Stewart Johnston is now officially the commissioner of the Canadian Football League following his introductory press conference at Hotel X in Toronto on Thursday.
The native of Toronto, who was raised primarily in Ottawa, spoke passionately about the league, illustrating that he’s held it close to his heart since he watched Gerry Organ of the Rough Riders, who lived next door to Johnston’s childhood home, run for a first down on a fake punt in the 1976 Grey Cup. Johnston was only five years old at the time but went on to host and attend many Grey Cup parties, a time-honoured tradition deeply embedded in Canadiana.
Randy Ambrosie’s eight-year tenure atop the CFL was defined by a tendency to over promise and under deliver. He loudly touted the ambitious goals of doubling league revenue and taking three-down football worldwide with his global initiative, neither of which came remotely close to happening. He also failed to expand the CFL to ten teams, though this may have happened had the COVID-19 pandemic not sapped funding away from a tentative stadium project in Halifax.
Johnston was far more measured in his address on Thursday. He didn’t make any wild promises and even went as far as to say expansion, which most CFL fans deeply covet, is not a primary focus for him at this time. Instead, he indicated that his first order of business will simply be to follow the directions already laid out for the next eight months.
“What I want to see out of 2025 is execution,” he said. “We have a great plan in place. We need to execute it, and that’s what the team is going to be focused on. They’ve put the pieces in place to have an outstanding 2025. We’ve got incredible interest from partners and fans thanks to the renewed patriotism that we’ve seen in the country, and I’m looking forward to seeing where that can go.”
Johnston spent almost 30 years at TSN, including a 15-year run as the network’s president, which should help the CFL maximize the value of its next national broadcasting deal. The league has been exclusively partnered with TSN since 2008 with the current agreement, which is reportedly worth around $50 million per year, set to expire following the 2026 season.
The NHL recently signed a new 12-year broadcasting deal with Rogers, the primary rival of TSN owner, Bell, worth a reported $11 billion. This was a little over double the amount of the previous 12-year deal, which expires after next season. If the CFL were to achieve a similar boost over the same time period, its next television deal would be worth roughly $85 million per year.
However, Johnston illustrated that maximizing the value of the CFL’s next broadcasting deal is about more than mere dollars. He believes the league’s fan demographics need to get younger and more diverse, which means that an exclusive partnership might not be the best fit anymore. If they want to reach young people, increased digital and streaming exposure will presumably be part of what the league wants to achieve.
“I hope (my expertise) helps a lot. Really, that’s been my background for the last 28 years. It’s all come up through content, negotiations, media deals, considering media avenues, seeing the disruption that’s gone on in the industry, how to manage that, and I think we’ve done a fabulous job,” said Johnston. “I think what the board would want for me is to bring that experience to bear, not only in terms of what a negotiation looks like, but to think about what would be our priorities.
“When I think about the next media deal, I think about optimization. I know most folks like to go straight to revenue – certainly important. The three components I would consider in optimizing the next media deal include maximizing revenue, maximizing reach, and elevating our exposure to growth audiences, and by that I mean younger audiences and more diverse audiences. Those will be three components that will go into decision-making, and I’m looking forward to having those discussions.”
Many of Johnston’s former colleagues at TSN took to social media to post messages of support when his imminent hiring was announced a few weeks ago. These types of statements sometimes feel political and need to be taken with a grain of salt, though that doesn’t appear to be the case here as many sources near Johnston have privately assured 3DownNation that he’s the real deal.
The 54-year-old is certainly bullish on the league’s future, admitting that he’d previously had informal discussions about becoming the CFL’s commissioner but that the timing wasn’t right. He pointed to strong ownership, positive momentum in ticket sales and television ratings, and an outstanding on-field product as the reasons he decided to come aboard this time around.
For the record, CFL attendance grew by only 1.8 percent from 2023 to 2024 according to published figures as crowds in Edmonton and Calgary fell near historic lows. English-language television ratings declined slightly over that same timespan, according to exclusive reporting from 3DownNation, though the league claims there was an increase, which Johnston reiterated on Thursday.
With that said, Johnston’s optimism regarding 2025 is likely well-placed. At a time when most Canadians are choosing not to travel to the United States out of economic protest, the CFL is well-situated to take advantage of summertime spending as season tickets or a trip to a special game in a CFL city may very well take the place of stateside travel.
“The CFL has always been more than just a sports league: it is a community,” he said. “Our teams are deeply rooted in their cities and towns, and our fans are the lifeblood of our league. At a time when Canadians are feeling a renewed sense of patriotism, we will strengthen these bonds by engaging with our communities, supporting local initiatives, and giving back in meaningful ways. This league and our teams and our players have been doing this for more than a century, and will continue to do so. Together, we will build a stronger, more connected CFL family.”
Johnston celebrated the league for what it does well, acknowledged its shortcomings, and didn’t make any outlandish promises he would likely have come to regret. Though that’s not the best way to generate bold headlines, it was likely the best approach for Randy Ambrosie’s successor.
The post The anti-Ambrosie: Stewart Johnston measured in introduction as CFL commissioner appeared first on 3DownNation.
