CFL on CTV

CFL on CTV was a presentation of Canadian Football League football aired on the CTV Television Network from 1962 to 1986. CTV dropped coverage of the CFL after the 1986 season. CTV's coverage was replaced by TSN and the newly created Canadian Football Network.

History

Background

In February 1961, John Bassett, Chairman of CFTO-TV, outbid the CBC for the Eastern Conference regular season and playoff television rights, and a first refusal for the Grey Cup, with an offer of $375,000 a season for two years.

Affiliation agreements

Meanwhile, Spence Caldwell, was trying to persuade new private stations to sign affiliation agreements with him so that he could form a network. Bassett initially refused, but when several stations had given Caldwell signed letters of intent to become affiliates and Bassett failed to get a temporary network licence from the Board of Broadcast Governors, he agreed to join the new network. Caldwell went to the BBG and was granted his network licence, which gave Bassett access to a network on which to broadcast his CFL games.