2018 CFL TV Ratings

[ArgoZ]

Maybe on the secondary market, but I'm a Leafs season ticket holder and I pay less than $100 a game.

Well, ST are not available for sale, but if your lucky (like you), you can pay around $5000 minumum (do you still have to pay for Raptors?) and pay about 20% less than box office prices.

[R.J]

Well, ST are not available for sale, but if your lucky (like you), you can pay around $5000 minumum (do you still have to pay for Raptors?) and pay about 20% less than box office prices.

My seat is a lot less than $5000, and upper bowl seat holders don't have to buy Raps tickets.

[ArgoZ]

My seat is a lot less than $5000, and upper bowl seat holders don't have to buy Raps tickets.

Sorry, $5000 for a pair in purples. I know you had to buy Raps in greens years ago, but maybe that's changed due to their increased popularity. Interesting stat according to the National Post: 99+% renewal rate and 10 000 waiting list means about 250 years until you can buy a pair.

[Argofan_1000]

Well since TSN and CTV are Bell Media, its not a matter of giving more, the CFL would love to be on CTV. Bell Media doesn't want to give up its TSN subscribership. But I'm telling you unless they give up to either free to air, or affordable internet viewing, TSN and the CFL are in trouble.

CTV won't happen except maybe a Grey Cup.

I think of the 9.5 million subscribers to TSN 2 million are there for the CFL across the country. Reason I say 2 million is the numbers TSN received for the pre and post game Grey Cup games last year and they get it year in and year out. That was continuous viewers and it was 2 million average. This is not the game viewers, just the pre and post game. therefore;

2 million viewers of the 9.5 million TSN subscibers X $10 a month = anyone? anyone? $240,000,000. ($240 million) Now is this minor league?

thats why. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhiCFdWeQfA

[jerrym]

CTV won't happen except maybe a Grey Cup.

I think of the 9.5 million subscribers to TSN 2 million are there for the CFL across the country. Reason I say 2 million is the numbers TSN received for the pre and post game Grey Cup games last year and they get it year in and year out. That was continuous viewers and it was 2 million average. This is not the game viewers, just the pre and post game. therefore;

2 million viewers of the 9.5 million TSN subscibers X $10 a month = anyone? anyone? $240,000,000. ($240 million) Now is this minor league?

thats why. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhiCFdWeQfA

I am a TSN subscriber who drops it immediately after the Grey Cup and switch it for a movie channel until the preseason as there isn't much else I'm interested in. CBC's Hockey Night in Canada provides enough hockey for me now that season is so long and my favourite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves, I can get for free a couple of times a month for free with MLB's free game of the day so I don't need Sportsnet.

[Argofan_1000]

I am a TSN subscriber who drops it immediately after the Grey Cup and switch it for a movie channel until the preseason as there isn't much else I'm interested in. CBC's Hockey Night in Canada provides enough hockey for me now that season is so long and my favourite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves, I can get for free a couple of times a month for free with MLB's free game of the day so I don't need Sportsnet.

I drop TSN 2 in Burlington after the season. That alone costs me $7 per month plus I pay a premium for HD so I can watch some of the CFL games in HD. It is a lot of money Bell receives from CFL viewers.

My calculations did not include TV advertising from the 81 regular season games, playoffs, GC and specialty CFL programs. Include RDS, ESPN and all the on line stuff and it looks like a lot of money Bell takes in.

[jerrym]

Saskatchewan once again led the TV viewership rankings with almost 750,000 viewers, while the Argos vs. BC was the least watched game.

Week 17 ratings
Friday
Winnipeg at Ottawa: 514,000

Saturday
Toronto at B.C.: 388,600

Monday
Calgary at Montreal: 503,500
Edmonton at Saskatchewan: 749,300

Week 17 (2018) vs. Week 16 (2018): -7.4 per cent
Year-to-date (65 games) vs 2017 (65 games): +5.9 per cent

http://3downnation.com/2018/10/12/cf...ratings-boost/

[ArgoRavi]

Saskatchewan once again led the TV viewership rankings with almost 750,000 viewers, while the Argos vs. BC was the least watched game.


http://3downnation.com/2018/10/12/cf...ratings-boost/

That Argos/Lions figure isn't all that bad considering that it went head-to-head with the opening Saturday night of the NHL season.

[CFLfan]

I am a TSN subscriber who drops it immediately after the Grey Cup and switch it for a movie channel until the preseason as there isn't much else I'm interested in. CBC's Hockey Night in Canada provides enough hockey for me now that season is so long and my favourite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves, I can get for free a couple of times a month for free with MLB's free game of the day so I don't need Sportsnet.

I assume you are a Rogers subscriber? If you are a Bell subscriber you would receive TSN on the basic entry package (good) but if you wanted Sportsnet you would have to upgrade to the (better) package. If you are a Rogers subscriber, Sportsnet comes with the basic package but if you want TSN you have to upgrade.

[Neely2005]

I drop TSN 2 in Burlington after the season. That alone costs me $7 per month plus I pay a premium for HD so I can watch some of the CFL games in HD. It is a lot of money Bell receives from CFL viewers.

My calculations did not include TV advertising from the 81 regular season games, playoffs, GC and specialty CFL programs. Include RDS, ESPN and all the on line stuff and it looks like a lot of money Bell takes in.

Who are you with that charges a premium for HD? We're with Rogers and they got rid of that fee/package years ago.

[R.J]

http://3downnation.com/2018/10/18/cf...leheader-tank/

Week 18 ratings

Friday
Hamilton at Toronto: 377,400

Saturday
Saskatchewan at Winnipeg: 513,900
Ottawa at Edmonton: 472,500
B.C. at Calgary: 487,900

Week 18 (2018) vs. Week 17 (2018): -11.3 per cent
Year-to-date (69 games) vs 2017 (69 games): +4.9 per cent

http://3downnation.com/2018/10/26/cf...ratings-boost/

Week 19 ratings

Friday
Hamilton at Ottawa: 486,200
Edmonton at B.C.: 583,100

Saturday
Montreal at Toronto: 315,200
Saskatchewan at Calgary: 503,500

Week 19 (2018) vs. Week 18 (2018): +18.9 per cent
Year-to-date (73 games) vs 2017 (73 games): +5.5 per cent

TBH, I haven't been this concerned about the CFL since the mid 90's (when I became a fan funny enough) - Too many 300k viewership games the past couple of years, and a lot of empty seats in stadiums.

[SkalbaniasGhost]

http://3downnation.com/2018/10/18/cf...leheader-tank/


http://3downnation.com/2018/10/26/cfl-rating-report-playoffs-races-provide-ratings-boost/


TBH, I haven't been this concerned about the CFL since the mid 90's (when I became a fan funny enough) - Too many 300k viewership games the past couple of years, and a lot of empty seats in stadiums.

TPTB's plan is almost complete. They just have that pesky CBA negotiation to complete in March.

[argos1873]

TPTB's plan is almost complete. They just have that pesky CBA negotiation to complete in March.

Do you actually believe they are suppressing numbers, just to get a good CBA next year? Anyone who has the slightest business knowledge knows that's the worst way to do business.

[jerrym]

The TV ratings for the finals were down, especially for the East final, which was down 50%. Should the playoffs be moved to Saturday to avoid competition with the NFL?

After a regular season that featured a solid increase in TV ratings, the CFL playoffs numbers have taken a nosedive.
Last Sunday’s East final between the Ottawa Redblacks and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats had an average audience of just 729,000 on TSN – a drop of almost 50 per cent from 2017 when the Toronto Argonauts hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Even taking the Riders out of the equation – and they consistently draw the CFL’s highest audiences – Sunday’s game was still down 38 per cent from 2016 when Ottawa hosted the crossover Edmonton Eskimos.
The West final between the Calgary Stampeders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers did better, with an audience of over 1.2 million but that’s still a decrease of 8.7 per cent from last season’s Calgary win over Edmonton. And it was down slightly from last week’s semifinal game between Winnipeg and Saskatchewan. ...

There are a couple of possible explanations for the precipitous dip. The elimination of the Riders from playoff contention – and the massive audiences they’ve been drawing this season – didn’t help. That Ottawa held a 14-point advantage over Hamilton at halftime and turned the game into a blow out in the third was also likely a factor.
But the biggest competitor for eyeballs on Sunday: the NFL, which has seen a significant spike in rating this season. Through Week 8, NFL ratings were up 19 per cent across CTV, TSN and RDS compared to the same time frame last year. By hosting it’s playoff games on Sunday at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. EST, the CFL is going to head-to-head with the NFL – something they choose not to do in the regular season. The Canadian league played just four of 81 regular-season games on Sunday this season and six in 2017. Saturday was the most-watched day of the week last year.

As we discussed on the 3DownNation podcast this week: it’s time for the CFL to consider moving its playoff games to Saturday. ...

CFL East and West final ratings
Sunday
Hamilton at Ottawa: 729,000 (-48.2 from 2017)
Winnipeg at Calgary: 1,220,000 (-8.7 from 2017)
Semifinals (2018) vs. Semifinals (2017): -28.9 per cent
Year-to-date (85 games) vs 2017 (85 games): +1.7 per cent

http://www.3downnation.com/2018/11/2...t-50-per-cent/

[CFLfan]

The TV ratings for the finals were down, especially for the East final, which was down 50%. Should the playoffs be moved to Saturday to avoid competition with the NFL?


http://www.3downnation.com/2018/11/2...t-50-per-cent/

I agree with what they are suggesting on 3 Down Nation - move the playoffs to Saturday.
I don't buy the "boring" game/blowout theory, for a 50% drop. The Ticats were behind by 7 points with 3 minutes left in the first half, then the collapse just before half time. Most viewers would have watched at least 90 minutes of the game before the blow out, the Ticats scored just before half time after the Rose disqualification and most would've hung around until Ottawa scored the first drive of the second half.
The West final was over 1 million, the west drives the TV ratings and the attendance.
The CFL was careful to avoid going head to head against the NFL during the season.

A huge increase in the NFL numbers in Canada, surprised about the increase in female viewership.

https://torontosun.com/sports/footba...over-last-year

"The percentage increase of female viewership in Canada is up “over 20%,”

[AngeloV]

I agree with what they are suggesting on 3 Down Nation - move the playoffs to Saturday.
I don't buy the "boring" game/blowout theory, for a 50% drop. The Ticats were behind by 7 points with 3 minutes left in the first half, then the collapse just before half time. Most viewers would have watched at least 90 minutes of the game before the blow out, the Ticats scored just before half time after the Rose disqualification and most would've hung around until Ottawa scored the first drive of the second half.
The West final was over 1 million, the west drives the TV ratings and the attendance.
The CFL was careful to avoid going head to head against the NFL during the season.

A huge increase in the NFL numbers in Canada, surprised about the increase in female viewership.

[FONT="][/FONT]

https://torontosun.com/sports/footba...over-last-year

[FONT="]"The percentage increase of female viewership in Canada is up “over 20%,”[/FONT]

League moved the playoffs to a Saturday once, not sure of the year but it was maybe 10-15 years ago, and ratings were brutal. A lot of people work on Saturdays, and you can't go head to head with HNIC, so playing at night is not an option either. I don't see this as a reason to be worried. Maybe the lack of the Argos in the playoffs and Saskatchewan being ousted the previous week have more to do with this than anything else.

Of course, rating out west might be down because they are tired of seeing what they believe to be a substandard East division team alive and getting home playoff games over a west team that had a better record. I personally, love the east vs west format we now have, but this might be a protest from those that think the league should go to 1 division.

Just a thought, but I may be reading more into this than is actually there.

[paulwoods13]

Maybe return to later games, i.e. 4 and 7:30 ET. This was done for a few years and I think the ratings were strong. Since it would go up against Sunday Night Football, TSN likely would not want to make this change, but I'd personally like to see this tried again.

[ArgoRavi]

League moved the playoffs to a Saturday once, not sure of the year but it was maybe 10-15 years ago, and ratings were brutal. A lot of people work on Saturdays, and you can't go head to head with HNIC, so playing at night is not an option either. I don't see this as a reason to be worried. Maybe the lack of the Argos in the playoffs and Saskatchewan being ousted the previous week have more to do with this than anything else.

Of course, rating out west might be down because they are tired of seeing what they believe to be a substandard East division team alive and getting home playoff games over a west team that had a better record. I personally, love the east vs west format we now have, but this might be a protest from those that think the league should go to 1 division.

Just a thought, but I may be reading more into this than is actually there.

2008 was the year that the CFL tried Saturday playoff games and ratings dropped a fair bit.

Just because they had one subpar playoff Sunday is no reason to go away from what has, largely, been a very successful formula over the past few decades.

Maybe return to later games, i.e. 4 and 7:30 ET. This was done for a few years and I think the ratings were strong. Since it would go up against Sunday Night Football, TSN likely would not want to make this change, but I'd personally like to see this tried again.

The league did those later Sunday playoff games from 2003 to 2005 and they worked very well from a ratings standpoint. I think that there were concerns around attendance being a challenge for later games played outdoors in the west but attendance numbers during those years were still pretty robust. I was surprised that they ever moved away from those later starts.

Regarding that Sun article, isn't it amazing what having an over-the-air provider, in addition to TSN, can do for the ratings, even if it is only CTV2? I firmly believe that not having an over-the-air provider for the past decade hasn't done the CFL any favours and that they have lost ground to the NFL in Canada, as a result. I would also argue that Bell promotes the NFL far more and better than they do the CFL.

[Argofan_1000]

2008 was the year that the CFL tried Saturday playoff games and ratings dropped a fair bit.

Just because they had one subpar playoff Sunday is no reason to go away from what has, largely, been a very successful formula over the past few decades.



The league did those later Sunday playoff games from 2003 to 2005 and they worked very well from a ratings standpoint. I think that there were concerns around attendance being a challenge for later games played outdoors in the west but attendance numbers during those years were still pretty robust. I was surprised that they ever moved away from those later starts.

Regarding that Sun article, isn't it amazing what having an over-the-air provider, in addition to TSN, can do for the ratings, even if it is only CTV2? I firmly believe that not having an over-the-air provider for the past decade hasn't done the CFL any favours and that they have lost ground to the NFL in Canada, as a result. I would also argue that Bell promotes the NFL far more and better than they do the CFL.

I don't understand the rating system as very little information is available.

Numeris does not measure Hamilton and Ottawa per info on Wikipedia. So Ottawa and Hamilton play each other and Numeris releases information about this game. How did they do that? Does anyone - anyone not think that people in those cities aren't watching? I think this kind of problem is why Numeris doesn't release information on the structure of these measurements. There is a problem and have said so. Canada is difficult to measure and sport is the hardest to gauge.

[jerrym]

The Grey Cup viewership at 3.1 million was down 23% from last year and the lowest since 2001. During the regular season (85 games) viewership increased 1.7%. For the regular season and playoffs combined viewership was down 0.3%.

http://3downnation.com/2018/11/26/gr...g-23-per-cent/