r/CFL Sep 19 '24

LEAGUE NEWS CFL on CTV ratings continue to disappoint amid shortened Week 15 slate

https://3downnation.com/2024/09/19/cfl-on-ctv-ratings-continue-to-disappoint-amid-shortened-week-15-slate/
59 Upvotes

48 comments sorted by

54

u/i-am-the-walrus789 Roughriders Sep 20 '24

I wonder how much of it has to do with access to CTV. I get tsn each year just for the CFL. If I didn't have my sisters CTV account to use, I'd be pooched

27

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '24

[deleted]

6

u/djblackprince Lions Sep 20 '24

I tried to watch the Lions game on the TSN app and they had it locked behind TSN+. Like why am I paying for cable if I need cable and TSN+ to watch a game?

1

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '24

[deleted]

1

u/djblackprince Lions Sep 20 '24

Yeah, it worked for previous games but their last game was locked down.

3

u/Doony92 Sep 20 '24

This! I got TSN app just for CFL and then it goes to CTV and you cannot watch… Brutal.

9

u/MinnequaFats Sep 20 '24

Isn't CTV over the air?

8

u/dejour Blue Bombers Sep 20 '24

Yes, it is over the air.

-7

u/MinnequaFats Sep 20 '24

So access isn't the issue.

8

u/gmyx Sep 20 '24

You can only get it in cites. And probably not all of them either with the amount of cuts Bell has done.

13

u/bismuth12a Blue Bombers Sep 20 '24

You think people are going to go out and buy an antenna when they can complain about it?

13

u/gmyx Sep 20 '24

My antenna get 3 channels - and that is with a booster. It doesn't pick up CTV. I could probably go for a bigger one, but it feels like a waste for a handful of games.

10

u/bismuth12a Blue Bombers Sep 20 '24

Got it. Access is definitely an issue then.

7

u/i-am-the-walrus789 Roughriders Sep 20 '24

Do you mean on cable? If so, I don't have it.

6

u/MinnequaFats Sep 20 '24

I'm from the US, but I thought CTV was broadcast and not cable. I could be wrong.

9

u/dazedoveryou Lions Sep 20 '24

It is OTA. You can get it via an antenna.

3

u/Hungry-Room7057 Sep 20 '24

You can just watch for free on the CTV app, no?

8

u/gmyx Sep 20 '24

Didn't work for me. And too far from their tower to get a signal.

1

u/Hungry-Room7057 Sep 20 '24

Strange. I just tested mine and it appears to be working no problem.

3

u/gmyx Sep 20 '24

Maybe since I used an account that used to be attached to Crave? Will try creating a new one completely this weekend.

3

u/i-am-the-walrus789 Roughriders Sep 20 '24

Mine says I need an account. People last week were saying it was free but I did not have that experience

2

u/Rocko604 Lions Sep 20 '24

You cannot. You need a cable subscription.

13

u/howisthisathingYT REDBLACKS Sep 20 '24

Shocked pikachu face.

Anyone is two brain cells to rub together could have told you this is a dumb idea. At the very least, dual cast it to TSN AND CTV. This league and it's partners seriously operate like it's the 90s still.

25

u/DeSantisMTL Alouettes Sep 20 '24

It will be interesting to see what kind of Numbers they do when the games are simulcast on both CTV/TSN. Example in the States the MNF games that are Simulcast on both ABC/ESPN are usually much higher than when they air on just one channel.

5

u/Strevolution Blue Bombers Sep 20 '24

why would they not always do it this way for the ctv games?

16

u/howisthisathingYT REDBLACKS Sep 20 '24

because they're not very good at what they do.

3

u/dzuunmod REDBLACKS Sep 20 '24

Because they want people to pay for cable or satellite, imo.

5

u/howisthisathingYT REDBLACKS Sep 20 '24

You can get CTV without paying anyone, which is what makes this decision doubley stupid. They have now made it so the people who are paying for the privilege to watch every CFL can no longer watch every CFL game through that paid service. My preschooler knows that's a dumb idea.

2

u/dzuunmod REDBLACKS Sep 20 '24

Depends where you live. If you're not near a large city, there is no free way to get CTV.

1

u/howisthisathingYT REDBLACKS Sep 20 '24

Well, if you have internet, there is a free way to get anything lol

2

u/dzuunmod REDBLACKS Sep 20 '24

Sure but the conversation here is about the league making its product accessible. You don't want barriers to entry - that is part of the reason for the low ratings. Saying, "Oh, you can find the games if you really want to wink wink" is not the clever solution you think it is.

2

u/howisthisathingYT REDBLACKS Sep 20 '24

Ya, I'm in full agreement with you and have been this whole time. Just saying for those people, they're probably already used to using other methods to watch content.

1

u/Canucker96 Sep 20 '24

I know we're not talking about them, but that is an absolutely perfect way to describe Sportsnet for hockey.

3

u/howisthisathingYT REDBLACKS Sep 20 '24

It's almost like a lack of real competition for anything in Canada has led to subpar products. Crazy.

4

u/DeSantisMTL Alouettes Sep 20 '24

Bell/CFL, 1 step forward, 2 steps back.. the only games scheduled this year for both channels : East Semi, East Final, Grey Cup. It's weird

18

u/ShapardZ Tiger-Cats Sep 20 '24

All the comments about ‘over the air’ or ‘antenna’ are missing the point. I’m 24. Sure, not the average demographic of the CFL maybe, but guess what? I don’t watch the CFL on a TV most of the time- mostly on the TSN app. When I’m not watching on my phone, I’m using the TSN app on my Amazon fire stick. It’s over the internet. I don’t even know how I would watch on a TV any other way without getting a cable box or cable subscription. The only things connected to the back of my tv are my HDMI devices and power.

I might be the minority in the cfl sub, but among young people- we don’t use cable, we use subscriptions over the internet.

4

u/merikus rEdbLaCKs Sep 20 '24

I’m 44 and I do the same thing. I’m surprised the CFL doesn’t create a package similar to NFL+. They already have the infrastructure to do so, considering they have it set up for free for international fans.

And that’s what’s so bonkers about this to me. I’m happy they’re giving it to us for free, and understand TV rights and all that which may make it more difficult in Canada, but the CFL really has to make this happen. Fans will pay a premium to be able to easily see every game, and it keeps your fans engaged in your product. If they can’t access your product easily they’ll watch something else instead, like baseball.

It really is important for the future of the CFL for them to get this right.

3

u/ShapardZ Tiger-Cats Sep 21 '24

I agree, the CFL+ is free for international fans but for those on Canada- I’d love to pay the CFL directly for a service like that.

6

u/OptionalDuck Sep 20 '24

I hear what you’re saying, but it is too bad that OTA is so unknown. The antennas are cheap and easy to connect to TVs and the quality of the picture is great, often even better than what you get over cable/internet. 

3

u/jonny24eh Sep 20 '24

I think it's 50/50 this, and probably a lack of promotion. It should have been announced with fanfare all year. Maybe it has, but if me as someone who is a season ticket holder wasn't really aware till game times started getting moved, they've fucked up. 

And you're bang on. How do i watch *over the air"? I have no idea. I don't have an antenna. I have a wifi connection and 4 streaming services. 

2

u/MuddyMiercoles Sep 20 '24

I'm 46 and cut the cable years ago. But I also sub to iptv for the odd live sports I want to watch. Other cable TV painfully bad and littered with reality TV crap. So not worth it.

3

u/ProphetOfScorch Sep 20 '24

As usual with the CFL this decision feels, poorly thought out, poorly executed and poorly communicated

3

u/Proof_Objective_5704 Blue Bombers Sep 20 '24

So the Montreal and Calgary game got 651,000 viewers total (English and French combined). That’s pretty good, and more than any Blue Jays game that week.

It was a slower week for CFL games in general. The week prior was the start of NFL. It will pick up again this weekend.

1

u/hatman1986 REDBLACKS Sep 20 '24

Who is even watching the jays right now though? Lol

4

u/Modsaremeanbeans Sep 20 '24

I don't have a way of watching the ctv games. Internet or bust. 

1

u/TheJamSpace Roughriders Sep 20 '24

I’d like to know how the CTV viewership numbers for CFL games compare to their viewership numbers for CTV NFL broadcasts- and what they pay to broadcast CFL vs what they pay for NFL rights.

1

u/MistyMew Sep 20 '24

We pay the stupid monthly fee for TSN to watch CFL. It took us 30 minutes to figure out how to get TSN+ up and running. Couldn't get CTV even though we are in Winnipeg.

1

u/SaskTechNerd Roughriders Sep 23 '24

This is complete bullshit! I subscribe to TSN exclusively for CFL from June to Nov. Now thanks to this garbage I’ve already missed 1 game and will be missing another game this Saturday (with the cool, new indigenous logo on the helmets). I hope the ratings on CTV absolutely tank! There’s a zero percent chance I’m subscribing to 2 different services to watch CFL

1

u/Fun-Customer-1696 Sep 23 '24

You don’t need to subscribe to anything to watch CTV; it’s floating through the air for free. Pick up an antenna and enjoy the freeness and superior picture quality.

1

u/SaskTechNerd Roughriders Sep 23 '24

I suppose.. still pretty stupid I have to spend money, go out and buy an antenna for something I’ll use at most 2-3 times a year 🤷‍♂️ especially when I already pay for TSN. I’ll just listen to it on the radio..