Golden Griffin Broadcast Network goes behind paywall

By Andrew Nowel, Editor-In-Chief

The Golden Griffin Broadcast Network began a new pay–per–view model last Saturday during the men's soccer game against St. John Fisher. The network has been free to fans, streaming Canisius sports for parents, families and fans for eight of the 15 Division I sports at Canisius during the entire 11 years of its existence until now.

Viewers of the network are able to purchase access to individual games, a six dollar–a–month deal, or a monthly package that is 12 dollars a month. Any game that is not on ESPN+ will be streamed on the platform, which is not a change with the new deal.

Men’s and women’s basketball will remain on ESPN+ as part of the Metro Conference’s broadcast agreement with ESPN while men’s ice hockey remains on FLOSports as games are played off campus at the LECOM HarborCenter in downtown Buffalo. According to GoGriffs.com, the move to a pay–per–view model will continue to provide fans, families and alumni with high–quality live broadcasts of Golden Griffin home athletic events throughout the 2026–2027 academic year.

Canisius is one of the only universities in western New York that broadcasts games with students and professionals working side by side. The network gives Canisius students a chance to work in broadcasting and behind the scenes production of live sporting events as early as their freshman year. Paige Apps, a senior in the program, noted how unique the ability to have hands–on experience in sports broadcasting is. “Being able to have the opportunity to have a hands–on learning approach in the ESPN+ lab is such a unique experience here at Canisius. Most, if not all, of the athletic events that are broadcast have positions manned of at least 70 percent by students,” said Apps.

Revenue generated by the new deal will help support the continued operation and development of the network and its coverage of Canisius athletics, according to GoGriffs.com.