– First two rounds of Stanley Cup Playoffs reach 24.9 million Canadians –
TORONTO (May 11, 2017) With the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Blue Jays baseball, and the Toronto Raptors post-season run, fans continued to make Sportsnet their #1 choice for all things sports this spring. Since April 1, Sportsnet audiences are up 41% over last year and up 114% over its closest competitor. The network’s share of the Canadian television audience this spring is also up and is more than double the competition.
Leading the way this spring is the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with more than two-thirds of all Canadians (24.9 million) tuning in to watch all or some of the Stanley Cup Playoffs so far. Highlights include:
- The two series featuring Canadian teams in Round 2 averaged 1.7 million viewers, while the overall Round 2 average was 1.5 million viewers
- The most-watched game of Round 2 was Game 6 of the Ottawa and New York Rangers series with an average audience of 2.4 million viewers on Sportsnet and CBC
- The most-watched game to-date of the Stanley Cup Playoffs was Round 1: Game 2 with Toronto @ Washington, with an average audience of 3.64 million viewers
- The average for the five series featuring Canadian teams in Round 1 was 1.8 million viewers, with an overall Round 1 average of 1.3 million viewers
“This spring is further proof that Sportsnet is the only brand in the country that can consistently deliver for Canada’s sports fans,” said Greg Sansone, Vice President of Programming, Sportsnet. “What makes Sportsnet so unique in the marketplace is that fans have the choice to watch all their favourite sports on one network. We have top-tier sports content for everyone.”
In addition to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, fans also tuned in to coverage of the Blue Jays, the Toronto Raptors playoff run, and Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling this spring. This unparalleled game coverage continues to drive interest in sports news, as Sportsnet Central is experiencing significant double-digit growth this spring: Sportsnet Central overnight edition is up 54%, Sportsnet Central prime-time edition is up 34%, and Sportsnet Central AM is up 31% over this time period last year.
On digital platforms, traffic to Sportsnet.ca, the Sportsnet app, Sportsnet NOW, and Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE are also up significantly this spring year-over-year:
- On ca and the Sportsnet app, page views have increased 30%
- Visits to the Sportsnet app are up 89%
- Unique visitors to Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE increased by 78% with total minutes watched up 66%
- Sportsnet NOW visitors have grown by 93%
Coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs continues Friday night as the Nashville Predators face off against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on CBC. The following night, the Ottawa Senators meet the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet, CBC, and OMNI Television. All games are also available on Sportsnet NOW and Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE. Visit Sportsnet.ca for programming details.
TV Source: Numeris, April 1 – May 9/17; Ind.2+ & A25-54 AMA/Reach/Tot Min.; CBC, Sportsnet; Total Canada.
Digital Sources: April 1–May 9 2016, April 1–May 92017. (Adobe Analytics, Video analytics from Brightcove Analytics)
About Sportsnet
Sportsnet is Canada’s #1 sports media brand, connecting Canadian sports fans to their favourite teams and athletes. Delivering storytelling on a local, regional, national and global level, the multiplatform brand consists of Sportsnet, sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Sportsnet 960 The FAN, Sportsnet NOW, and the Sportsnet app. Sportsnet consists of four regional channels (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific), and the nationally-distributed Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, and Sportsnet World. Sportsnet is the official Canadian NHL national multimedia rights holder, and is also the official regional television broadcast rights holder for the Calgary Flames (including radio rights on Sportsnet 960 The FAN), Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs (including radio rights on Sportsnet 590 The FAN), Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens. Sportsnet also has exclusive TV & radio coverage of all 162 Blue Jays games, as well as other MLB games, Toronto Raptors, NBA, Grand Slam of Curling, Rogers Cup, CHL, IndyCar, and extensive soccer programming including Premier League, Bundesliga, FA Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers.
Media Contacts:
Jordan Kerbel, jordan.kerbel@rci.rogers.com, (m) 437.995.3880
Sarah Grossman,sarah.grossman@rci.rogers.com, (m) 416.509.9694
Meghann Cox, meghann.cox@rci.rogers.com, (m) 416.258.3296