Edmonton @ B.C. 10:30 p.m. ET
October
• Saturday, Oct. 1 Saskatchewan @ Calgary 3:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Oct. 1 Hamilton @ Toronto 7 p.m. ET
• Friday, Oct. 7 Winnipeg @ Hamilton 7:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Oct. 8 Calgary @ B.C. 10 p.m. ET
• Monday, Oct. 10 Toronto @ Montreal 12:30 p.m. ET
• Monday, Oct. 10 Saskatchewan @ Edmonton 4 p.m. ET
• Friday, Oct. 14 Calgary @ Toronto 7:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Oct. 15 Winnipeg @ Edmonton 7 p.m. ET
• Sunday, Oct. 16 Hamilton @ Montreal 1 p.m. ET
• Sunday, Oct. 16 B.C. @ Saskatchewan 4p.m. ET
• Friday, Oct. 21 Edmonton @ Toronto 6:30 p.m. ET
• Friday, Oct. 21 Saskatchewan @ Calgary 9:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Oct. 22 Montreal @ Winnipeg 2:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Oct. 22 B.C. @ Hamilton 7 p.m. ET
• Friday, Oct. 28 Toronto @ Winnipeg 7:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Oct. 29 Hamilton @ Saskatchewan 2:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Oct. 29 Edmonton @ B.C. 10 p.m. ET
• Sunday, Oct. 30 Calgary @ Montreal 1 p.m. ET
November
• Thursday, Nov. 3 Hamilton @ Toronto 7:30 p.m. ET
• Friday, Nov. 4 Saskatchewan @ Edmonton 8:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Nov. 5 Winnipeg @ Calgary 3:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Nov. 5 Montreal @ B.C. 10 p.m. ET
Post-Season
November
• Sunday, Nov. 13 Eastern Semifinal 1 p.m. ET
• Sunday, Nov. 13 Western Semifinal 4 p.m. ET
• Sunday, Nov. 20 Eastern Final 1 p.m. ET
• Sunday, Nov. 20 Western Final 4 p.m. ET
• Sunday, Nov. 27 99th GREY CUP from Vancouver 6:30 p.m. ET
