97th Grey Cup draws 6.1 million viewers

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Lion_Pride_26
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FULL STORY: http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=300593
It was a Grey Cup classic and now it's a Grey Cup record. More Canadians watched the Grey Cup last night on TSN and RDS than ever before. Preliminary overnight data from BBM Canada confirms that 6.1 million viewers watched Sunday night's thrilling CFL championship game - making it the most-watched Grey Cup ever* as well as the most-watched telecast of the year in Canada**.
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*Since television meter measurement was introduced in 1989
**Audiences prior to August 31, 2009 based on BBM Nielsen Media Research Mark II meters
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Last edited by Lion_Pride_26 on Tue Dec 01, 2009 5:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Spud387
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Lion_Pride_26 wrote:FULL STORY: http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=300593
It was a Grey Cup classic and now it's a Grey Cup record. More Canadians watched the Grey Cup last night on TSN and RDS than ever before. Preliminary overnight data from BBM Canada confirms that 6.1 million viewers watched Sunday night's thrilling CFL championship game - making it the most-watched Grey Cup ever* as well as the most-watched telecast of the year in Canada**.
.
.
.
*Since television meter measurement was introduced in 1989
**Audiences prior to August 31, 2009 based on BBM Nielsen Media Research Mark II meters
Fantastic news! :yahoo:
I am quite impressed on how TSN pretty much dedicated their main station (not TSN2) to the CFL & Grey Cup for the whole weekend. Yes it was Rider friendly, but The fact it was like CFL all the time was sweeeet.
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Lions4ever
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Clearly this league and this event continue to resonate strongly among a significant number of the Canadian population. It also tells me that the comparative marginalization that our game receives at the hands of the frequently shinny-besotted sports media in this country means that they aren't doing their jobs properly and do not understand the public mind as well as (I suspect) they think they do. Jim Mullin (among some) excepted, of course.

These are real and meaningful TV numbers - and they're not just a blip. It's about time the CFL got some greater respect...and a lot more TV revenue: it delivers.
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sj-roc
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Lions4ever wrote:...the comparative marginalization that our game receives at the hands of the frequently shinny-besotted sports media in this country means that they aren't doing their jobs properly and do not understand the public mind as well as (I suspect) they think they do. Jim Mullin (among some) excepted, of course.
You might enjoy this anecdote, L4E: Wendel Clark, the highly popular former Toronto Maple Leaf who also played for a number of other teams, was once interviewed by some scribe in Toronto upon returning there to play with his then-current visiting US-based team. He asked Clark if, what with the local sports media there not knowing as much about hockey as in Canada, he found his experience with them any different. Clark replied that the Canadian sports media don't know as much about hockey as they think they do.

On the other hand, I would have to argue that 6.1M viewers is a blip — compared to the regular season numbers. Those latter numbers are quite respectful in their own right, no argument there, but they're not GC numbers. The CFL will get whatever TV revenue the networks are prepared to pay based on all the numbers, regular and post-season.
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
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David
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Despite the impressive numbers that CFL fans continually deliver, we're (collectively) not the demo that make advertisers drool. Seems to me they have us pegged as a bunch of coffee swillin', burger scarfing, fixer uppers given that Tim Hortons, Wendy's and Rona ads dominate the airwaves - almost to the point that they appear to be on a continuous advertising loop (I suppose we can throw 'charitble' in too given the proliferation the War Amps spots....or maybe that's just because it's a cheap :30 second spot for maximum reach?).

Guess we're probably not going to see an ad for the new Lexus anytime soon. :juggle:

DH
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Solar Max
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David wrote: Guess we're probably not going to see an ad for the new Lexus anytime soon. :juggle:

DH
K, so what's the downside here? Not getting it. :wink:
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MacNews
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Solar Max wrote:K, so what's the downside here? Not getting it. :wink:
David likes his cars from The Orient? :wink:

But I agree with David..a little diversification of sponsors would be nice.
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Solar Max
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MacNews wrote:
Solar Max wrote:K, so what's the downside here? Not getting it. :wink:
David likes his cars from The Orient? :wink:

But I agree with David..a little diversification of sponsors would be nice.
Well...given that there is only ONE domestic car maufacturer left, perhaps Ford would jump in and support the CFL.

Lexus though? Puh-lease. Just what everyone needs...a gussied up Camry. :bang:
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Lionheart
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Solar Max wrote:
David wrote: Guess we're probably not going to see an ad for the new Lexus anytime soon. :juggle:

DH
K, so what's the downside here? Not getting it. :wink:
The downlide is money. These great ratings do nothing if advertisers don't think it's worth it. The last deal for the CFL was the same as the one five years prior even with higher ratings. Is the same going to happen next time? I want the teams to get more money from tv...
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ziggy
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I wonder if the numbers are skewed over previous years by the proliferation of the PVR? I would think that people that previously were unable to watch now have the option to tape it and enjoy it when they can. That could be a significant number who previously had no option but to miss the game, for instance all of those at the event. parents with kids sports on Sunday. (cursed NFL fans :wink: ) etc. Good news all the same though.
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Lions4ever
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sj-roc wrote:
On the other hand, I would have to argue that 6.1M viewers is a blip — compared to the regular season numbers.
Sorry, I didn't mean "not a blip" compared to regular season, I meant "not a blip" compared to other Grey Cups. In other words I think it unlikely that the numbers would dive to 1 or 2 mill next year or whatever.

I do suspect though that the league is an undervalued TV asset (maybe that's wishful thinking on my part).
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David
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MacNews wrote:
Solar Max wrote:K, so what's the downside here? Not getting it. :wink:
David likes his cars from The Orient? :wink:

But I agree with David..a little diversification of sponsors would be nice.
I think you're taking my post a little too literally. I was not stating my preference in luxury automobiles (for the record, mine is "German"). Simply referencing a company (or their ad agency) that probably hasn't considered advertising during CFL telecasts, but one you're likely to see on Fox's telecasts of NFL games in the States.

DH
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sj-roc
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Lions4ever wrote:
sj-roc wrote:
On the other hand, I would have to argue that 6.1M viewers is a blip — compared to the regular season numbers.
Sorry, I didn't mean "not a blip" compared to regular season, I meant "not a blip" compared to other Grey Cups. In other words I think it unlikely that the numbers would dive to 1 or 2 mill next year or whatever.

I do suspect though that the league is an undervalued TV asset (maybe that's wishful thinking on my part).
I guess time will tell if it was a blip or not, in that sense. The close finish probably helped the numbers. No way 6.1 million are tuning in for..... oh, I dunno, a 56-18 score. :oops:
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
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