The Canadian Football League (CFL) is officially “In the Game” as part of a new partnership with Electronic Arts (EA) that inserts some of the league’s best-known players – including quarterbacks Doug Flutie and Warren Moon – into the gaming giant’s Madden NFL Mobile game.
Completed in association with the CFL Players’ Association, the partnership enables Madden NFL Mobile users to earn CFL collectibles by participating in CFL Live Events – essentially in-game challenges – that coincide with “major moments” on the CFL calendar.
Successfully completing these events entitles players to rewards, packs and collectibles including 18 current CFL players – two from each team in the league – that can be added to their team roster within the game.
When users complete a set, they can trade them in for one of five legendary CFL player sets, a group that also includes former Toronto Argonauts QB Joe Theismann, Calgary Stampeders QB Jeff Garcia and Argos kicker Mike Vanderjagt.
The initiative is part of an ongoing shift towards digital marketing by the CFL, with senior vice-president of marketing and content Christina Litz telling Marketing as much as 80% of the league’s marketing is now digitally focused.
“Our teams, our owners and our board get how important this medium is to extend our reach and relevance for the next generation of fans,” said Litz. “We’re going heavy there, and will continue to do so.”
The initiative is designed to appeal to the sizeable Madden NFL Mobile user base, which Litz said numbers in the millions. According to ThinkGaming.com, the “freemium” title is downloaded more than 39,000 times each day, and is 13th on the list of top grossing games, with daily revenue – amassed through in-app purchases – of more than US$121,000.
The CFL has been actively trying to court millennials over the past two years, beginning with an overhaul of its team websites, a revamped mobile app, and a content partnership with New York-based multi-channel network Whistle Sports.
“[The EA partnership] continues a strategy that’s been in place for the past year-and-a-half or so, to get the new CFL in front of casual fans and the next generation of fans,” said Litz. “This is just another step towards expanding that reach and relevance.”
Litz said the league was hoping to capitalize on the trend of YouTubers taping video game play and uploading it to the popular video site. She said gaming has broad-based appeal, from teens to older fans.
“It’s more about attitude and behaviour – we know that this is the way that people are engaging with sports, with leagues and teams right now, and the CFL has to be there too,” she said.
Litz said there is evidence the CFL was making inroads with younger Canadians, marked by a 12% year-over-year increase in 18-49 audiences for its CFL on TSN broadcasts – as well as a 6% increase for overall ratings – and 18,000 subscribers to its YouTube channel.
She said the audience composition on its digital properties also changed “quite significantly,” with about 50% of audiences now under 45. “That’s exciting for us,” she said.
Litz said the league continued to work on a mobile gaming strategy that could lead to standalone CFL-branded games as early as 2017. There are no current plans for a console game such as the Madden series, which is said to have sold more than 100 million copies since its 1988 debut.
“We want a console game like a lot of our fans do, but that industry is very complicated, and we owe it to our fans to partner with an A+ publisher,” she said. “We’re absolutely seeking it and we’ll be happy to launch when that opportunity comes our way.”
