Canadian telecommunications company Bell Media has expanded its partnership with the NFL to become the exclusive broadcast partner of the American football league in Canada.
The new multi-year deal, which is effective from the 2017 season, will result in featured games across all of the league’s broadcast windows being shown across Bell Media properties.
Bell Media will benefit from a wider range of digital opportunities, including syndication rights for NFL highlights, while expanded footage and programming rights will also be included in the new agreement.
Under the agreement, Bell Media-owned pay-television broadcasters TSN and CTV will show the NFL’s Thursday Night Football package for the first time. Fellow pay-television broadcaster RDS will also return to broadcast the package.
As well as TNF, Bell Media will air regular-season games on Sunday afternoons, Sunday nights and Monday nights. Coverage will also include all playoff games and the season-ending Super Bowl.
Bell Media already had rights to games on Sundays and Mondays, but the TNF package was previously held by rival telco Rogers.
TSN has been broadcasting NFL games since 1987, while CTV’s partnership with the league began in 2007.