TV ratings

[argotom]

Huge difference: some NASL teams had numerous "franchise players", MLS teams can't do that. There has also been an unprecedented construction of soccer specific stadiums since the MLS began. The NASL never came close to that.

With all the well-heeled ownership in MLS, you're dreaming if you think it's going away. They're in it for the long haul

They may be in it for the long haul, but sooner than later just like the NASL, there will be no MLS.
I repeat and there is no dispute how with the exception of a handful of teams, the rest are losing a boatload of cash.

[Tau Ceti]

They may be in it for the long haul, but sooner than later just like the NASL, there will be no MLS.
I repeat and there is no dispute how with the exception of a handful of teams, the rest are losing a boatload of cash.

If MLS didn't exist it would need to be invented. There's major structural reasons why it will never really soar but there's no evidence it's in danger of disappearing.

[Invader]

If MLS didn't exist it would need to be invented. There's major structural reasons why it will never really soar but there's no evidence it's in danger of disappearing.

Soccer is here to stay and the CFL is getting in on the ground floor! The Canadian Soccer Association, NASL and CFL are teaming up to create a new Canadian soccer league. The plan is for the current NASL to withdraw from Canada. The CFL will absorb the Canadian teams and create a new soccer league. The NASL would operate teams in the U.S. only. The Canadian league champion would challenge the U.S. champion for the Continental Cup. There could be some interlocking play between the two leagues during the regular season. It is anticipated MLS would take part in the North American championship at some point also.

The CFL would not place soccer teams in cities with current MLS franchises (at least at first, according to a previous agreement between NASL and MLS).. The Canadian soccer teams would play out of CFL stadiums and would be owned by the CFL teams. Cities included so far are Ottawa, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton, with a few more non-affiliated teams.

I could see the Canadian soccer league rivalling the MLS in Canada in short order, possibly resulting in a merger, similar to NFL/AFL merger in the late 60's.

[Qman]

DOG OF THE WEEK: Saturday's MLS game between Toronto FC and Sporting Kansas City drew a paltry 22,000 viewers to TSN2. Even by TFC's low standards for television, that's alarmingly low considering how much MLSE has invested in this team. It truly is a bizarre situation, with the team selling out its stadium but unable to attract flies to its TV product.

If anyone was hoping for a bump in interest after the World Cup, it obviously didn't happen. A Vancouver Whitecaps game on Sunday did better on the main TSN channel, but still failed to crack the 100,000 mark.

Here are the most-watched sports events on English-language television for the past weekend, according to BBM Canada:

1. CFL, Bombers at Lions, Friday, TSN: 857,000
2. CFL, Argonauts at Roughriders, Saturday, TSN: 830,000
3. CFL, RedBlacks at Tiger-Cats, Saturday, TSN: 670,000
4. MLB, Blue Jays at Yankees, Friday, Sportsnet: 651,000
5. MLB, Blue Jays at Yankees, Saturday, Sportsnet: 570,000
6. MLB, Blue Jays at Yankees, Sunday, Sportsnet: 567,000
7. PGA, Canadian Open final round, Sunday, Global: 369,000
8. PGA, Canadian Open third round, Saturday, Global: 269,000
9. UFC, Lawler vs. Browne, Saturday, Sportsnet360: 249,000
10, Auto racing, NASCAR Brickyard 400, Sunday, TSN: 236,000*
11. Commonwealth Games, daily highlights, Saturday, CBC: 232,000
12. Auto racing, F1 Hungarian Grand Prix, Sunday, TSN: 216,000
13. Commonwealth Games, daily highlights, Sunday, CBC: 205,000
14. MLB, Dodgers at Giants, Sunday, TSN: 181,000
15. Cycling, Tour de France, Sunday, Sportsnet: 143,000
16. MLB, Orioles at Mariners, Sunday, Sportsnet One: 122,000
17. MLB, Red Sox at Rays, Saturday, Sportsnet: 116,000
18. Auto racing, F1 Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying, Sunday, TSN: 108,000
19. MLS, FC Dallas at Whitecaps, Sunday, TSN: 99,000

What's a bit surprising is the low MLB numbers for the non-BJ games (avg. 140,000)...and the 22,000 for TFC. They must have been up against the Argos game. Canadians have spoken loud and clear about which brand of football they prefer.

The Thursday CFL game wasn't included in the weekend ratings above, but it probably was the most watched sporting event in Canada last week. The Thursday ratings have been great for the CFL so far this year!



https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh...211841537.html

cgy/edm 1.14million

[1argoholic]

Did anyone see the low light of one MLS guy grabbing the package of another. Just another reason it will never be huge in North America. I can't watch a sport where such stupid conduct is done way to frequently. Ok T Bone, time for you to chime in as you will. Grabbing others guy's packages, biting packages, biting, crawling around like they've been shot.
It was great to see certain World Cup teams not carry on like little sucks but only a few country's act in a professional way.

[ArgoGabe22]

Did anyone see the low light of one MLS guy grabbing the package of another.

Are you aware of what happens in a football scrum? I believe package grabbing was a favourite of Rob Murphy's.

[Qman]

Argos win the week ratings_wise 820,000




1. CFL, Lions at Argonauts, Sunday, TSN: 820,000
2. CFL, Alouettes at Roughriders, Saturday, TSN: 737,000
3. MLB, Blue Jays at White Sox, Sunday, Sportsnet: 633,000
4. MLB, Blue Jays at White Sox, Friday, Sportsnet: 583,000
5. MLB, Blue Jays at White Sox, Saturday, Sportsnet: 580,000
6. CFL, Eskimos at RedBlacks, Friday, TSN: 547,000
7. CFL, Stampeders at Ticats, Saturday, TSN: 490,000

[Downtownfan]

That's an awesome number for August. If we could get even a measly 2% of those viewers down to a game, we would have over 30 k attendance.

[rdavies]

Argos win the week ratings_wise 820,000

It was all BC people watching.

I'd put a smilie but I refuse to use those big blue effn ugly things until they're replaced with something normal.

[Neely2005]

It was all BC people watching.

I'd put a smilie but I refuse to use those big blue effn ugly things until they're replaced with something normal.

Even with out the big blue smiley I know that you're joking but I always get a laugh out of that one. BC has a population of about 4 Million so in order for that to happen about 1 out of every 4 people would have had to watch.

Argos win the week ratings_wise 820,000




1. CFL, Lions at Argonauts, Sunday, TSN: 820,000
2. CFL, Alouettes at Roughriders, Saturday, TSN: 737,000
3. MLB, Blue Jays at White Sox, Sunday, Sportsnet: 633,000
4. MLB, Blue Jays at White Sox, Friday, Sportsnet: 583,000
5. MLB, Blue Jays at White Sox, Saturday, Sportsnet: 580,000
6. CFL, Eskimos at RedBlacks, Friday, TSN: 547,000
7. CFL, Stampeders at Ticats, Saturday, TSN: 490,000

Here's the Link:

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh...184224605.html

[ArgoRavi]

There are a number of interesting things mentioned in this article but it would appear as though the Argos also drew 800k viewers for the Winnipeg game last Tuesday night: http://www.thestar.com/sports/footba...missioner.html

[DoubleBlue1873]

Even with out the big blue smiley I know that you're joking but I always get a laugh out of that one. BC has a population of about 4 Million so in order for that to happen about 1 out of every 4 people would have had to watch.



Here's the Link:

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh...184224605.html

Another thing to keep in mind is that when the Lions play other teams they don't generally win the ratings sweepstakes (I'm not saying they do badly, there's just no appreciable bump as is the case when Saskatchewan plays). As well, while there would've been some "neutral" viewers who watch CFL games not involving their team, that wouldn't account for the big bump in ratings. Ergo, it's logical to conclude that a good number of people watching were Argo fans (self included, and as I live in Ottawa it's impossible to hop on the GO train or subway and head to the SkyDome!).

Another factor to consider is the Sunday night scheduling; Canadians like to watch sporting events on Saturday and Sunday nights (as per Hockey Night in Canada), not on sunny summer afternoons!

[ArgoRavi]

Another thing to keep in mind is that when the Lions play other teams they don't generally win the ratings sweepstakes (I'm not saying they do badly, there's just no appreciable bump as is the case when Saskatchewan plays).

Regarding the Lions, according to the posters on lionbackers.com, their games have been the TV ratings leaders for seven of the first eight weeks of the season.

[Argocister]

Those are great numbers.... 820,000 for Sunday and 800,000 for Tuesday. I think it shows that the Argos are important for the CFL.

We should have a campaign to have all Argofans come out of the closet. .... rogers won't cancel your subscription.... Ticat fans won't ruin your vehicle ... I think .... ;you won't be made fun of .... hopefully.... pick a game day where we all have to wear our game apparel to work . Being an employer my staff will roll their eyes, as they know I would have all of them wear the jerseys or Argo shirts as well

[Qman]

Those are great numbers.... 820,000 for Sunday and 800,000 for Tuesday. I think it shows that the Argos are important for the CFL.

We should have a campaign to have all Argofans come out of the closet. .... rogers won't cancel your subscription.... Ticat fans won't ruin your vehicle ... I think .... ;you won't be made fun of .... hopefully.... pick a game day where we all have to wear our game apparel to work . Being an employer my staff will roll their eyes, as they know I would have all of them wear the jerseys or Argo shirts as well

give us a proper stadium that has a good live experience and we'll drive/ride downtown, otherwise we'll sit at home an watch on tv. Casual argo fans are on strike with the skydome.

[ArgoRavi]

CFL ratings continue to be strong this season: https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh...9.html#more-id

[Neely2005]

CFL ratings continue to be strong this season: https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh...9.html#more-id

Here are the most-watched sports events on English-Canadian television for the past weekend, according to BBM Canada overnight ratings:

1. CFL, Roughriders at Lions, Sunday, TSN: 1,026,000
2. CFL, Alouettes at Blue Bombers, Friday, TSN: 679,000
3. MLB, Rays at Blue Jays, Sunday, Sportsnet: 614,000
4. CFL, Stampeders at Redblacks, Saturday, TSN: 517,000
5. MLB, Rays at Blue Jays, Saturday, Sportsnet: 505,000
6. CFL, Argonauts at Eskimos, Saturday, TSN: 487,000
7. MLB, Rays at Blue Jays, Friday, Sportsnet: 447,000
8. Soccer, Women's under-20 World Cup final, Nigeria vs. Germany, Sunday, CBC: 300,000
9. Auto racing, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Saturday, TSN: 292,000 (Fox audience not measured.)
10. PGA, Barclays final round, Sunday, Global: 266,000
11. PGA, Barclays third round, Saturday, Global: 237,000
12. MLS, Toronto FC at Chicago, Saturday, Sportsnet: 157,000
13. Soccer, Arsenal at Everton, Saturday, TSN: 150,000
14. Soccer, Leicester at Chelsea, Saturday, Sportsnet: 144,000
15. Auto racing, F1 Belgian Grand Prix, Sunday, TSN: 143,000
16. Soccer, Women's under-20 World Cup, France vs. N. Korea, Sunday, CBC: 140,000
17. Soccer, Newcastle at Aston Villa, Saturday, Sportsnet: 120,000
18. Auto racing, IndyCar Sonoma Grand Prix, Sunday, Sportsnet: 104,000

The Labour Day Classics are usually when ratings start to pick up. The Toronto - Hamilton game usually gets huge ratings.

[Qman]

Argos 800k
Jays 575k
TFC 22k (again)


1. CFL, Blue Bombers at Roughriders, Sunday, TSN: 1,144,000
2. CFL, Eskimos at Stampeders, Monday, TSN: 885,000
3. CFL, Argonauts at Ticats, Monday, TSN: 796,000
4. Tennis, U.S. Open, Bouchard vs. Makarova, Monday, TSN/RDS: 755,000
5. MLB, Yankees at Blue Jays, Sunday, Sportsnet: 594,000
6. MLB, Yankees at Blue Jays, Friday, Sportsnet: 579,000
7. MLB, Yankees at Blue Jays, Saturday, Sportsnet: 576,000
8. CFL, RedBlacks at Alouettes, Friday, TSN: 485,000
9. Tennis, U.S. Open, Raonic vs. Nishikora, Monday, TSN/RDS: 448,000
10. Auto racing, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Sunday, TSN: 244,000 (Fox audience not measured)
11. PGA, Deutschebank Championship third round, Sunday, Global: 241,000
12. Martial arts, UFC 177 prelims, Saturday, Sportsnet360: 137,000
13. Soccer, EPL various games, Sunday, TSN: 121,000
14. Soccer, EPL various games, Saturday, TSN: 107,000
15. Soccer, Crystal Palace at Newcastle, Saturday, Sportsnet: 98,000
16. Athletics, Nanjing Youth Olympics, Saturday, CBC: 95,000

[ArgoRavi]

Argos 800k
Jays 575k
TFC 22k (again)


1. CFL, Blue Bombers at Roughriders, Sunday, TSN: 1,144,000
2. CFL, Eskimos at Stampeders, Monday, TSN: 885,000
3. CFL, Argonauts at Ticats, Monday, TSN: 796,000
4. Tennis, U.S. Open, Bouchard vs. Makarova, Monday, TSN/RDS: 755,000
5. MLB, Yankees at Blue Jays, Sunday, Sportsnet: 594,000
6. MLB, Yankees at Blue Jays, Friday, Sportsnet: 579,000
7. MLB, Yankees at Blue Jays, Saturday, Sportsnet: 576,000
8. CFL, RedBlacks at Alouettes, Friday, TSN: 485,000
9. Tennis, U.S. Open, Raonic vs. Nishikora, Monday, TSN/RDS: 448,000
10. Auto racing, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Sunday, TSN: 244,000 (Fox audience not measured)
11. PGA, Deutschebank Championship third round, Sunday, Global: 241,000
12. Martial arts, UFC 177 prelims, Saturday, Sportsnet360: 137,000
13. Soccer, EPL various games, Sunday, TSN: 121,000
14. Soccer, EPL various games, Saturday, TSN: 107,000
15. Soccer, Crystal Palace at Newcastle, Saturday, Sportsnet: 98,000
16. Athletics, Nanjing Youth Olympics, Saturday, CBC: 95,000

This impressive fact can also be added:

#LDClassic weekend averaged 904,000 viewers/game on #TSN #RDS - highest wknd average since 2010 #CFL

— Jamie Dykstra (@CFL_PR) September 3, 2014

Even though the quality and excitement level of play has been sub-standard so far this season, the TV numbers don't seem to have been affected much.

[Neely2005]

Argos 800k
Jays 575k
TFC 22k (again)


1. CFL, Blue Bombers at Roughriders, Sunday, TSN: 1,144,000
2. CFL, Eskimos at Stampeders, Monday, TSN: 885,000
3. CFL, Argonauts at Ticats, Monday, TSN: 796,000
4. Tennis, U.S. Open, Bouchard vs. Makarova, Monday, TSN/RDS: 755,000
5. MLB, Yankees at Blue Jays, Sunday, Sportsnet: 594,000
6. MLB, Yankees at Blue Jays, Friday, Sportsnet: 579,000
7. MLB, Yankees at Blue Jays, Saturday, Sportsnet: 576,000
8. CFL, RedBlacks at Alouettes, Friday, TSN: 485,000
9. Tennis, U.S. Open, Raonic vs. Nishikora, Monday, TSN/RDS: 448,000
10. Auto racing, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Sunday, TSN: 244,000 (Fox audience not measured)
11. PGA, Deutschebank Championship third round, Sunday, Global: 241,000
12. Martial arts, UFC 177 prelims, Saturday, Sportsnet360: 137,000
13. Soccer, EPL various games, Sunday, TSN: 121,000
14. Soccer, EPL various games, Saturday, TSN: 107,000
15. Soccer, Crystal Palace at Newcastle, Saturday, Sportsnet: 98,000
16. Athletics, Nanjing Youth Olympics, Saturday, CBC: 95,000

Here's the Link:

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh...5.html#more-id