CFL Week returning in 2018, league says
It was something bold, something new, and it’s hard to argue that Mark’s CFL Week was anything other than a huge success.
Engaging fans and media with the football league’s stars of today and tomorrow, CFL Week wound up Sunday with over-thetop momentum ensuring the event will return in 2018.
“There’s zero question we’ll be doing this again next year,” said Christina Litz, the Canadian Football League’s senior vicepresident of marketing and content. “We want to take a critical look at everything and figure out how we can make it better.”
Getting sponsors and partners to buy into CFL Week couldn’t have been easy. There was nothing to point to as evidence the week would be successful. What happened this past week in Regina provides that proof.
The CFL has become a league that’s constantly looking at ways to engage both hard-core and casual fans.
“You have to get things out there, you have to try things,” said Litz. “We’ve moving at a fast pace right now and it keeps it exciting.”
The CFL has built has built a relationship with fantasy sports company DraftKings. Weekly CFL fantasy contests help engage a huge and growing market where fans can build their own lineups and score points based on players’ individual stats.
“We’re looking to find that next generation of fans, engage the casual fans we see coming to the CFL in droves around the playoffs and Grey Cup,” Litz said.
The partnership with DraftKings has attracted increased interest from football fans south of the Canada-U.S. border.
“The appetite for football in the U.S. is almost insatiable,” Litz said. “Football fans in the U.S. want to be engaging with football beyond the NFL schedule. DraftKings saw an opportunity with that. Our schedule is somewhat complementary to the NFL season, so we’re seeing a lot of pickup from the U.S. fans.”
Having CFL games available on U.S. television is also a big plus.
“We’ve had a great relationship with ESPN in bringing our games to Americans,” Litz said.