CFL tops 2 million, Leafs keep rolling, the other blades battle scores big

A look at the weekend sports ratings produces a couple of revelations and at least one surprise.

First, the CFL is turning into a ratings juggernaut. Sunday's West final topped the 2 million mark and the East still hit 1.35 million despite being all but over at the half. If anybody left the game to watch the NFL, the ratings sure didn't show it. 

Maybe CFL fans enjoy a good slaughter once in a while. 

Those CFL ratings are the kinds normally the exclusive property of Hockey Night In Canada, which brings us to our second revelation.

In spite of what you may be hearing, the deranged army of Maple Leafs supporters is not abandoning the leaky ship. HNIC drew 2.1 million for Saturday night's regional tripleheader.

Then there's figure skating, long given up for dead as a TV ratings hit. Sunday night's dance finale on CBC averaged 955,000 viewers. Now, it's possible many of them tuned in to watch Battle of the Blades by mistake and wondered just what NHL team Canada's Scott Moir used to play for. Or maybe figure skating is making a comeback.

 Here are the most-watched weekend sports events in English Canada, as calculated by BBM overnight ratings:

1. NHL, Capitals-Leafs/Wings-Habs/Sabres-Senators, Saturday, CBC: 2,101,000

2. CFL, Stampeders at Roughriders, Sunday, TSN: 2,002,000

3. CFL, Lions at Alouettes, Sunday, TSN: 1,350,000

4. Figure skating, Skate Canada dance free, Sunday, CBC: 955,000

5. NHL, Blackhawks at Oilers, Saturday, CBC: 725,000

6. NHL, Canadiens at Capitals, Friday, TSN: 658,000

7. NHL, Hockey Night In Canada pre-game, Saturday, CBC: 657,000

8. NFL, Early games, Sunday, CTV: 533,000

9. NFL, Pre-game show, Sunday, TSN: 510,000*

10. NFL, Eagles at Bears, Sunday, TSN: 502,000*

11. Figure skating, Skate Canada men's free, Saturday, CBC: 477,000

12. Figure skating, Skate Canada dance, pairs, Saturday, CBC: 373,000

13. Basketball, Magic at Raptors, Sunday, CBC: 287,000

14. NFL, Late games, Sunday, Citytv: 287,000

15. Figure skating, Skate Canada women's free, Sunday, CBC: 286,000

16. Bobsleigh, World Cup, Saturday, CBC: 270,000

17. CIS, Laval vs. Queens, Saturday, TSN: 264,000

* NBC viewers not calculated

THE EPL LIST: The early bidding process for English Premier League rights has begun, with several players involved. The Rogers-Setanta group is considered the favourite, but TSN and The Score are also involved. GolTV has decided to sit out this round. ... The Grey Cup will be heard on the Corus network this year, that's 640 in Toronto. 

Comments

[canuck]

What about RDS? Surely 300,000 people watched the Als. More like a million I would think.

[NFL > CFL]

Chris, give up your diatribe re: the NFL. If pregame shows can get 1,000,000+ users just on the Canadian channels, how much more for the actual games on the actual channels?

[2nd Guess]

Throw in the numbers from RDS, and the early CFL game was probably watched by just as many as the West final (although I understand RDS had that one, too).

[Rick Grace]

I think in this situation you should give the French RDS numbers as well. Since many Alouette fans watch RDS. If you did, I bet you could add another half million at least to the Als BC numbers. If you do this for hte NFL numbers, you should also do it for the CFL numbers.

[Robert Henry]

Hey Zelkovich, the Red Wings at Canadiens game was the national game on HNIC. Western Canada and Quebec saw that entertaining original six game. The reason the ratings topped two million was mainly due to the fact that westerners did not have to watch the Leafs again. It was nice to have something different and should happen more often as the Leafs are not a ratings winner out west, especially this season and you can't argue with that fact.

[JGH]

Would someone like to remind Chris that yes - Canadians love the CFL...but the NFL is a big deal too. While they didn't touch the CFL ratings, there are a few things to consider

1. It's CFL playoffs vs regular season NFL
2. We don't' count NBC's numbers...that can add 75% easy
3. Most importantly - THERE IS NO NFL TEAM IN CANADA. Got it? No local market - not one.

[Tim]

Why is it that the volunteer army of internet apologists for the NFL must right away start posting their own figures and self-justification while trying to play up the NFL at the expense of the CFL? It has gotten tiresome...

[Mike]

On RDS, 547,000 watched the East Final and 207,000 watched the West Final.

[Vod K]

Regardless of what audience is counted and what isn't, shouldn't the NFL be blowing the doors of the CFL ratings wise? What is the NFL's marketing and advertising budget vs the CFL's? 10 times? 20 times? Yet even if they are ahead ratings wise, it is not by much

[MikeS]

Chris, thanks for updating us re: the Premiership rights. Much appreciated.

[mark]

Many NFL fans buy the Sunday Ticket and watch the games on those stations as well. I don't think they are included in the numbers as they often aren't shown on local channels. Same with NASCAR fans. They watch their favourite drivers feed not the horrible broadcast ESPN provides to TSN whenever possible. TV ratings are trying but should not be taken as gospel.

[HogHeaven]

The NFL ratings for the CTV and CityTV games include the ratings of the NBC & FOX channels in Canada. These programs are simulcasted, the Canadian signal overrides the U.S. signal on cable. Those watching the American channel are counted as if they were watching the CTV/CityTV channel (because they are). The networks always quote the combined number as it increases their advertising rates.
So there is no mysterious huge audience watching NBC or Fox NFL, these Canadian viewers are already being counted.
It is different on SportsNet and TSN, whose cable signals are not simulcast. So for those games, the American channel's ratings are counted separately, but are obviously below #17 CIS Football at 264,000 or the U.S. channel would be listed in the top 17.

[Mike]

Hog, the un-simulcasted US channels aren't counted at all so they wouldn't be on the list even if they had more viewers than CIS.

Another point of note: for the first time this year CTV Ontario did not show the 1pm Buffalo game, choosing to show Baltimore vs Indy instead. So they lost sim-sub rights over CBS meaning all the diehard Bills fans weren't counted. Doesn't make a big diff (i bet no more than 50k) as the Bills fanbase is generally overstated by the media but that could be part of the reason the CTV number is a little lower this week.

[Peter Brown]

HogHeaven, You're all right except for the final point. BBM Canada doesn't measure the audience watching on just U.S. channels, primarily because the data is irrelevant to Canadian advertisers, who are BBM's primary customers. So we have no way of knowing how many watch on U.S. channels in non-simulcast cases.

And, Tim, regarding the "army of internet apologists for the NFL", I hate to be childish, but Chris Zelkovich started it. The Canada-is-better-than-U.S. storyline is his favourite hobby horse, whether it's CFL vs. NFL or NCAA vs. CIS bball. Just wait until his 8th annual March Madness column in a few months when he tries to argue that CIS hoops are more popular.

[Primitive]

Hog Heaven, I think you're incorrect. Unless it has changed very recently, people watching on US channels aren't measured even when the Canadian signal is inserted on those channels. When Canadian stations quote numbers to advertisers, they just double the number, figuring that an equal number watch each channel.

[Clarkie 90210]

Peter Brown:

Really? Imagine that: A Canadian Sports Media columnist commenting on the viability of Canadian sports versus American sports. How scandalous!

Also, it is really difficult to compare the NCAA Basketball Tournament to the CIS Tournament as a body of work. After all, its a tournament of 65 versus a tournament of 8. I will wager that with the new People Meter and the fact that CIS Hoops will be on TSN, the Canadian ratings will be comparable.

Steve Clark

[peter brown-spotsinunderwear]

me and my friends watch nfl at the bar on the american feed if we were counted nfl pre season would be more popular than the cfl playoffs i wager.

you cfl fans like hog and vod k will eventually learn the nfl is king

[Peter Brown]

Steve,

It's not that Chris comments on it; it's that he can't seem to let it go. It's a tiresome anti-American theme that sadly also runs throughout many of the comments on this blog.

As far as the Canadian ratings for NCAA tournament vs. CIS, it will be impossible to tell because, once again, BBM Canada won't be counting those who watch the NCAAs on CBS.

[Vod K]

Peter we will agree to disagree but....

I enjoy watching the NFL too. As I enjoy watching NCAA and CIS football also. I love football in all forms, I've played it in the past and still love it to this day.

This isn't an us vs them thing (at least with me). I can find different things to enjoy about each league. Those who stick to one league only (either way) or ignore college ball (CIS or NCAA) are really missing out on some great games!

[Fredericton Steve]

I'm not buying the CFL vs NFL ratings. For one I watch all my games in HD which is NOT sim subbed (yet) between the east and west feeds of cbs/fox. Also not taken into count is the Sunday Ticket subscribers. Finally, I have not in all my life met a CFL fan. No joke, im being serious. Maybe it's just my location but the NFL is HUGE in the maritimes but nobody mentions the CFL.

[Jason in Hamilton]

why are NFL fans so sensitive they get destroyed in the TV ratings, by the CFL i really don't get it...and fyi Mr. Zelkovich has confirmed in the past, CTV numbers include anyone watching on US channels, so please please stop wining...and have fun at a papered house for the BIlls game in TO....brutal

[CC]

Fredericton Steve, are you aware that there is serious talk from a Moncton group about putting a CFL expansion team in Moncton, and that there will be an exhibition game there next year? Maybe you don't have a very big circle of friends?

[Randy]

Fredericton Steve,

Michael Murphy, Minister of Justice and Consumer Affairs and MLA for Moncton North, is a fan.

I'm actually not overly surprised that you haven't met any other fans. The CFL teams' fan bases seem to be heavily concentrated around their host cities or provinces, especially in Ontario. In Kingston, within a few hours of three CFL teams, I only know of one TiCat fan (me), one Als fan (a co-worker), and one other guy I've seen at work wearing a Blue Bombers jacket (no Argos fans...). There was also a guy a the bar down the street whom I overheard saying that he'd rather watch CFL than NHL. It's definitely not the talk of the town, though. I can't imagine things would be better in Fredericton, which is quite a lot further than the nearest CFL team.

We'll see what kind of appetite New Brunswickers have for the CFL when they hold their first regular season game Moncton in 2010.

[Scott]

Can't we all just agree that there are a lot of NFL and CFL fans? Obviously its not a fair comparison, and by a whole there are probably more NFL viewers on an average Sunday... but there is a definite appetite for a lot of CFL games.

As someone who watches both, I don't get why it's a one-side or the other argument. I know lots of CFL and NFL fans, too.

[moosy]

If you like football, you watch the best of everything from NFl to CFL to NCAA to CIS. Those who just watch one type and don't watch too much anything else aren't football fans. On this past weekend, I watched Laval - Queens, Indy-Baltimore & Sask-Calgary.