Stampeders president says new media deal will give CFL global showcase

Calgary Stampeder president Jay McNeil spoke about the impact a new media rights deal will have on the CFL club.

For Calgary Stampeders president Jay McNeil, the only side to Thursday’s announcement of a new CFL media rights deal is upside.

The league announced it signed a six-year extension with Bell Media to remain its majority broadcaster. But the deal, which begins in 2027, also incorporates sports streamer DAZN as a new Canadian and international broadcast partner along with YouTube being named a Premiere Platform partner.

TSN will broadcast 60 regular-season games, six playoff contests and the Grey Cup each year and continue with Thursday Night Football and Friday Night Football. The Grey Cup will also be simulcast on CTV and Crave. CTV Calgary is part of Bell Media.

Financial figures weren’t divulged, but a source told The Canadian Press the agreement is worth roughly $500 million.

McNeil met the media Thursday morning at McMahon Stadium to talk about how the new deal would impact the league and the Stamps.

“It’s an exciting day for the league,” he said. “When you think about a media rights deal, this is transformative for this league. When you look at it from a couple different aspects, as the (league) memo said, it’s the highest valuation for media rights in league history so obviously that’s incredibly exciting.

“When you think about it from a reach perspective, -- now having a global reach and introducing the CFL game to a much bigger audience – it’s (also) pretty exciting," McNeil added.

“This truly is something that is going to impact everybody in a positive way.”

Saturday Night Football

DAZN Canada will introduce Saturday Night Football exclusively each week of the regular season as well as a Saturday night playoff game in each of the first two rounds.

It will also become the official global broadcaster of all CFL games — outside of Canada and the U.S. — including the full regular season, all eight playoff games and the Grey Cup.

McNeil said streaming the CFL on DAZN is crucial to showcasing the league to younger fans between 20 and 30.

“That is the reality of the world we’re living in – those digital platforms really are the way of the future. When you look at where young people consume their sports, it’s on digital platforms,“ he said. ”So that’s how we reach a different audience."

He also said drawing a sports streamer like DAZN might explain the new rules and playoff format the league is turning to in 2026.

“I was fortunate enough to be part of the governor’s meetings this week and DAZN and Bell Media were part of that, and came in to speak to us – part of their message was they want to partner with leagues being innovative, and they’re willing to take risks – and certainly the rule changes and playoff format are something that played into that and we feel very strongly that we’re moving in the right direction and I think this (media deal) is a big indication of that."

CFL country

And it turns out that DAZN has someone who grew up in CFL country making programming decisions.

“Having grown up as an Albertan (in Red Deer) with Saskatchewan roots, I’ve witnessed firsthand the proud history and passionate fanbases the CFL has across the country,” said 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,” said Dionne a two-time former Canadian Olympian who won a bronze medal in freestyle skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

McNeil said it was an exciting day for the league in a year where the Grey Cup game will be played in Calgary in November.

“2026 is the year of the horse,” McNeil said. “We are eight days away from our home opener and we’re really excited to show our fans and show the league as an organization who we are.”

The Stamps kick off the regular season June 5 against the Blue Bombers at McMahon Stadium.

With files from The Canadian Press and CTV News’ Glenn Campbell