Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Televising Preseason Games

I know you can watch the Ticat preseason games on Cable 14 (well I'm not sure about the one in Toronto). What I've been wondering is why TSN doesn't just go and start broadcasting all eight CFL preseason games. I know there is a fixed cost associated with producing each game and the ratings and subsequent advertising revenues would have to be higher than the producing cost. I think there may be a economical case for broadcasting these games. Regular season games get typically between 300,000 and 600,000 viewers. I would estimate that 200,000 viewers might be achievable. For Saskatchewan games, with their committed fans, you might get 400,000. Preseason games, while in a sense meaningless, have the bonus that no team is out of it. Fans that are wondering how their team is going to do this year will have a natural interest in watching. TSN could promote the games by having an extended analysis of each team before the game with the panel, and more discussion at half time. Broadcasting these games would also be free marketing for the CFL and TSN's regular season games and get the casual fans interested early. Plus the NHL playoffs end just before, so there is a natural segue into broadcasting these games. If TSN wanted to be real jerks, they could schedule games to occur during the Sportnet broadcasts of Jays games.

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