2023 Argos and CFL TV Ratings

[Will]

Yeah, I was a bit disappointed to see that it got the lowest ratings of the week.

[Mocha]

[Mocha]

Ottawa games continue to be a real drag on viewership numbers . . . wish I knew why.

[Will]

They were playing Saskatchewan and neither team are particularly good.

[Mocha]

They were playing Saskatchewan and neither team are particularly good.

But that doesn't usually matter for Saskatchewan games, and Ottawa games usually draw very poor ratings, even though support for the team in Ottawa is relatively strong. I don't get it.

Sask - Edmonton drew well over 600,000 the previous week.

Ottawa games haven't cracked 400,000 in September. Just weird.

[ArgoRavi]

But that doesn't usually matter for Saskatchewan games, and Ottawa games usually draw very poor ratings, even though support for the team in Ottawa is relatively strong. I don't get it.

Sask - Edmonton drew well over 600,000 the previous week.

Ottawa games haven't cracked 400,000 in September. Just weird.

Honestly, I think that the Blue Jays took a big bite out of the ratings for that game. I believe that they had over a million viewers for their game that night.

[AngeloV]

Honestly, I think that the Blue Jays took a big bite out of the ratings for that game. I believe that they had over a million viewers for their game that night.

Were over a million people really suffering from lack of sleep? I used to love baseball, but I can honestly say the only time I have watched a game in the last 5 years is when I am visiting my uncle in North Carolina. I then have no choice to watch the Atlanta Braves games.

[Scooter McCray]

Were over a million people really suffering from lack of sleep? I used to love baseball, but I can honestly say the only time I have watched a game in the last 5 years is when I am visiting my uncle in North Carolina. I then have no choice to watch the Atlanta Braves games.

I am with you. I have never understood the popularity. It must be because so many grew up playing it. Like most sports it is fun to play. But it puts me to sleep as well. As far as entertainment goes I have never understood how a mid week Jay's game can outdraw a weekend Argo game in terms of attendance and viewership.

[Scooter McCray]

The media and Rogers in particular have done a masterful job in creating demand for their baseball team. As an Argo fan it is frustrating to see the lack of attention by their own media owners in putting the same attention on their football team.

[AngeloV]

I am with you. I have never understood the popularity. It must be because so many grew up playing it. Like most sports it is fun to play. But it puts me to sleep as well. As far as entertainment goes I have never understood how a mid week Jay's game can outdraw a weekend Argo game in terms of attendance and viewership.

Like I said, I used to love it. I was a 2 sport high school guy playing both Football and baseball. then played slow pitch tournaments and on my company fastball team. But once I stopped playing, I totally lost interest. Football OTOH, I played touch and flag after my contact days for over 25 years and stopped only because of a shoulder injury at age 47. But I will never lose my love for football.

The media and Rogers in particular have done a masterful job in creating demand for their baseball team. As an Argo fan it is frustrating to see the lack of attention by their own media owners in putting the same attention on their football team.

Also just my opinion, and I have blamed media plenty over the years, but as Paul has brought up, you really can't these days with the budgets for sports in print media all but gone. To me, the disinterest in the CFL started slowly after the NFL strike in '82 and has gotten worse over the years with the discrepancy in salaries between not just the NFL and the CFL, but all the major US sports leagues vs the CFL. People (an wrongly IMO) believer the CFL is just not a real pro league because the players aren't millionaires.

[Will]

I'll tune into an inning here and there of baseball, but rarely will I watch a full game.

["Issues"Mcgee]

I'll tune into an inning here and there of baseball, but rarely will I watch a full game.

Too many games in an MLB season. I love all things baseball but after following it closely from the beginning of a season, I find by July I'm just exhausted with it.

It starts in freakin April too. That's way too early.

[ArgoRavi]

I'll tune into an inning here and there of baseball, but rarely will I watch a full game.

I have a friend who used to be a rabid baseball fan (a Red Sox fan) and he prefers watching old games on YouTube instead of the modern-day game.

Outside of Toronto, MLB is grappling with how to attract younger fans to games in most markets and have perhaps had challenges retaining their traditional fans too. I think that Toronto is one of the few markets where attendance has held up in recent years but we know that is largely dependent on whether the Jays are in the playoff hunt or not (as are TV ratings).

[Argo57]

I have a friend who used to be a rabid baseball fan (a Red Sox fan) and he prefers watching old games on YouTube instead of the modern-day game.

Outside of Toronto, MLB is grappling with how to attract younger fans to games in most markets and have perhaps had challenges retaining their traditional fans too. I think that Toronto is one of the few markets where attendance has held up in recent years but we know that is largely dependent on whether the Jays are in the playoff hunt or not (as are TV ratings).

My son and I have been to a few Jays games in the last couple of years, not the same for me as it was back in the 1980’s and early 90’s.
I lost interest after the 1994 strike and haven’t regained anywhere near the interest level I had previously.

[Will]

I have a friend who used to be a rabid baseball fan (a Red Sox fan) and he prefers watching old games on YouTube instead of the modern-day game.

Outside of Toronto, MLB is grappling with how to attract younger fans to games in most markets and have perhaps had challenges retaining their traditional fans too. I think that Toronto is one of the few markets where attendance has held up in recent years but we know that is largely dependent on whether the Jays are in the playoff hunt or not (as are TV ratings).

It's hard to get a full read on the trend of Jays attendance because of 2020 and 2021. It was decreasing between 2017-2019 as the team was below .500 in each of those seasons. All of a sudden you hit 2020 and the Jays are playing around the 90-win range each season, but don't know how much attendance might have increased 2019-2020 because of COVID.

[ArgoRavi]

My son and I have been to a few Jays games in the last couple of years, not the same for me as it was back in the 1980’s and early 90’s.
I lost interest after the 1994 strike and haven’t regained anywhere near the interest level I had previously.

The same thing happened to me with the Leafs/NHL. When the lockout happened in 1994-95, I realized that I had better ways to spend my time than watching hockey. I tried to keep my interest up for the rest of the 1994-95 season and 1995-96 but realized that I just didn't care as much anymore. I watched almost no hockey for the next few years and completely lost my passion for the Leafs. Even today, I watch a little regular season action here or there but never a full game. I tend to watch more in the playoffs but usually not a full game.

[ArgoGabe22]

Never followed the Jays. If they make the playoffs I may follow but not committed to watching the games fully.

[jerrym]

Even though the game started at 10 PM Eastern time, Winnipeg vs BC drew the biggest audience on Thanksgiving weekend.

Fans in the key 25-54 age demographic wanted to see the battle for top spot in the West as it led the way in that category: WPG-B.C. 244,800, HAM-SSK 202,400, EDM-TOR 178,700 and OTT-MT 119,400. Primetime NFL games in Week 5 had more average viewers in the 25-54 age demographic than the CFL: SNF 486,800, TNF 341,900 and MNF 268,800.

2023 Week 18 TV ratings:

Friday Edmonton at Toronto — 473,200
Winnipeg at B.C. — 687,300

Saturday Hamilton at Saskatchewan — 601,700

Monday Ottawa at Montreal — TSN 274,500 RDS 181,900 for 456,400 total

Total Week 18 average: 509,175 (French included: 554,650)

https://3downnation.com/2023/10/12/b...d-cfl-ratings/

[jerrym]

Not unexpectedly CFL TV ratings slumped in the last week of the season with little on the line and plenty of competition.

The CFL saved the worst for last by posting the weakest television ratings in the final week of the 2023 regular season schedule.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes produced the best number in Week 21, a tuneup for the East Semi-Final, with 408,800 average viewers on TSN and an additional 169,300 on RDS, the network’s French-language affiliate. That total audience included almost 200,000 viewers in the key 25-54 age demographic.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Calgary Stampeders posted a significantly smaller audience at 377,600, albeit with a 9:00 p.m. EDT start time. 120,200 people from the 25-54 age demo tuned in to watch quarterback Dru Brown throw for 278 yards and two touchdowns in a performance that helps his case to be a starter in the CFL next season.

The lowest-viewed game of the week came between the Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Redblacks as 268,200 tuned in, making it the fourth-lowest-rated English-language game this year. 82,200 from the coveted 25-54 age demographic watched the Argos reach 16 wins on the year, tying an all-time CFL record.

Going up against Hockey Night in Canada has not been a recipe for success when it comes to CFL television ratings. The Maple Leafs lost 3-2 in overtime to the Nashville Predators during the 7 p.m. eastern time window on HNIC, which drew 1,753,300 eyeballs, 645,100 in the 25-54 age demo. The 10 p.m. game featured the New York Rangers beating the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in overtime with 623,000 watching, 216,200 in the 25-54 category.

Former head coach Nick Nurse returning to Toronto for the first time after leaving in the offseason had 349,200 average viewers on Sportsnet One, 123,300 in the 25-54 age group. The 76ers topped the Raptors 114-107 with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey scoring 34 points each. That matchup tipped off at 7:41 p.m. ET to provide more competition for the Argos on TV.
Saturday night was packed with sports, World Series Game 2 between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers posted 309,700 viewers and 49,300 in the 25-54 age demographic.

Thursday Night Football on TSN and CTV2 brought in 750,900 and 325,600 in the 25-54 demo to catch the Buffalo Bills edge Tampa Bay as quarterback Josh Allen threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns. Sunday Night Football had 599,200 viewers, 291,100 in the 25-54 age demo, check out the Los Angeles Chargers 30-13 win over Chicago on TSN and CTV.


2023 Week 21 TV ratings:
Friday
Winnipeg at Calgary — 377,600
Saturday
Hamilton at Montreal — TSN 408,800 and RDS 169,300
Toronto at Ottawa — 268,200
Total Week 21 average: 351,500 (French included: 408,000)

https://3downnation.com/2023/11/02/b...r-season-week/

[jerrym]

The semi-finals also saw a small dip in TV ratings compared to last year.

The Canadian Football League had a slight dip in ratings for its Saturday semi-final doubleheader.

Commissioner Randy Ambrosie stated at the 109th Grey Cup that the CFL would move from Sundays to Saturdays for the division semi-final and final games. That switch could have helped boost English television ratings for the East Semi-Final but not its West counterpart due to stiff competition.

The Alouettes’ 27-12 win over the Tiger-Cats in La Belle Province, the exact same matchup from the same playoff round last year, had a 10.9 percent increase in average viewers with a notable French number on RDS.
TSN was able to hold 409,900 people for its pre-game show from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET leading into the Stampeders and Lions postseason tilt. Just like in the East, Calgary and B.C. met in the same elimination game as one year prior. The key difference this time around was competition from Hockey Night in Canada.

The Maple Leafs lost to Buffalo 6-4 with 1,451,300 Canadians tuned in, including 521,400 in the 25-54 age demographic. The Canucks’ 2-0 win against Dallas, which drew 910,600 overall and 343,300 in the 25-54 age demo, didn’t start until 10 p.m. ET after the Leos had already clinched moving on to the West Final. The Oilers’ 5-2 loss to Nashville that started at 3 p.m. ET had 333,200 onlookers. Hockey Central Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet posted 522,400 across the network.

From 2009 to 2022, the CFL played all of its postseason games on Sunday. In 2022, the East Semi-Final drew 516,200 watchers, while its West counterpart drew 753,500 for an English-language average of 634,850. Prior to this year, 2008 was the only time the three-down league tried playing its division semi-final and final games on Saturdays.
According to former Toronto Star reporter Chris Zelkovich, the East Semi-Final between Edmonton and Winning brought 610,000 to TSN that year, which was 38 percent less than CBC drew in 2007. Out west, B.C. and Saskatchewan garnered an audience of 862,000, which was 15 percent lower year-over-year.

2023 CFL Semi-Final TV ratings:
Saturday Hamilton at Montreal — TSN 572,700 and RDS 271,000

Calgary at B.C. — 644,800

Total CFL Semi-Final average: 608,750 (French included: 744,250)

https://3downnation.com/2023/11/07/e...d-from-sunday/