TV deal, new rules, playoff expansion define CFL commissioner Johnston’s first year

TORONTO — Stewart Johnston has wasted no time putting his stamp on the CFL.

Since becoming commissioner April 24, 2025, the former TSN executive has made three major announcements. The most significant came last week when the CFL unveiled a mega six-year broadcast agreement with Bell Media, DAZN and YouTube that begins in 2027.

Financial figures weren’t divulged, but a source told The Canadian Press the deal, all-in, is worth $500 million, making it the most lucrative broadcast agreement in league history. The CFL is entering the final season of its six-year television contract with TSN that paid it an average of $50 million annually.

Johnston admits he didn’t expect to be this busy this early into his tenure.

“No, I probably didn’t have this long of a list in mind,” he said. “The one thing I did know is 2027 was coming at us, so negotiating that (TV) deal was going to be very, very important.

“Everything else we’ve been able to accomplish, I’m incredibly proud of, but more importantly, I’m just so excited to get to see what’s going to be in 2027 and beyond.”

The league’s American broadcast contract with CBS Sports Network — which reportedly pays it $1 million annually — also expires at season’s end. The CFL continues to examine all of its alternatives south of the border.

The 2026 season kicks off Thursday with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats hosting the Montreal Alouettes. But that doesn’t mean it’s time for Johnston to kick back.

“I don’t like to sit still, but I always make time for football,” Johnston said. “However, there are only three or four games (each week) … which leaves many, many other hours to keep working on growing this league.

“The competition out there is too fierce to think you can rest on your laurels, and we have outstanding metrics to rest on. But if we aren’t trying to continue to push to grow, we’ll fall backwards.”

Before joining the CFL, Johnston had served as president of TSN since 2010. His appointment as commissioner was seen as a very strategic move by the league, given his understanding of the sports industry and experience negotiating broadcast deals.

Last September, roughly five months on the job, Johnston announced a two-part plan to not only change the league’s rules but also its field dimensions. This season, no points will be awarded for errant field goals, punts or kickoffs that go through the end zone — either in the air or via a bounce.

Only when a returner fields a missed field goal, punt or kickoff in the end zone and either kneels or is tackled in the end zone trying to forward the ball will singles be awarded. Also, the CFL will use a 35-second play clock, although it will revert to 20 seconds in the final three minutes of each half.

Next year, CFL fields will be reduced from 110 yards to 100 yards, and end zones will go from 20 yards to 15 yards. Goalposts will be moved from the goal-line to the back of the reconfigured end zones.

Last month, Johnston announced the CFL was revamping its playoff format. Starting in 2027, eight of its nine teams will qualify for the post-season, which will consist of four rounds instead of three.

To accommodate the extended post-season, the CFL will begin the 2027 campaign on the Victoria Day weekend in May — two weeks earlier than normal. The Grey Cup will be played Nov. 7 in Regina.

That means training camps will open in late April.

Reaction to Johnston’s moves hasn’t been all positive.

He received media and fan criticism regarding both the changes to the field and the new playoff format. And even with the TV agreement, many CFL supporters flocked to social media to express their dissatisfaction with having to subscribe to DAZN to gain access to the 21 games that will be exclusively carried by the streaming service.

Johnston said while the new broadcast agreement wasn’t contingent upon the earlier changes, corporate Canada took notice of those moves.

“These modern media partners certainly appreciate innovation and, frankly, they appreciate confidence and courage to try and push forward,” Johnston said. “Many others stood up, took notice and engaged with us.

“All of that together, I’d say, they were very important pieces in the overall strategy of our media negotiations.”

Johnston has also shown he’s a quick learner. During the CFLPA’s 2025 Grey Cup address, president Solomon Elimimian expressed disappointment that the union wasn’t consulted about the changes unveiled two months earlier.

Following the new playoff format announcement, Johnston appeared on TSN’s broadcast of the ’26 CFL draft with CFLPA executive director David Mackie to discuss the move.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2026.