Toronto FC's television audience: next to nil
There are few doubts that Toronto FC is a success at the box office. On the field, there are strides to be made but the team has at least become a contender for a playoff spot early in its infancy.
But as a TV property, it has a very long way to go. Ratings are abysmal, as witnessed by Saturday's game in Seattle that couldn't even draw 100,000 viewers to CBC. That's not far out of line with what TFC has drawn all season and throughout most of its brief existence.
It' s a bit of a mystery why the team hasn't fared better in the ratings. The games are interesting and the home crowd puts on a pretty good show. The road games aren't much to look at, especially when the other team's feed is used and broadcasters call things from a Toronto studio. But that's to be expected until ratings start to rise.
So why aren't more people watching? Where are all those soccer fanatics we keep hearing about?
My theory is that too many soccer fanatics have little interest in Major League Soccer because they find it inferior to the big European leagues. In addition, because there's no other MLS team in Canada there's no rivalry to feed off. People in Vancouver and Montreal have little incentive to watch a Toronto team in which they have no stake.
With expansion, that could change. But it's going to take a while and whether the MLS ever catches the eyes of the Euro crowd is doubtful.
Here are the overnight English-Canadian sports ratings for last weekend, as compiled by BBM Nielsen Media Research.
1. Football, Stampeders at Argos, Friday, TSN: 346,000
2. Football, Tiger-Cats at Eskimos, Saturday, TSN: 329,000
3. Baseball, Blue Jays at Red Sox, Sunday, Sportsnet: 281,000
4. Baseball, Blue Jays at Red Sox, Friday, Sportsnet: 262,000
5. Baseball, Blue Jays at Red Sox, Saturday, Sportsnet: 254,000
6. Auto racing, NASCAR Nationwide Montreal, Sunday, TSN: 223,000
7. Football, Bears at Broncos, Sunday, TSN: 147,000*
8. Auto racing, Belgian Grand Prix, Sunday, TSN: 121,000
9. Track and field, Golden League, Saturday, CBC: 106,000
10. Soccer, Toronto FC at Seattle, Saturday, CBC: 85,000
* Viewers on NBC not calculated
Chris - do you think it has anything to do with the games NOT being in HD consistantly? I am a season ticket holder and I can't stand to watch soccer in non-HD. If I am going to watch a bad signal, I'd rather do it on my laptop.
Posted by: Perry | 09/01/2009 at 06:42 PM
Absolutely spot on Chris. MLS is a rubbish league to watch on tv. In person, the games are fun to be at, but the MLS will never, ever, EVER compete with European football as a product on tv. If anyone thinks any differently, then they are completely bonkers.
Posted by: john | 09/01/2009 at 08:13 PM
You can count me as someone who is a soccer fan who doesn't watch/care about MLS or TFC. I watch the Premier League, Serie A and Champions League, but I haven't watched a MLS game since the season TFC joined the league.
Posted by: Josh | 09/01/2009 at 10:31 PM
I think you've nailed it Chris. MLS is vastly inferior to the big European leagues and since much of soccer's following in this country is European, they will usually follow their ancestral leagues first.
But it's early days. The sport is really just gaining a tiny foothold in this country. We'll have a much better picture in 10 years or so as to how they are (or are not) progressing. As the make-up of Canadian society changes more and more, then, logically, so will the sports landscape.
Posted by: Boca Junior | 09/01/2009 at 10:48 PM
Perry's comment has some validity. To not broadcast a game in HD in this day and age is a complete joke.
For this past weekend's game in Seattle, it was available on both CBC, and the Seattle NBC affiliate (Sounders broadcast). The Seattle NBC broadcast was in High-Definition, while the CBC's was in widescreen SD and looked very grainy. What was the CBC's excuse for not broadcasting in HD, when the cameras at the Seattle stadium were already HD cameras?
I watched the Seattle NBC broadcast over the CBC precisely because it was in High-Def. If Toronto FC wants more people to watch their games, they all have to be in HD. I won't even watch any sports that are not in HD anymore.
Posted by: Jack C | 09/02/2009 at 05:13 PM
Actually, Chirs, I've followed your TV sports stats for a number of years and regular season and playoff Euro soccer games have difficulty cracking the 100,000 viewer mark. International matches are higher because there as much about nationalism as the actual game.
Posted by: Paul | 09/03/2009 at 04:45 PM
Why do people who have no clue about soccer still spout off the same BS questions 'Where are all the soccer fans that we hear about?'
The soccer fans are the ones at the matches buying merch and paying to see their team to keep them in TO, and not sitting at home watching it on their TV's.
Paul is correct in most domestic matches do not get over 100k viewers in the US anyway. Yes MLS does poorly against other sports, but it does not do poorly compared to other domestic soccer games.
Posted by: Ryan | 09/07/2009 at 05:50 PM
CHRIS - it would be great if you could publish local TV ratings for NHL teams. The Rangers are at the top with a 75 000 average with a 5 US teams averaging less than 10 000 viewers a game. TFC and Raptors look quite good actually compared to any of these numbers. (Yes Canadian broadcasts are national but as you mention - they are primarily Toronto viewers anyways.)
Always enjoy your columns.
Here is a link I found; http://puckreport.blogspot.com/2009/02/statistical-anomaly-tv-ratings.html
Posted by: robguy | 09/10/2009 at 08:14 PM
the biggest problem for me is where and when to find the TFC games. Sometimes on CBC, sometimes on Sportsnet (which one?) sometimes on some specialty soccer channels, always at varying times. there is no consistency. I might actually try to watch if I didn't have to look so hard to find the matches.
Posted by: Interested Fan | 09/14/2009 at 05:22 PM