The National Football League (NFL) has extended its long-term partnership with Bell Media in Canada. NFL games were first televised on Bell Media’s subsidiary, The Sports Network (TSN) in 1987. Bell then extended their NFL agreement in 2013, and extended more of it in 2017, making them the league’s only broadcast partner in Canada.
In addition to their preceding package deal, Bell will now have RedZone (which was previously exclusive to DAZN), all International Series games, as well as the unique Monday night football games (which will feature more dual broadcasts this year, some on ABC and some on ESPN), and Bell now has Canadian TV broadcasting entitlement to all of them.
The extended contract contains the following provisions: Thursday night football games with the regular season. Regular season games that start at 1 PM ET on Sundays as well as regular season games begin at 4 PM ET on Sundays. Monday night football regular season games, including the new slate of games produced by ABC NFL RedZone, are accessible every Sunday at 1 PM ET. All games in the International Series, including the recently announced game in Germany, will be broadcast live.
Stewart Johnston, Senior Vice-President, Bell Media Sales and Sports, said, “The popularity of the NFL in Canada has never been greater, with fan interest in the league growing across the country each season. We’re thrilled to continue to bring the NFL to Canadian fans through our multi-platform coverage.
“We’re proud to extend and expand our longstanding partnership with this major investment, and to showcase NFL action across Bell Media platforms like never before.”
Sameer Pabari, NFL Managing Director, International Media, “We’re delighted to be extending our longstanding partnership with Bell Media.
“This new deal will allow NFL fans in Canada to enjoy a comprehensive line-up of games throughout the season from Kickoff to the Super Bowl across the full breadth of Bell Media’s TV and digital services.”