Sports in Canadian culture

[logan5]

Great Canadian Ratings Report from Oct. 18. Has the NFL always had this many viewers (vs CFL), or is this relatively new?

1. MLB, Blue Jays at Indians, Friday, Sportsnet: 4,010,000

2. MLB, Blue Jays at Indians, Saturday, Sportsnet: 3,330,000

3. NHL, Bruins-Leafs/Habs-Sens/Jets-Wild, CBC-Sportsnet*-City: 2,310,000

4. NFL, Cowboys-Pack/Falcons-Seahawks/Chiefs-Raiders, Sunday, CTV: 1,256,000

5. NHL, Flames at Canucks, Saturday, CBC-Sportsnet*: 944,000

6. NFL, 49ers-Bills/Rams-Lions/Bengals-Pats/Eagles-Skins, CTV: 943,000

7. MLB, Dodgers at Cubs, Sunday, Sportsnet: 651,000

8. CFL, Blue Bombers at Lions, Friday, TSN: 565,000

9. NHL, Sabres at Oilers, Sunday, Sportsnet One/360: 547,000

10. MLB, Dodgers at Cubs, Saturday, Sportsnet: 461,000

11. CFL, Alouettes at Stampeders, Saturday, TSN: 426,000

12. NHL, Oilers at Flames, Friday, Sportsnet One-360: 419,000

13. CFL, Roughriders at Argonauts, Saturday, TSN: 393,000

14. NHL, Hurricanes at Canucks, Sunday, Sportsnet One-360: 319,000

15. CFL, Redblacks at Tiger-Cats, Friday, TSN: 307,000

16. NFL, Colts at Texans, Sunday, TSN: 266,000 (NBC audience not measured)

17. Auto racing, NASCAR Hollywood 400, Sunday, TSN: 163,000 (NBC audience not measured)

18. Football, NCAA games, Saturday, TSN: 104,000
https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh...170108030.html

[Oilkountry]

Originally Posted by logan5

Great Canadian Ratings Report from Oct. 18. Has the NFL always had this many viewers (vs CFL), or is this relatively new?

1. MLB, Blue Jays at Indians, Friday, Sportsnet: 4,010,000

2. MLB, Blue Jays at Indians, Saturday, Sportsnet: 3,330,000

3. NHL, Bruins-Leafs/Habs-Sens/Jets-Wild, CBC-Sportsnet*-City: 2,310,000

4. NFL, Cowboys-Pack/Falcons-Seahawks/Chiefs-Raiders, Sunday, CTV: 1,256,000

5. NHL, Flames at Canucks, Saturday, CBC-Sportsnet*: 944,000

6. NFL, 49ers-Bills/Rams-Lions/Bengals-Pats/Eagles-Skins, CTV: 943,000

7. MLB, Dodgers at Cubs, Sunday, Sportsnet: 651,000

8. CFL, Blue Bombers at Lions, Friday, TSN: 565,000

9. NHL, Sabres at Oilers, Sunday, Sportsnet One/360: 547,000

10. MLB, Dodgers at Cubs, Saturday, Sportsnet: 461,000

11. CFL, Alouettes at Stampeders, Saturday, TSN: 426,000

12. NHL, Oilers at Flames, Friday, Sportsnet One-360: 419,000

13. CFL, Roughriders at Argonauts, Saturday, TSN: 393,000

14. NHL, Hurricanes at Canucks, Sunday, Sportsnet One-360: 319,000

15. CFL, Redblacks at Tiger-Cats, Friday, TSN: 307,000

16. NFL, Colts at Texans, Sunday, TSN: 266,000 (NBC audience not measured)

17. Auto racing, NASCAR Hollywood 400, Sunday, TSN: 163,000 (NBC audience not measured)

18. Football, NCAA games, Saturday, TSN: 104,000
https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh...170108030.html

That is quite interesting actually. The CFL numbers arent really too off. They usually range from 300K to 700K however with the jays taking the country by storm and the regular season NHL starting I'm not surprised to see CFL ratings a bit lower at this time of the year. But NFL ratings are usually on par with CFL so this is amazing to me me that games a bringing in a million veiws

[Villaggio]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

That is quite interesting actually. The CFL numbers arent really too off. They usually range from 300K to 700K however with the jays taking the country by storm and the regular season NHL starting I'm not surprised to see CFL ratings a bit lower at this time of the year. But NFL ratings are usually on par with CFL so this is amazing to me me that games a bringing in a million veiws

Boy is MLS really that unpopular.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Villaggio

Boy is MLS really that unpopular.

Their TSN numbers usually fell between 150K & 300K, part of the reason why they were so willing to give the rights up to CBC. When MLS was first on CBC they would usually get higher number than these IIRC. From an attendance standpoint all Canadian MLS teams saw increases this season (with Toronto and Vancouver setting franchise records) so TV numbers are one part of the bigger picture.

I'll be interested to see how Toronto and Montreal's midweek playoff numbers fare, although having them midweek isn't really the best for viewership, particularly since they're going up against World Series, NHL, and NBA season starting. MLS typically has a tough time in the fall when college gridiron/NFL starts up.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

That is quite interesting actually. The CFL numbers arent really too off. They usually range from 300K to 700K however with the jays taking the country by storm and the regular season NHL starting I'm not surprised to see CFL ratings a bit lower at this time of the year. But NFL ratings are usually on par with CFL so this is amazing to me me that games a bringing in a million veiws

I am not sure that grouping together a whole bunch of games on different channels (as was done with some of the NFL and NHL) is really the best way to do an apples to apples comparison.

[Oilkountry]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I am not sure that grouping together a whole bunch of games on different channels (as was done with some of the NFL and NHL) is really the best way to do an apples to apples comparison.

Oh jease I didnt even notice that!

Then yes this is completely on par OP. CFL is usually only second only to hockey (except when the jays make playoffs) and dominates the summer sports TV landscape in Canada

[Oilkountry]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Their TSN numbers usually fell between 150K & 300K, part of the reason why they were so willing to give the rights up to CBC. When MLS was first on CBC they would usually get higher number than these IIRC. From an attendance standpoint all Canadian MLS teams saw increases this season (with Toronto and Vancouver setting franchise records) so TV numbers are one part of the bigger picture.

I'll be interested to see how Toronto and Montreal's midweek playoff numbers fare, although having them midweek isn't really the best for viewership, particularly since they're going up against World Series, NHL, and NBA season starting. MLS typically has a tough time in the fall when college gridiron/NFL starts up.

Just stop...you were being trolled and you fell right into it. It's no secret outside of the stadiums themselves a very niche market cares about MLS TFC usually brings in about 90K for a home opener and less than 60k beyond that (never 150 to 300K...ever) which really isnt bad in a country that has no interest in soccer. Take it as a Win, Although even in the states the CFL is wiping the floor with the MLS on ESPN2. So it's not just Canada where soccer hasn't caught on outside of the stadiums where it's played. Nothing to be ashamed about I would rather have BMO packed with Argo fans and 200K people watching On TV rather then the situation we have now.

While MLS ratings have never been strong, Toronto FC appears to be the dead weight that's dragging things down for the league. The season opener between Montreal and Vancouver, for example, averaged 205,000 viewers -- a respectable if not spectacular number. TFC, meanwhile, hasn't cracked TV's version of the Mendoza Line this season.

A victory over the New York Red Bulls in the season opener attracted an average audience of only 97,000 to TSN. Proving that it wasn't TSN's fault, TFC's second game against New York City FC drew a mere 62,000 viewers to Sportsnet One.

If they are calling an all Canadian game viewed by 200K people a "spectacular" number for MLS I highly doubt they ever averaged between 150K and 300K. Post some sources for the skeptics

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh...151745168.html

[Berklon]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I am not sure that grouping together a whole bunch of games on different channels (as was done with some of the NFL and NHL) is really the best way to do an apples to apples comparison.

Actually it's still a fair comparison since the CFL never schedules more than 1 game at the same time, whereas the NFL has no choice. There is no Canadian NFL team, so their allegiance is spread across a large number of teams... and yet more people are watching the NFL still. If Canada ever got a team, those ratings could easily double.

The MLS on CBC will help its exposure since it's available to every Canadian with cable, dish or antenna.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Berklon

Actually it's still a fair comparison since the CFL never schedules more than 1 game at the same time, whereas the NFL has no choice. There is no Canadian NFL team, so their allegiance is spread across a large number of teams... and yet more people are watching the NFL still. If Canada ever got a team, those ratings could easily double.

I'd say the only way we could possibly make a comparison is if all CFL games were scheduled in the same time slot.

And even so, as with the NFL, there would be both doubling and splitting up of audiences.

As I said, very hard to compare.

[Berklon]

Thought this was interesting:

Why don't more people in Toronto know about the Grey Cup?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Berklon

Thought this was interesting:

Why don't more people in Toronto know about the Grey Cup?

Why am I reminded of those benches and signs that say "You just proved that X works!"?

In this case, X = "media conditioning".

[FrankieFlowerpot]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

If they are calling an all Canadian game viewed by 200K people a "spectacular" number for MLS I highly doubt they ever averaged between 150K and 300K. Post some sources for the skeptics

They definitely didn't average anywhere close to those numbers.

Saying that however, the 205K number is a huge drop down from the 2014 and 2015 season openers (352K and 353K respectively)

[elly63]

Until the top rated game of the season vs the Impact (pre September 18) that had over 100k, the TFC season average was an incredible 38k. Not only is that not a good cross Canada rating, or GTA rating, hell that's probably not even a good rating for a Toronto suburb.

[esquire]

^ If you combined the Argos and Toronto FC you'd actually have one healthy, decently-drawing team with solid viewership.

[elly63]

CTV also has a 20% greater reach than TSN, why do people think that any old American drama or sitcom garbage on the network gets big numbers in prime time.

Until the NFL went on the full network their numbers were far less than the CFL. It's become a self fulfilling prophecy now the NFL gets the larger coverage and it perpetuates. The CFL gets good solid weekday numbers for TSN so they schedule games whenever they want instead of traditional football times like the NFL and the CFL will start to hurt because of weekday games.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by elly63

CTV also has a 20% greater reach than TSN, why do people think that any old American drama or sitcom garbage on the network gets big numbers in prime time.

Until the NFL went on the full network their numbers were far less than the CFL. It's become a self fulfilling prophecy now the NFL gets the larger coverage and it perpetuates. The CFL gets good solid weekday numbers for TSN so they schedule games whenever they want instead of traditional football times like the NFL and the CFL will start to hurt because of weekday games.

There weren't any CFL games on TV last Sunday from what I could see, and Sunday afternoon is a better time slot than Saturday for sports as more people are at home in front of the TV.

I was actually looking for a CFL game on Sunday afternoon but found none to watch. So I watched the NFL a bit instead. So I am in those numbers. Had the CFL had a game on I would have watched that instead.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

Just stop...you were being trolled and you fell right into it. It's no secret outside of the stadiums themselves a very niche market cares about MLS TFC usually brings in about 90K for a home opener and less than 60k beyond that (never 150 to 300K...ever) which really isnt bad in a country that has no interest in soccer. Take it as a Win, Although even in the states the CFL is wiping the floor with the MLS on ESPN2. So it's not just Canada where soccer hasn't caught on outside of the stadiums where it's played. Nothing to be ashamed about I would rather have BMO packed with Argo fans and 200K people watching On TV rather then the situation we have now.

I'm not really sure why you keep going after my posts. You have some sort of fascination that I can't seem to wrap my head around.

Like I said in my post, TV numbers are one small part of an overall picture. Like I also said, diminishing or substandard TV numbers can be taken with a grain of salt when the teams are getting more people out to the stadia for gamedays than ever before. Niche market or not, all three Canadian MLS teams averaged over 20K/game in their stadiums which is nothing to snuff at.

This isn't a CFL v MLS matter and I don't know why you keep making it out to be that. The TV numbers posted earlier were wondering why the NFL was doing so well in contrast to the CFL in Canadian markets - which is something I would also like some insight towards.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by JHikka

I'm not really sure why you keep going after my posts. You have some sort of fascination that I can't seem to wrap my head around.

Like I said in my post, TV numbers are one small part of an overall picture. Like I also said, diminishing or substandard TV numbers can be taken with a grain of salt when the teams are getting more people out to the stadia for gamedays than ever before. Niche market or not, all three Canadian MLS teams averaged over 20K/game in their stadiums which is nothing to snuff at.

This isn't a CFL v MLS matter and I don't know why you keep making it out to be that. The TV numbers posted earlier were wondering why the NFL was doing so well in contrast to the CFL in Canadian markets - which is something I would also like some insight towards.

Well, if you totally unscientifically split the big NFL number into three, it's about 418,000 per game.

The Als-Stamps game was likely viewed by over 600,000 Canadians when you add in the probable number of RDS viewers.

[Horus]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I am not sure that grouping together a whole bunch of games on different channels (as was done with some of the NFL and NHL) is really the best way to do an apples to apples comparison.

The NHL grouping is strange since it does consist of games broadcast on different channels/networks in the same markets. Here in Ottawa, I could have watched each of those NHL games at that time.

The NFL one makes sense because there is one block of NFL broadcast on the CTV network, with the regional affiliates choosing/forced into which game to broadcast in each specific market. From a national ratings standpoint, CTV network was broadcasting NFL in those time slots. My local CTV affiliate would only offer me one of those games whereas an affiliate in another city could have had a different one. The network rating for CTV in that time slot is an aggregate audience of the various games.

[Oilkountry]

Originally Posted by JHikka

I'm not really sure why you keep going after my posts. You have some sort of fascination that I can't seem to wrap my head around.

Like I said in my post, TV numbers are one small part of an overall picture. Like I also said, diminishing or substandard TV numbers can be taken with a grain of salt when the teams are getting more people out to the stadia for gamedays than ever before. Niche market or not, all three Canadian MLS teams averaged over 20K/game in their stadiums which is nothing to snuff at.

This isn't a CFL v MLS matter and I don't know why you keep making it out to be that. The TV numbers posted earlier were wondering why the NFL was doing so well in contrast to the CFL in Canadian markets - which is something I would also like some insight towards.

Not attacking your post, I'm just pointing towards the fact that MLS substandard ratings isn't just a Toronto or Canada problem. A foreign football league is doing better in the states so It's a league wide problem. Wasn't at all turning this into a CFL/MLS debate. Like I said I would rather have the Argos filling BMO while only taking in half the TV audience. Pro sports in Toronto are a funny thing.

Argos were drawing over 30K a couple years ago and now are drawing less than half of that yet still have a huge TV audience.

TFC doing well attendance wise but Cant seem to draw a TV audience.

Raps were about to rebrand 4 years ago because it seemed the city had turned their back on them and now they are a phenomenon in T.O. and the rest of canada

Jays...Needs no introduction. it's a roller coaster

Even the leafs were seemingly lose interest among the younger fan base for a couple seasons. Mathews will change that no doubt

Is it a winner that interests Toronto?