Damien Cox - Argos v TFC

[Will]

It will be interesting to see how MLS ratings are for the Toronto-Montreal series.

[Argoknot]

With those numbers, I'm guessing Rod Black no longer does figure skating.

Not exactly a big time competition to broadcast.

[Ron]

I would imagine that the Argo game getting 491K must mean people in the GTA were watching

[Neely2005]

NHL, Canucks-Leafs/Sabres-Sens/Oilers-Isles/Flyers-Habs, Saturday, CBC-Sportsnet-City: 2,200,000
NFL, Colts-Packers/Saints-Niners, Sunday, CTV: 848,000
NHL, Flames at Kings, Saturday, CBC-Sportsnet: 678,000
NFL, Steelers-Ravens/Eagles-Giants/Lions-Vikes, Sunday, CTV: 670,000
CFL, Roughriders at Lions, Saturday, TSN: 582,000
NHL, Hockey Central, Saturday, CBC-Sportsnet-City: 503,000
CFL, Argonauts at Eskimos, Saturday, TSN: 491,000
NHL, Jets at Rangers, Sunday, Sportsnet-360: 440,000
CFL, Blue Bombers at Redblacks, Saturday, TSN: 387,000
CFL, Alouettes at Tiger-Cats, Saturday, TSN: 364,000
NFL, Broncos at Raiders, Sunday, TSN: 316,000 (NBC audience not measured)
NBA, Kings at Raptors, Sunday, Sportsnet One: 244,000
MLS, TFC at NYC, Sunday, TSN: 221,000
NHL, Flames at Ducks, Sunday, Sportsnet One: 215,000
NHL, Oilers at Red Wings, Sunday, Sportsnet West: 212,000
MLS, Montreal at NY Red Bulls, Sunday, TSN: 181,000
Speed skating, Short-track World Cup, Saturday, CBC: 179,000
Figure skating, Rostelecom Cup, Saturday, CBC: 164,000
Figure skating, Rostelecom Cup, Sunday, CBC: 155,000
Soccer, Premier League games, Saturday, TSN: 118,000
Soccer, Watford at Liverpool, Saturday, TSN: 117,000
NHL, Jets at Red Wings, Friday, TSN Regional: 106,000
Soccer, Tottenham at Arsenal, Sunday, TSN: 105,000
Auto racing, NASCAR AAA Texas 500, Sunday, TSN 105,000

So a meaningless Argonauts game crushed a TFC playoff game.

[Argoknot]

So a meaningless Argonauts game crushed a TFC playoff game.

In a word, yes, and likely (until the series against Montreal) the most meaningful game in TFC history. And to me that is a relatively poor CFL number.

[Argoknot]

I would imagine that the Argo game getting 491K must mean people in the GTA were watching

While I can't prove it, I would think the large fluctuation in Argo numbers would indicate that it is people from the GTA watching and not as the haterz keep telling us the people of Saskatchewan. When the Argos had the 900k game did the people of Saskatchewan suddenly prefer the Argos over their own Riders? When the Argos floundered so did their numbers.

Toronto team ratings are driven by the massive numbers of people in the GTA. When the Jays and Raps had playoff success the numbers boomed, both were behind the CFL before that.

[argotom]

MLS games all draw numbers worse than infomercials, family and friends.

[ArgoRavi]

Does anyone know what the overall CFL regular season TV rating average was in 2016 and how it compares to 2015?

......Same question for MLS.

I don't know the MLS numbers but the CFL numbers have been tracking higher this season than last year up until two or three weeks ago at least. And that is despite an awful lot of competition against the CFL this year such as the Olympics, the Blue Jays' run, and World Cup of Hockey. If the Riders and Argos had both had better seasons this year, we would have seen even higher TV numbers IMO.

[PullTogether73]

NHL, Canucks-Leafs/Sabres-Sens/Oilers-Isles/Flyers-Habs, Saturday, CBC-Sportsnet-City: 2,200,000
NFL, Colts-Packers/Saints-Niners, Sunday, CTV: 848,000
NHL, Flames at Kings, Saturday, CBC-Sportsnet: 678,000
NFL, Steelers-Ravens/Eagles-Giants/Lions-Vikes, Sunday, CTV: 670,000
CFL, Roughriders at Lions, Saturday, TSN: 582,000
NHL, Hockey Central, Saturday, CBC-Sportsnet-City: 503,000
CFL, Argonauts at Eskimos, Saturday, TSN: 491,000
NHL, Jets at Rangers, Sunday, Sportsnet-360: 440,000
CFL, Blue Bombers at Redblacks, Saturday, TSN: 387,000
CFL, Alouettes at Tiger-Cats, Saturday, TSN: 364,000
NFL, Broncos at Raiders, Sunday, TSN: 316,000 (NBC audience not measured)
NBA, Kings at Raptors, Sunday, Sportsnet One: 244,000
MLS, TFC at NYC, Sunday, TSN: 221,000
NHL, Flames at Ducks, Sunday, Sportsnet One: 215,000
NHL, Oilers at Red Wings, Sunday, Sportsnet West: 212,000
MLS, Montreal at NY Red Bulls, Sunday, TSN: 181,000
Speed skating, Short-track World Cup, Saturday, CBC: 179,000
Figure skating, Rostelecom Cup, Saturday, CBC: 164,000
Figure skating, Rostelecom Cup, Sunday, CBC: 155,000
Soccer, Premier League games, Saturday, TSN: 118,000
Soccer, Watford at Liverpool, Saturday, TSN: 117,000
NHL, Jets at Red Wings, Friday, TSN Regional: 106,000
Soccer, Tottenham at Arsenal, Sunday, TSN: 105,000
Auto racing, NASCAR AAA Texas 500, Sunday, TSN 105,000

Never mind the TFC number above...why does everyone assume that the Raptors are such a big deal?
Barely above TFC in viewership, and well below all four CFL games, including a nothing game between Hamilton and Montreal.
I don't get the assumption that the Raptors are so widely followed.

[Argoknot]

Never mind the TFC number above...why does everyone assume that the Raptors are such a big deal?
Barely above TFC in viewership, and well below all four CFL games, including a nothing game between Hamilton and Montreal.
I don't get the assumption that the Raptors are so widely followed.

The Raptors were never a big deal until their playoff run which is what also makes the treatment of the CFL so galling. And the Hamilton/Montreal numbers are much higher because the number above doesn't include RDS.

[ArgoZ]

While I can't prove it, I would think the large fluctuation in Argo numbers would indicate that it is people from the GTA watching and not as the haterz keep telling us the people of Saskatchewan. When the Argos had the 900k game did the people of Saskatchewan suddenly prefer the Argos over their own Riders? When the Argos floundered so did their numbers.

Toronto team ratings are driven by the massive numbers of people in the GTA. When the Jays and Raps had playoff success the numbers boomed, both were behind the CFL before that.

Do people really believe that the majority of viewers that watch an Argonauts vs RedBlacks/Cats/Montreal game come from out West? I think very few are even turning in, during a glorious summer. That argument falters even more when the Cats play Sask and next week the Cats draw a bigger number playing the Argos. So Sask viewers preferred the Argos to Riders? LOL

[Neely2005]

Does anyone know what the overall CFL regular season TV rating average was in 2016 and how it compares to 2015?

......Same question for MLS.

TFC was averaging TV ratings of 32,000 per game in the regular season.

[ArgoRavi]

Never mind the TFC number above...why does everyone assume that the Raptors are such a big deal?
Barely above TFC in viewership, and well below all four CFL games, including a nothing game between Hamilton and Montreal.
I don't get the assumption that the Raptors are so widely followed.

Have a look at this recent column by Chris Zelkovich: https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh...153155409.html

If my reading is correct, Raptors "fans" don't actually watch the full games but only bits and pieces at best. They may only watch the highlights but do so in big numbers. This reminds me of the old saying that you only need to watch the final 5 minutes of a basketball game as the rest of the game is irrelevant. I guess that many of the Raptors' followers feel that way.

[RB957]

Here is a link to Damien Cox's most recent column in the the Toronto Star this morning:

https://www.thestar.com/sports/footb...tball-cox.html


The last bit of the column is the best, and is great to see for all CFL fans. I have reprinted it below:

In Canada, after Rogers and Sportsnet owned September and October with strong World Cup of Hockey and Blue Jays ratings, these NFL games delivered good numbers for Bell and TSN, which really needs football to drive its numbers these days. Interestingly, the NFL games drew about half the eyeballs on Canadian airwaves than did the CFL playoff games.
Those contests were entertaining and tight in Hamilton and Vancouver, but the loss of the Tiger-Cats as a possible contestant for the Nov. 27 Grey Cup Game at BMO Field takes away a potentially good draw from a game that’s having trouble selling tickets. Edmonton won the game but may have lost quarterback Mike Rielly to injury, while out west Winnipeg’s first winning season in a while crashed to an abrupt conclusion against the Lions.
Still, the CFL stood strong against the NFL up here, good news indeed for Jeffrey Orridge’s league, which has suffered through awful football in Eastern Canada this year and lousy seasons in the key football markets of Toronto and Regina.
With the NHL and NBA just getting revved up, this should be football’s month in Canada. The NFL and CFL may deal in different dimensions, but both could surely use a run of entertaining games to remind people they are as relevant as ever.

[ArgoRavi]

Here is a link to Damien Cox's most recent column in the the Toronto Star this morning:

https://www.thestar.com/sports/footb...tball-cox.html


The last bit of the column is the best, and is great to see for all CFL fans. I have reprinted it below:

In Canada, after Rogers and Sportsnet owned September and October with strong World Cup of Hockey and Blue Jays ratings, these NFL games delivered good numbers for Bell and TSN, which really needs football to drive its numbers these days. Interestingly, the NFL games drew about half the eyeballs on Canadian airwaves than did the CFL playoff games.
Those contests were entertaining and tight in Hamilton and Vancouver, but the loss of the Tiger-Cats as a possible contestant for the Nov. 27 Grey Cup Game at BMO Field takes away a potentially good draw from a game that’s having trouble selling tickets. Edmonton won the game but may have lost quarterback Mike Rielly to injury, while out west Winnipeg’s first winning season in a while crashed to an abrupt conclusion against the Lions.
Still, the CFL stood strong against the NFL up here, good news indeed for Jeffrey Orridge’s league, which has suffered through awful football in Eastern Canada this year and lousy seasons in the key football markets of Toronto and Regina.
With the NHL and NBA just getting revved up, this should be football’s month in Canada. The NFL and CFL may deal in different dimensions, but both could surely use a run of entertaining games to remind people they are as relevant as ever.

I wonder why Cox's article focused mostly on the NFL then.

[Shipyard]

TFC was averaging TV ratings of 32,000 per game in the regular season.

actually it was 38k ... LMOL

[argotom]

actually it was 38k ... LMOL

Big deal, family and friends numbers way below informercial figures.

[Downtownfan]

From a CP article, one that paints a much different picture of TFC than you usually hear. While the team has many positives, such as season tickets and overall attendance, it is not all rosy. https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/tor...213419470.html

But hey, would you ever hear that...

"While Toronto FC is enjoying its most successful season on the pitch, the MLS franchise won't make money this season. ...The team tracks both paid attendance and the actual turnstile count at BMO Field. The gap between the two narrowed by 3,000 each game this season even though paid tickets were only up 1,500 a match. ...The team only gets about 100 walkup fans a game, Manning said.... ...While he was happy with playoff audiences of more than 200,000, regular season ratings were down this year. He hopes to discuss scheduling and numbers with his TV partners in the off-season...."

[AngeloV]

From a CP article, one that paints a much different picture of TFC than you usually hear. While the team has many positives, such as season tickets and overall attendance, it is not all rosy. https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/tor...213419470.html

But hey, would you ever hear that...

"While Toronto FC is enjoying its most successful season on the pitch, the MLS franchise won't make money this season. ...The team tracks both paid attendance and the actual turnstile count at BMO Field. The gap between the two narrowed by 3,000 each game this season even though paid tickets were only up 1,500 a match. ...The team only gets about 100 walkup fans a game, Manning said.... ...While he was happy with playoff audiences of more than 200,000, regular season ratings were down this year. He hopes to discuss scheduling and numbers with his TV partners in the off-season...."

All kidding aside, their season is just way too long with the ridiculous amount of FIFA mandated breaks. If the CFL had 2 week breaks between each round of the playoffs, people wouldn't hesitate to call it out as a bush league.

[Shipyard]

From a CP article, one that paints a much different picture of TFC than you usually hear. While the team has many positives, such as season tickets and overall attendance, it is not all rosy. https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/tor...213419470.html

But hey, would you ever hear that...

"While Toronto FC is enjoying its most successful season on the pitch, the MLS franchise won't make money this season. ...The team tracks both paid attendance and the actual turnstile count at BMO Field. The gap between the two narrowed by 3,000 each game this season even though paid tickets were only up 1,500 a match. ...The team only gets about 100 walkup fans a game, Manning said.... ...While he was happy with playoff audiences of more than 200,000, regular season ratings were down this year. He hopes to discuss scheduling and numbers with his TV partners in the off-season...."

Still don't get why MLSE looks at losing $15-$20million a season on TFC as good business .. thats more than they paid for the franchise.