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-   -   The Great Canadian Sports Attendance, Marketing and TV Ratings Thread (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=228928)

JHikka Jan 24, 2018 4:38 PM

https://www.google.ca/amp/torontosun...-situation/amp

Couple notes from this interview:

TFC Season tickets will be 24,500 this season

Manning is looking to expand BMO by 5,000. The North End expansion added for last year's playoffs will remain for this season.

84% show up rate for tickets in 2017 was up from 72% in 2015

98.5% STH renewal rate.

Average ticket price of $45 means $1.2M per match in revenue.

Revenue up 30% aince 2015. TV up 200%

MLSE considering tarping upper deck for Argos games.

Argos STH renewal rate was up to 82% this off-season.

jonny24 Jan 24, 2018 5:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JHikka (Post 8058868)
[url]
MLSE considering tarping upper deck for Argos games.

I get why... but there are lots of people who do sit in the upper decks because they're the cheapest tickets. Sure they can fit everyone one in the lower bowl, but if they charge twice as much for the lower seats they'll lose a bunch, maybe even some of those who already renewed at their cheap upper deck rate :shrug:

In general though it seems like the Argos are in good hands. Thank god, we need them around to beat up on Labour Day.

The biggest impact of this should be yet to come, when the TV rights are up for grabs again.

TorontoDrew Jan 24, 2018 5:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonny24 (Post 8058943)
I get why... but there are lots of people who do sit in the upper decks because they're the cheapest tickets. Sure they can fit everyone one in the lower bowl, but if they charge twice as much for the lower seats they'll lose a bunch, maybe even some of those who already renewed at their cheap upper deck rate :shrug:

In general though it seems like the Argos are in good hands. Thank god, we need them around to beat up on Labour Day.

The biggest impact of this should be yet to come, when the TV rights are up for grabs again.

Better to hide the empty seats then to broadcast you don't have enough fans to fill them.

EpicPonyTime Jan 24, 2018 6:16 PM

What's the capacity of BMO if you take out the upper deck? Must be around 20,000?

JHikka Jan 24, 2018 6:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EpicPonyTime (Post 8059049)
What's the capacity of BMO if you take out the upper deck? Must be around 20,000?

Article says the lower bowl seats somewhere around 15K

elly63 Jan 24, 2018 9:41 PM

With Toronto FC booming, top boss Bill Manning looks to improve embattled Argos situation
Kurtis W. Larson Toronto Sun January 24, 2018

TORONTO — If sports juggernaut MLSE can’t right the Argos’ ship, nobody can.

President Bill Manning says the embattled CFL team will have equal footing under his guidance.

The Leafs are the Leafs. The Raptors have exploded. Toronto FC, he said, is shattering records.

“Our plan is to make the Argos just as important,” Manning, who also oversees MLS Cup champs Toronto FC, told the Toronto Sun during an evening sit-down at TFC’s BMO Training Ground. “The Argos are going to be a priority in a lot of ways.”

Manning’s vision for the Argos is to replicate what he has helped establish with the Reds.

“Can we get to the point where we’re selling 25,000 tickets a game and the team is competing for (Grey Cups) year in, year out? That’s my vision,” he said. “How long does it take? I don’t know.”

Manning referred to the Argos’ rebirth as a “long play” – a process that’s certain to take far more time than it took to build Toronto FC into one of the most successful franchises in Canada.

“We’ve gotten to a point where our demand has surpassed our supply – which is a good spot to be in,” Manning said of TFC, adding the club’s season ticket base will balloon to 24,500 this year.

“I say this humbly,” Manning continued, “TFC is hitting on all cylinders, across the board.”

So much so that TFC intends to keep the extra north-end seats it added for last year’s playoffs.

Additionally, Manning said he’s looking at options to expand BMO by as many as 5,000 seats.

“The atmosphere at BMO has just become so electric that it became a really hot ticket,” he said.

Manning explained that an 84% show rate – up from 72% in 2015 – prevented TFC from announcing what would have been considered sellouts in terms of tickets-sold from July through the end of last season.

“You’ll always see empty seats,” Manning said. “That doesn’t mean the seat wasn’t paid for.”

This year, he said, could be even better following TFC’s playoff run. Between season tickets and group sales, MLSE expects every TFC match to sell out within 60 days of every fixture.

“I don’t think we’re going to have many single-game sells at all,” Manning suggested.

The club’s 98.5% season-ticket renewal rate, he said, “is approaching Maple Leafs territory.”

“It’s real money,” he continued. “You look at the gates we’re generating. You can do the math.”

With an average ticket price of $45, TFC brings in nearly $1.2 million in single-game ticket sales.

Toronto FC revenue is up 30% since 2015. TV viewership is up almost 200%, Manning said.

“If you have a good product, everything goes up,” he added. “Same thing with the Argos. Every decision we make is about what we need to do to win, and leveraging that to build our business.”

After averaging 16,380 fans per game in 2016, the Argos lost 38% of their existing season-seat holders before last season. The storied franchise’s renewal rate this off-season improved to 82%, Manning said.

“The one thing I keep challenging myself with is that this is a market with six million people,” Manning said. “Can I find 25,000 people a game, eight times a year, who will come?”

Furthermore, can MLSE convince at least some of the 400,000 TV viewers to get off the couch?

“How do we convince those people to come out to the game?” Manning asked. “What I do know, though, is that the folks at 50 Bay St. are really good. I have a lot of faith in that group.”

The Argos have never had what TFC has: “Arguably one of the most successful sports organizations in the world … saying, ‘We think (the Argos) have legs.’ We’re going to give it the attention it needs and the resources it needs,” Manning explained.

While MLSE doesn’t intend to cross-sell the CFL and MLS, the league’s newest executive expounded on the benefits of bringing the Argos beneath the company’s umbrella.

“We have 100 people who at any given time can shift attention to the Argos or TFC,” Manning said, a benefit of being owned by a company with a database of 13 million prospective fans.


While Manning’s fairly involved in player personnel at TFC, he admits he’s going to leave most football decisions up to GM Jim Popp and coach Marc Trestman.

“I joked with Jim and said, ‘I’m not going to be telling you which wide receiver to sign. I’m going to lean on your expertise and how we can support you,’” Manning said.

Unlike with Toronto FC, Manning doesn’t need to help build a winner in the CFL.

Yet his challenge with the Argos is likely to prove far more difficult.

“How do you continue being a contender and build some buzz in the marketplace so people want to come out and spend some money and buy tickets?” Manning said. “That’s the challenge.”

A DIFFERENT CFL CONFIGURATION AT BMO FIELD?

BMO Field could have a distinctly different look for CFL games in 2018.

New top boss Bill Manning told the Toronto Sun this week he’s considering tarping off the upper deck at BMO to consolidate Toronto Argonauts crowds into the lower bowl.

“We’re going to do what soccer teams do (in football stadiums), when they tarp off the upper decks,” Manning said. “We’re going to do the same thing. It’s going to be a lower bowl. Let’s fill the lower bowl first and then worry about filling the upper deck.”

This after the Argos attracted fewer than 14,000 fans per game last season.

The lower bowl at BMO Field fits roughly 15,000 people.

“Can we add 2,500 or 5,000 paid people this year?” Manning asked. “If we can do that we start building each year.”

JHikka Feb 11, 2018 4:45 PM

Drummondville hosted two outdoor QMJHL games at a popup stadium in Downtown Drummondville this weekend. The two games set season-highs in attendance for the team with 4,284 on Friday and 5,432 on Saturday. These two games raise their average attendance from 2060 to 2260.

JHikka Mar 2, 2018 6:22 PM

http://www.pentictonvees.ca/vees-set...ance-milestone

VEES SET CJHL ATTENDANCE MILESTONE

Penticton, BC: The Penticton Vees are proud to announce due to their incredible fan support, they have become the first Canadian Junior Hockey League team to average 3,000 fans per home game.

After nearly setting the record by averaging 2,981 last year, the Vees broke through and averaged 3,055 over the course of 28 games at the South Okanagan Events Centre following the final two games of the regular season.

“As a group we fell agonizingly short of 3,000 last year and committed in the summer to work as hard as possible to make sure it didn’t happen again,” said Vees Director of Corporate Partnerships David Michaud. “Laura Carleton does a fantastic job working with our season members and connecting with local businesses for group sales. The SOEC is a fantastic facility to watch a game in and it’s a great night out for a family or a business. We can’t thank our fans enough for rallying behind the team this year and supporting us they way they do.”

The largest crowd of the season came January 20 against the Trail Smoke Eaters. It was the annual Pink in the Rink night for anti-bullying, and 4,342 fans were treated to a 3-2 overtime win thanks to Jonny Tychonick’s power-play goal.

There wasn’t a single game this season that had fewer than 2,585 fans inside the rink, and 13 of the 28 had crowds over 3,000.

The Vees thank their fans for the unparalleled support over the course of the 2017-18 season, and look forward to even bigger crowds during the Fred Page Cup playoffs which begin Friday as the Vees host the Coquitlam Express at 7:00 p.m

Hackslack Mar 2, 2018 6:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JHikka (Post 8105609)
http://www.pentictonvees.ca/vees-set...ance-milestone

VEES SET CJHL ATTENDANCE MILESTONE

Penticton, BC: The Penticton Vees are proud to announce due to their incredible fan support, they have become the first Canadian Junior Hockey League team to average 3,000 fans per home game.

After nearly setting the record by averaging 2,981 last year, the Vees broke through and averaged 3,055 over the course of 28 games at the South Okanagan Events Centre following the final two games of the regular season.

“As a group we fell agonizingly short of 3,000 last year and committed in the summer to work as hard as possible to make sure it didn’t happen again,” said Vees Director of Corporate Partnerships David Michaud. “Laura Carleton does a fantastic job working with our season members and connecting with local businesses for group sales. The SOEC is a fantastic facility to watch a game in and it’s a great night out for a family or a business. We can’t thank our fans enough for rallying behind the team this year and supporting us they way they do.”

The largest crowd of the season came January 20 against the Trail Smoke Eaters. It was the annual Pink in the Rink night for anti-bullying, and 4,342 fans were treated to a 3-2 overtime win thanks to Jonny Tychonick’s power-play goal.

There wasn’t a single game this season that had fewer than 2,585 fans inside the rink, and 13 of the 28 had crowds over 3,000.

The Vees thank their fans for the unparalleled support over the course of the 2017-18 season, and look forward to even bigger crowds during the Fred Page Cup playoffs which begin Friday as the Vees host the Coquitlam Express at 7:00 p.m

That should probably read Canadian Jr A hockey league team

JHikka Mar 2, 2018 6:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hackslack (Post 8105668)
That should probably read Canadian Jr A hockey league team

The national level of Canadian Jr. A hockey is called the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) (WHL/OHL/QMJHL) is the highest level for Major Junior hockey.

http://www.cjhlhockey.com/view/cjhl

Hackslack Mar 2, 2018 6:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JHikka (Post 8105676)
The national level of Canadian Jr. A hockey is called the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) (WHL/OHL/QMJHL) is the highest level for Major Junior hockey.

http://www.cjhlhockey.com/view/cjhl

Oh I see. Thanks for the info. Did not know!

Acajack Mar 2, 2018 7:01 PM

Nice to see that the Trail Smoke Eaters still exist after all these years. That's a legendary team in the history of hockey.

Denscity Mar 3, 2018 5:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack (Post 8105694)
Nice to see that the Trail Smoke Eaters still exist after all these years. That's a legendary team in the history of hockey.

Yup they won not one but two world championships!
Just 15 minutes down the road from here.

JHikka Mar 12, 2018 11:30 PM

'Amazing atmosphere:' HSBC Canada Sevens rugby tournament draws a crowd
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-n...ws-a-crowd/amp

I believe the tournament ended up at 77k out of the 78k caapcity over two days. Either way there was a very good turnout despite Canada finishing a national-worst at the event.

SpongeG Mar 13, 2018 6:48 AM

Video Link

SpongeG Mar 13, 2018 7:06 AM

Video Link

jonny24 Mar 13, 2018 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JHikka (Post 8117599)
'Amazing atmosphere:' HSBC Canada Sevens rugby tournament draws a crowd
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-n...ws-a-crowd/amp

I believe the tournament ended up at 77k out of the 78k caapcity over two days. Either way there was a very good turnout despite Canada finishing a national-worst at the event.

I think overall our men's teams have to be at an all time low? I stopped watching the last year or so :shrug:

Super excited for Ontario Arrows to join MLR though.

JHikka Mar 18, 2018 8:29 PM

Telus VP: "Stay tuned for an exciting series of announcements that will change the landscape of soccer in Canada forever. Are you ready?! #itsourtimecanada"

https://twitter.com/lorenzodecicco3/...876694020?s=20

DeCicco is involved with the Foothills team in Calgary (they're jersey sponsors). Presumably this has something to do with CPL rollout or sponsorship. Telus likely sees an angle with Bell and Rogers committing to MLS. Good opportunity for them to get more visibility in select markets.

elly63 Mar 25, 2018 1:07 AM

Argos ownership change renews Sportsnet’s interest in the CFL
Joel Gasson 3downnation March 23, 2018

Rightly or wrongly, there’s been a certain perception when it comes to Rogers and the CFL. If you’re reading this, then odds are you probably don’t think too highly of Rogers coverage of the league.

As we all know, Canada’s sports television landscape is dominated by two major corporations. One, Bell, obviously has a very good working relationship with the CFL based on the money they invest in the league every year through the TV rights deal with TSN. There are certainly areas where TSN coverage can improve, but that’s a story for another day. The other company, Rogers, has long been considered by some CFL fans a “hater” of the league.

Whether you like Sportsnet or not, there’s no question they cover the league very differently than their competitors at Bell. That’s understandable when you consider both networks will always favour whatever sports they happen to own the broadcast rights to. That’s how the business works.

But over the last few months, there’s been an interesting shift when it comes to the CFL and Rogers and it involves the Argos. This winter, the team was officially added to the MLSE umbrella. For the last two seasons, the Argos were owned by two of the three entities that own MLSE, Bell and Larry Tanenbaum. Rogers was a holdout but now that’s changed.

This is good news for the league because Rogers now has skin (even if it’s just 33.3% of one team) in the game. The Argos, and by extension, the CFL’s success now matters to the company.

How Sportsnet covers the CFL appears to be changing already.

Commissioner Randy Ambrosie appeared on Tim and Sid on Thursday of CFL Week. Usually, that wouldn’t be all that notable. Tim Micallef is a well-known supporter of Canadian football at every level and the show has been known to discuss the CFL from time-to-time, most notably with 3DownNation’s Justin Dunk.

However, this appearance was different. Some questions that a non-broadcast rights holder could ask, were asked (as they should), but overall, it came across very much like a network that had an interest in the league. It’s a little thing, but both Tim and Sid openly called the week “Marks” CFL Week when they really didn’t have to. As far as we know, they aren’t being paid to mention the week’s title sponsor.

To the league’s credit, they seem to be reaching out to their broadcast rights competitor a little more too. Ambrosie even had a Blue Bombers jersey made with “Tim N Sid” on the back.

With a broadcast deal that could expire in 2021, it is in the league’s best interest to try and get Sportsnet on board as a bidding war is always preferable (having games on both networks would be better for the league, but that’s also another story). Repairing what’s been an odd relationship won’t happen overnight, but it’s not impossible.

None of this is to say that Sportsnet is suddenly going to cover the CFL around the clock but it’s a step in the right direction and it’s all thanks to the Argos.

JHikka Apr 15, 2018 12:54 PM

NHL Quarterfinals Eastern Conference Game 1: Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins (NBCSN, 6:57 PM, 169 min.)
– 0.586 million viewers (#54)
– 0.37 HH (#60)
– 0.22 A18-49 (#40)
– 0.21 A18-34 (#32)
– 0.26 A25-54 (#43)

NHL Quarterfinals Western Conference Game 1: Colorado Avalanche at Nashville Predators (NBCSN, 9:46 PM, 149 min.)
– 0.651 million viewers (#50)
– 0.38 HH (#57)
– 0.29 A18-49 (#27)
– 0.33 A18-34 (#11)
– 0.29 A25-54 (#36)

Maple Leafs-Bruins and Avalanche-Predators doubleheader average: 616,000 viewers
One year ago (4/13/17): Predators-Blackhawks and Flames-Ducks doubleheader average: 602,000 viewers

http://programminginsider.com/thursd...rom-last-year/


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