CFL TV Ratings and Argos below Blue Jays

[jerrym]

With the Argos and Blue Jays playing at the same time on Saturday, the Blue Jays outdrew the Argos on TV.

The Blue Birds average audience was 586,900 compared to the boatmen’s 429,000, a decided win for the city’s MLB franchise. In the 25 to 54 age demographic, 152,600 watched the Blue Jays while 123,800 chose the Argos. Despite the age-old joke about the Argonauts poor fan attendance numbers, the double blue do draw on television. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are the CFL’s TV kings, but the Argos are not the worst in the league for producing game consumption numbers. In recent years, Toronto has been better than you think in the television viewership category.
For three straight weeks to begin the 2021 CFL season, TSN has seen an average viewership of over 540,000. That’s certainly a positive for the three-down league returning to football following a cancelled campaign in 2020.
Week 3 TV ratings:

Thursday Edmonton at B.C.: 499,900
Friday Montreal at Calgary: 544,000

Saturday Winnipeg at Toronto: 429,000
Ottawa at Saskatchewan: 628,700

Total Week 3 average: 525,400

https://3downnation.com/2021/08/24/t...ith-blue-jays/

[ArgoRavi]

Rogers puts the Jays on at least four of their channels every game; TSN rarely puts CFL on more than two of theirs. The Argos game last Saturday was only on TSN1. If you live in the GTA, have cable but don't subscribe to all five TSN stations, you wouldn't have seen this game as it wasn't on TSN4 which is the only TSN channel these people would have.

[AngeloV]

Rogers puts the Jays on at least four of their channels every game; TSN rarely puts CFL on more than two of theirs. The Argos game last Saturday was only on TSN1. If you live in the GTA, have cable but don't subscribe to all five TSN stations, you wouldn't have seen this game as it wasn't on TSN4 which is the only TSN channel these people would have.

Honestly, it's time to stop with the excuses. I have led the charge of excuses in the past. It's quite obvious the Argos don't currently have the following that they should in the GTA. This can and hopefully will change, but the organization needs to do more to get the change we all are hoping for.

I will never apologize for loving the Argos and the CFL, but we have to be honest.

[SkalbaniasGhost]

Honestly, it's time to stop with the excuses. I have led the charge of excuses in the past. It's quite obvious the Argos don't currently have the following that they should in the GTA. This can and hopefully will change, but the organization needs to do more to get the change we all are hoping for.

I will never apologize for loving the Argos and the CFL, but we have to be honest.

The caretakers are doing everything within their powers to grow football in the GTA.
The internal metrics at TSN demonstrate there is a hidden Coastal Carolina fanbase waiting to break out at any moment.

https://www.tsn.ca/ncaa-football-on-tsn-1.1512555
We just have to be a little more patient.

[Will]

None the less, I thought the article was fair (and I can't say that often as it pertains to the Argos and 3DownNation), Dunk points out that the Argos TV ratings are still respectable.

[Rich]

Honestly, it's time to stop with the excuses. I have led the charge of excuses in the past. It's quite obvious the Argos don't currently have the following that they should in the GTA. This can and hopefully will change, but the organization needs to do more to get the change we all are hoping for.

I will never apologize for loving the Argos and the CFL, but we have to be honest.

Not having the Argonauts on basic cable in Toronto definitely limits their audience reach. It’s not an excuse to say so.

[paulwoods13]

Not having the Argonauts on basic cable in Toronto definitely limits their audience reach. It’s not an excuse to say so.

True indeed. One of the most annoying aspects of TSN's sales strategy is the apparently deliberate effort to keep some CFL games off the basic package in one of the regions that would be most interested in the game. Doesn't happen all the time, but IMO it should never happen, and the CFL should have insisted on that when it negotiated the contract.

[AngeloV]

Not having the Argonauts on basic cable in Toronto definitely limits their audience reach. It’s not an excuse to say so.

I don’t disagree and I have complained about it earlier this season. Just saying that if it’s not this, it’s another excuse. To me the lack of popularity with the team false on ownership. Not just this ownership, but previous ones as well. I think when they are allowed to fill the stadium again, MLSE needs to start papering the house on the east side with tickets going to mostly kids. They will still make money off food and beverage sales and people haps build a base of young fans for the future. It’s better than having all those seats empty.

[Will]

I think one can recognize that the Argos front office (under many different owners) needs to help themselves too while at the same time acknowledging the hostility that the team faces from certain stakeholders in the Greater Toronto Area.

[jerrym]

John Hodge comments on the CFL TV ratings in the video at the url below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgHPUzXhPZM

[jerrym]

The Jays and their push for the playoffs, as well as Patrick Mahomet continue to draw higher numbers than the CFL on TV. However, thanks to playing the Riders the Argos had the highest viewership game in the CFL last week.

Star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and his Blue Jays are capturing attention while chipping away at CFL television ratings on TSN.
Guerrero Jr. has garnered American League MVP buzz during his hotly contested MLB home run king competition. He has 46 homers on the season as the Jays currently hold one of the coveted AL Wild Card playoff spots. Intrigue in the boys of summer who are trying to secure playing playoff baseball in the fall has hurt three-down football viewership.
During the two days over the weekend where the CFL and Blue Jays were competing, Canada’s only Major League Baseball team totalled 912,000 average viewers on Friday and 865,300 on Saturday. Those numbers gave Sportsnet and the Jays the two highest-rated sports events of the weekend.
The only one that came close was the highly anticipated Sunday Night Football match-up between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson duelled in an entertaining 36-35 win for the birds. The two quarterbacks with one NFL MVP award each on their resumes drew 852,700 on TSN.
One positive for the CFL, the league bounced back from its lowest-rated week of the 2021 season. Even though the Banjo Bowl was featured along with two other Labour Day Classic rematches, TSN pulled in a Week 6 per game viewership of 466,000. The three-down league was able to move back above 500,000 and do so for the sixth out of seven weeks played to date.

Week 7 TV ratings:
Friday
Calgary at Hamilton: 458,000
Toronto at Saskatchewan: 644,200

Saturday
B.C. at Montreal: 440,000
Winnipeg at Edmonton: 536,400

https://3downnation.com/2021/09/21/c...das-attention/

[jerrym]

In the CFL finals, the TV ratings were strong. although weaker among the 24-54 cohort.

The CFL posted strong television ratings for Sunday’s playoff action, albeit with a dip in the critical 25-54 age demographic.
An average audience of 846,000 viewers watched the Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeat the Toronto Argonauts in the East Final and an average audience of 1,346,000 viewers tuned in to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers beating the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West Final.
This year’s average television audience of 1,096,000 for the division finals was down 15.4 percent from 2019, though it was also 11.1 percent higher than the same week in 2018.
Sunday’s first game generated an average audience of 197,000 in the key 25-54 age demographic with 513,000 viewers falling into the 55-plus age range. The later game had similar demographics with 343,000 viewers in the 25-54 age range and 781,000 viewers in the 55-plus age range.
Last year’s West Final drew an average audience of 562,600 in the 25-54 age demographic. This means that the 2021 game drew 21.2 percent fewer viewers overall and a 36 percent dip in the key “young adult” age bracket.

The 2019 Grey Cup posted an average audience of 3,682,600, which was a 15 percent increase from 2018. Will the television audience have the same hunger for another matchup between Winnipeg and Hamilton on Dec. 12? We’ll find out Sunday at Tim Hortons Field.
Division finals TV ratings 2021:
Hamilton at Toronto — 846,000
Saskatchewan at Winnipeg — 1,346,000

Average: 1,096,000
Division finals TV ratings 2019:
Edmonton at Hamilton — 898,400
Winnipeg at Saskatchewan — 1,631,900
Average: 1,265,150
Division finals TV ratings 2018:

Hamilton at Ottawa — 729,000
Winnipeg at Calgary — 1,222,030
Average: 974,650
Division finals TV ratings 2017:
Saskatchewan at Toronto — 1,406,000
Edmonton at Calgary — 1,337,000

https://3downnation.com/2021/12/06/d...e-demographic/

[argotom]

I just read viewership for yesterday was the lowest in recent memory 2.873M, with the key demographic of only 821,000 in the key 25-54 age groups.
This does not include the RDS numbers.
The figure is a shock especially since last weeks numbers were strong.

[OV Argo]

I just read viewership for yesterday was the lowest in recent memory 2.873M, with the key demographic of only 821,000 in the key 25-54 age groups.
This does not include the RDS numbers.
The figure is a shock especially since last weeks numbers were strong.

Lots of factors at play there:

Lost 2020 season and further Covid concerns; Grey Cup played at the latest time ever in the season - when people are more into Christmas mode; cord cutters galore now - who would not be watching CFL's TSN cable only presentation; hip young people with ultra short attention spans, can follow with updates or hi-lites on their phones, rather than having to actually bother to watch on TV

[Wobbler]

Shouldn't the lost 2020 season have increased interest in the GC? I also doubt that there has been a major increase in the number of cord cutters - or hip young 50-year olds - since 2019.

I don't traffic in doom and gloom, but this is yet more evidence that the league has work to do.

[ArgoRavi]

Lots of factors at play there:

Lost 2020 season and further Covid concerns; Grey Cup played at the latest time ever in the season - when people are more into Christmas mode; cord cutters galore now - who would not be watching CFL's TSN cable only presentation; hip young people with ultra short attention spans, can follow with updates or hi-lites on their phones, rather than having to actually bother to watch on TV

I would add that when it's the same two teams in consecutive Grey Cups, the ratings tend to decrease for the second game. I am still surprised that we saw less than 3 million for this one though.

[bannedforlife]

True indeed. One of the most annoying aspects of TSN's sales strategy is the apparently deliberate effort to keep some CFL games off the basic package in one of the regions that would be most interested in the game. Doesn't happen all the time, but IMO it should never happen, and the CFL should have insisted on that when it negotiated the contract.

It is totally f'ing outrageous that I can see a foreign sport on my national OTA channel but have to spend money on cable to see my historical home country league. And there's a part of me that thinks there is a not so good reason behind that. I got out of the habit of watching this year for various reasons but still had to do some shenanigans to watch the Grey Cup. Bell, you should be f'n ashamed, I expect that stuff from Rogers.

[bannedforlife]

I also doubt that there has been a major increase in the number of cord cutters

There has been, another of the many offshoots of the pandemic. I can't get CBC OTA where I am, I have to use a stream. The CFL is in a major quandary, they have to get some games off cable, I understand the position with TSN is keeping them afloat but it's also slowly strangling them.