Per CFL.ca

 

Quote

TORONTO – Stewart Johnston has spent his entire professional career connecting viewers with the news, sports and entertainment that they love. On countless occasions, he has given Canadians from coast to coast to coast a reason to stand and cheer for their heroes.

The longtime Bell Media executive will now focus that wealth of insight and experience on building his vision for the Canadian Football League (CFL) as its 15th Commissioner.

“I am deeply humbled and profoundly honoured by this incredible opportunity,” said Commissioner Johnston. “Long before I worked with TSN and RDS to broadcast the CFL, I was a fan. Growing up, I sat with family and friends, watching the legends of the game. I’ve loved working closely with this league, getting to know its stars and being a part of the most unforgettable celebration in Canadian sports – Grey Cup Week. To think that I will present that iconic trophy to this year’s winners in Winnipeg this November is a dream come true.”

Johnston was born in Toronto and grew up in Ottawa. He graduated from Queen’s University with a business degree. In 1997, his passion for sports led him to the doors of TSN. Over the next two-and-a-half decades, he rose through the ranks of Canada’s Sports Leader to President, growing the company into the sports media juggernaut it is today. A football fanatic, he has a deep understanding of the tremendous fandom that flows throughout the Canadian sporting community.

Johnston is a seasoned and successful sports rights negotiator with intimate knowledge of content distribution strategies and key relationships across major distribution partners. His experience includes leadership of a national advertising sales team with over 1,000 employees. He revolutionized the process of media buying by combining industry-leading data with the massive reach of Bell Media’s platforms.

As Senior Vice-President, Content and Sales at Bell Media, Johnston translated more than 25 years of knowledge gained in every facet of the sporting landscape into content development across all English- and French-language video, audio and digital platforms for Bell Media’s extensive range of assets, including Canada’s No. 1 broadcast network, CTV; the largest-Canadian-owned video streaming service, Crave; as well as TSN and RDS, Noovo, Bell Media Studios and iHeartRadio Canada.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Stewart as our next Commissioner,” said Scott Banda, Chair of the CFL Board of Governors. “What he has built at Bell Media is nothing short of remarkable. His in-depth familiarity with sports business in Canada and his lengthy history of success in the media industry and as an executive, made him the ideal candidate for Commissioner.”

As Banda and the Board look ahead to the future of the league, they also recognize the hard work and contributions of the 14th Commissioner of the CFL, Randy Ambrosie, who will continue to lead the day-to-day operations of the league office until Johnston officially takes on the role beginning April 24.

“On behalf of the Canadian football community, I’d like to extend our gratitude to Randy,” said Banda. “Over the past seven-and-a-half years, he laid an extremely solid foundation for our game and league. It is on that bedrock that we now entrust Stewart with the task of taking the CFL to new heights.”

Looking ahead, Johnston sees unlimited possibilities to honour the league’s past, while setting the stage for the next generation of fans and players.

“It’s been wonderful to see how far the league has come, with special thanks to Randy’s stewardship,” added the new Commissioner. “But it’s the future that excites me. It’s what’s to come that inspires me. As we look ahead, our mission is clear: to grow the game of football, to enhance the entertainment experience for our fans, and to ensure the sustainability and success of our league for generations to come.”

Johnston will be formally introduced as the 15th Commissioner of the CFL at a media conference later this month.

The league will welcome the next wave of Canadian talent at the CFL Draft on April 29. Training camps will open on May 11 before the preseason gets underway on May 19. The season kicks off June 5 with the Saskatchewan Roughriders hosting the Ottawa REDBLACKS.

 

Edited April 2, 2025Apr 2 by bluto

14 minutes ago, Goalie said:

bombers and riders are the cfl cash kings I’m sure. Wouldn’t surprise me if Winnipeg is 1 honestly. 

It's quite well documented that the bombers make the most money of every CFL team and have for at least a few years now ..... This isn't any kind of news. 

"Bell Media executive"

Oh, great...he'll be demanding a raise in pay every few months without providing any new services/features.

On 2025-04-06 at 3:44 PM, Noeller said:

It's quite well documented that the bombers make the most money of every CFL team and have for at least a few years now ..... This isn't any kind of news. 

It begins to indicate league revenues are up and private owners can make money off a well run CFL team, which should drive up the value of owning a team and the league in general.   League ownership is now fairly stable, but that old guy in Edmonton is probably on his last 5, rounding the backstretch....hopefully the Stamps owner beats him to the finish line.

Ya the stamps owner is definitely getting up there..I've met his son and I'm pretty sure HE'S close to my folks age... Which is saying something. 

1 hour ago, Fatty Liver said:

It begins to indicate league revenues are up and private owners can make money off a well run CFL team, which should drive up the value of owning a team and the league in general.   League ownership is now fairly stable, but that old guy in Edmonton is probably on his last 5, rounding the backstretch....hopefully the Stamps owner beats him to the finish line.

I think a private owner could make money playing in a government funded stadium that they control.  That's the basic conditions here.  The government wrote down the stadium debt twice so the Bombers through BBB just had to service the one $10 million loan.  Otherwise according to the original plan they'd be plowing $4.5 million a year onto that debt line.  Still would have made some money but in lean years would be quite dicey.

I'm perfectly fine with how this all played out, but I think it is really hard for a CFL franchise to be run competitively and profit in this era.  The business model basically relies on ownership using the franchise as a marketing vehicle or for personal glory, being willing to accept negative cash flow on operations.

1 hour ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

I think a private owner could make money playing in a government funded stadium that they control.  That's the basic conditions here.  The government wrote down the stadium debt twice so the Bombers through BBB just had to service the one $10 million loan.  Otherwise according to the original plan they'd be plowing $4.5 million a year onto that debt line.  Still would have made some money but in lean years would be quite dicey.

I'm perfectly fine with how this all played out, but I think it is really hard for a CFL franchise to be run competitively and profit in this era.  The business model basically relies on ownership using the franchise as a marketing vehicle or for personal glory, being willing to accept negative cash flow on operations.

I don't know, are there any owners of sports teams financing their own buildings or stadiums anymore?   I thought most were paid for or heavily subsidized by the public purse.

6 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

I don't know, are there any owners of sports teams financing their own buildings or stadiums anymore?   I thought most were paid for or heavily subsidized by the public purse.

Depends on the market.  Some of the buildings in LA, Vegas places like that have been paid for by the owners.

CFL scenario the big thing would be controlling/managing the facility and not just being a tenant.

On 2025-04-10 at 11:01 AM, Noeller said:

Ya the stamps owner is definitely getting up there..I've met his son and I'm pretty sure HE'S close to my folks age... Which is saying something. 

WTF kind of statement is that? Were your parents 50 when they had you? I'm 70, that must be saying something... like my life is over, JFC.

On 2025-04-10 at 2:20 PM, Fatty Liver said:

I don't know, are there any owners of sports teams financing their own buildings or stadiums anymore?   I thought most were paid for or heavily subsidized by the public purse.

I know Jerry Jones paid for the stadium in Arlington for the Cowboys. There will never be a stadium built in Canada that is 100% privately funded.

Hope the new Comish has a penchant for fancy glasses, could see him adopting an Elton John vibe....maybe a feather boa or two to compliment...spice up his getup, no harm.  Rhinestones!

 

42 minutes ago, Fatty Liver said:

Hope the new Comish has a penchant for fancy glasses, could see him adopting an Elton John vibe....maybe a feather boa or two to compliment...spice up his getup, no harm.  Rhinestones!

 

Did you watch the CFL tonight? Saturday Nights are all right for football? The CFL is back? CFL's still standing?

On 2025-04-06 at 4:29 PM, Goalie said:

The bombers are making money and have since really miller came onboard. Is Calgary making money like Winnipeg is? I mean I have also heard of Edward’s cheapness with the flames so I’m assuming even if the stamps were making bomber cash he still wouldn’t. 
 

bombers and riders are the cfl cash kings I’m sure. Wouldn’t surprise me if Winnipeg is 1 honestly. Every game is sold out. That’s 30k a game pretty much. Nobody else averages that. Not even Sask. 

I was reading that the Riders had lost close to 10,000 season ticket holders since Covid 19. They're back up to around 15,000 now. The Riders aren't cash kings anymore. They lost $1.1 million in 2024. Lots of fans did not like being told they needed a vaccination passport to go to the games at Mosaic Stadium in 2021 & haven't returned. A large percentage of their fanbase are rural & Conservative based & not allowing fans in to see Rider home games if they were unvaccinated caused a lot of negative feelings.

I suspect that the same thing happened in Calgary with vax passports as attendance collapsed for the Stamps in 2021 & it's never really come back to anywhere close to what it was in 2019. Then again, Stamps owner Murray Edwards does nothing to bring the fans back anyway.

Edmonton is much more complex. Name & brand change occured in 2020 that a lot of the fanbase hated & still do, Constant losing seasons, Four years without a win at home. Terrible mgmt & coaching decisions starting with Brock Sutherland as GM in 2019 & Head Coach Jaimie Elizondo. Continuing with Chris Jones as Chief Cook & Bottlewasher. Factor in vax passports pissing Elks fans off & it was & still is a recipe for disaster. 

Edited May 6, 2025May 6 by SpeedFlex27

I was surprised to read that the Bombers have set an all time high for season tickets at over 23000 & counting. I find that low. I'd have thought 25-27000 might have been their previous all time high. Just tells you the razor thin margins that CFL teams operate under. If we drop just 4000 season tickets, we're back to just breaking even or losing money. One or two bad seasons & the gravy train is over.