The CFL's Long-Awaited Digital Overhaul: New Apps, Websites, and the Future of Fan Engagement
After years of digital miscues, Commissioner Johnston commits to a modern fan experience and taps into the massive fantasy sports market.
One of the biggest announcements for fan engagement and fan creation during Commissioner Johnston’s State of the League is the fact that the CFL is redoing their website and all of the teams websites to be easier to use and provide better information to fans. Along with this the CFL is going to finally launch an app for the league finally bringing the league into the 2010’s only 15 years later than most pro sports leagues.
It was asked at the press conference as the last time the CFL launched something new, the stats powered by Genius Sports, was nothing short of a disaster on if Genius Sports was going to be leading this upgrade to the sites and app. While Johnston wasn’t part of that launch he was aware of it as he was still associated with the league during his time at Bell, he assured us that there shouldn’t be any issues like this in the future and while he applauded the work Genius Sports has done since then, as they are not a website and app experts they will not be associated with the new site and app.
Another huge announcement is that the CFL will finally be cashing in on the Fantasy craze that started nearly 20 years ago by launching a Years-long fantasy league that will have a wide distribution but doesn’t have specifics yet. While I am a long time proponent of having a proper fantasy league, if the league doesn’t have the foresight to partner with one of Yahoo or ESPN it will be harder to bring in new fans. ESPN recently touted that they have 14 Million people playing Fantasy Football during the 2025 NFL Season and as per the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association as of 2022 there were 62.5 million people playing fantasy sports in the USA and Canada. If the CFL can tap into this market it won’t only help grow the game to be the must see sport it can be but also encourage growth with the younger fanbase that Commissioner Johnston is after.
While waiting on the specifics and the distribution for the Fantasy Leagues, I am excited but holding my breath as there have been many letdowns from the CFL world in terms of their digital footprint. If they nail this, it could possibly help not only the league grow with the fanbase but also help the negotiations with the TV rights deal that expires after the 2026 season.