Bit of a ratings battle here. If fox is lining up Sunday afternoons in the fall, I'm sure that's TSNs preference too.
MLS vs CFL all over again.
As we see with the NHL, ratings trump schedule (eg leafs vs Vancouver @ 4 pm Pacific).
Something to watch for in the ground share if TFC is to feature in Fox's plan.
Hmm...having a peek at the CFL schedule and they do one Sunday game a week for the most part during NFL time until the November playoffs, where its all Sundays.
None of the 3 MLS matches on TSN made the top 25 ratings list for the weekend in Canada. Sunderland vs Spurs got 124k for #23 spot and Gunners vs Hull City made it at #25 with 102k.
In TFC late Sunday match time slot, Jays, CFL, NFL & World Cup hockey was too much to overcome. World Cup hockey (including Canada game), CFL & Paralympics took care of any sizeable audience for Whitecaps & Impact.
https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh...195735580.html
paralympics ratings juggernaut compared to MLS ?
Paralympics has become huge in recent years.Originally Posted by Onyx
I'll take a bounce in the US over a #25 in Canada.
Baby steps
^ makes you wonder about a CPL though.
If MLS in Canada doesn't draw, how would a CPL team do? And in the absence of tv ratings, could they draw enough at the gate to pay players, travel and stay afloat?
US ratings involving NYRB on NFL heels are nice but we need it to take off in Canada. Not cracking the top 25 is very disappointing considering playoff clinch vs NY as the storyline and on the same NFL Sunday.
It takes saturation of a market and time before TV ratings develop. MLS and CPL are a long term play, it's only now they have 19 franchises stateside that they're starting to get ratings growth. When they get upto 28 franchises (25 in the states), with good geographic spread, you'll see the difference in ratings there. After a decade of the CPL in Canada you'll see the ratings develop for soccer in Canada (both CPL and MLS).
Last edited by mistercorporate; 09-21-2016 at 11:33 AM.
Fox is actually interested in growing the game (and thus the ratings) in the USA though. In Canada, that's not really the case. Sportsnet is a lost cause. They will concentrate on hockey and the Jays. They could care less about anything else. They have the winter/fall and summer/spring months covered with those two. Now that TSN lost hockey, they should be looking to grow other sporting properties, but they are pushing the CFL hard in the summer over everything else.
TFC is going to have to win consistently and go deep in the playoffs to remain relevant otherwise they will be almost ignored by Bell/Rogers media properties.
Yes the MLS will fold eventually even though attendances are pretty good if the TV ratings don't improve , Ya Ok!
^ who said MLS/SUM would fold?
Was it your straw man?
Putting anything against the NFL on a Sunday afternoon is a statement.
The best that can be said is that it is an experiment.
What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.
The games couldn't have turned out much better, both were goalfests and had compelling storylines with decent soccer. Some of those casual eyeballs might watch again.
Unless Zelcovich missed it, TFC hasn't cracked the top 25 in ratings in the last 3(?) weeks.
Sad given the standings and first place quest.
Select EPL games did crack it though.
Makes you wonder if the MLS season is too long for the majority. A pause before the post season won't help.
Anyone recall what the ratings were for the playoff game in Montreal last year?
They were v good, IIRC. But I think the regular season game got better ratings than the mid-week playoff game. I could be wrong but I vaguely remember that being the case.
^ I looked it up. You are right.
Got to say I was a little surprised to see the French station beat the English one given that the Impact struggle for attendance (though their 45k to a concacaf game is still impressive). I guess Drogba and Toronto as an opponent were a good draw.
Overnight data from Numeris confirms an average audience of 582,000 viewers tuned in to see the all-Canadian matchup on TSN (263,000) and RDS (319,000), making it the most-watched MLS game ever on the two networks."
http://www.bellmedia.ca/pr/press/las...n-tsn-and-rds/
Last edited by Pookie; 10-06-2016 at 06:02 AM.
Poor TV ratings are a result of inconsistent game times from week-to-week. Part of the success of the NFL comes from the fact that their games all fall at the same times every week. Same goes with CFL's ratings. TSN has game times that are consistent week-in and week-out thus people are not searching and scrambling for games to watch
TFC is unfortunately not the first to see inconsistent times hamper their viewership numbers. The Raptors has historically been a poor draw during the regular season. They (like TFC) get shoved around between TSN4, TSN2, TSN1/2/4/5, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet 1, Sportsnet 360, etc until playoffs roll around. Imagine a regular season Leafs game on Sportsnet 360 or an Argos game ONLY on TSN4.
Until there is consistency, comparing TV numbers between any team (say...the Argos) and TFC is unfair. TFC does not get a 30min pre-game and 30min post-game show with countless panels and experts.
honestly, this season the games have been more consistantly on saturday nights and the ratings are worse. MLSE should focus on making the live event crowd happy, and not schedule for TV.
One of the most important game is on TSN 2. This would never help the rating since the highest rating I ever saw for TSN2 was a Man U game last year (close to 200k). TSN should put this game on TSN1 or 4 since not much really happening tomorrow around 1500. The french channel RSD has it on the main channel. Even in US the game is on ESPN!!!
I'm hoping TSN 1/3/4 and 5 for the playoff games since we had almost 500 k last year for a midweek playoff.
The tv ratings are out for the week and unfortunately TFC v Montreal without much Sunday competition didn't crack the top 25, meaning less than 104k.
The Jays meanwhile did fantastic with over 4M for the top spot on Friday and 3.3m on hockey Saturday. Hockey had a strong opening Saturday with over 2.3M.
CFL struggled this week with Saturday games in particular... not a good day to be going up against the Jays and Hockey. The Argos (or should I say Saskatchewan fans) only drew 393k for their Saturday game.
Source: Chris Zelcovich
Last edited by Pookie; 10-18-2016 at 02:10 PM.
^ The TFC game was on the TSN channel I don't get. So I had to stream it on my Android box instead. I really hate these add on channels on TSN and Sportsnet. I think I'm done with my cable because of it.
Put the game on the regular national TSN station the one everybody gets, give it a proper CFL like pregame, try and keep TFC and MLS on the main national station that everyone gets , build these games up more on the daily sportscast a few days before the game and then let's see if the ratings improve a bit , until all that is done then I say nothing to see here with these TFC and MLS tv ratings analysis!
Last edited by SoccMan2; 10-18-2016 at 02:32 PM.
^ you could implement that and there are no guarantees it would draw. CBC did decently, drawing 300k for select games but those were usually home openers or Beckham ones.
The quality of play has got better but that's marginal. It (MLS) is just not good tv in the same way that AHL hockey would draw flies in hockey mad Canada based on the quality perception.
To think that stations don't want to invest in pre post coverage or participate in some soccer hating conspiracy to keep property they own down is a little hard to believe. They own a share in virtually every other Toronto team and promote them shamelessly.
Is it just plausible that their market research shows that the Canadian public likes soccer but relates more to the epl than it does MLS? And we are not saying MLS is stuck here. There has been progress.
Case and point, if they wanted to keep it down, they would simply keep it on The Score or not broadcast it all wouldn't they? Plus I think Vancouver enjoys tsn main coverage at times
Vancouver has TSN main coverage every week.
Did I mention soccer conspiracy? What soccer conspiracy are you talking about? Moreover, did I say that the ratings would definately increase if they had the games on their main channel? I said they might increase a bit , remember the word might. Moreover, coming on here to show us how poor the TV ratings are without taking into account things like the channel the game is on, the lack of any consistent coverage by the station showing the games are all things that need to be taken into account when making comments about how bad the TV ratings are, plain and simple. Do I think that the ratings would reach hockey or even CFL numbers if the things that I stated changed of course not, however , it would be interesting to see if the ratings at least reached numbers that were alot better than where they are at now.
Last edited by SoccMan2; 10-18-2016 at 07:16 PM.
What percentage of our games are actually on main TSN or Sportsnet? These specialty channels can't be helping
I won't say there is a conspiracy- more so incompetence or indifference from upper management? The Fan 590 morning show actively goes out of it's way to insult the entire sport and those who watch it (funny though they kiss up to the soccer experts they bring on during the Euro and World Cups). Why does their parent company, Rogers, the same company that sells soccer programming, allow that to continue to happen? Wouldn't you want any opportunity to sell your product?
I think what you see here is the minor league snobbery approach to sport in Toronto.
Think of our own Marlies' pack years ago. This may be controversial but I imagine if they included Maple Leaf games in the package, the outcry wouldn't have been nearly as loud.
Same sport. Different perception of value and level of competition.
MLS suffers a perception problem related to quality, not soccer.
Even within TFC's fan base, there is a perception problem when it comes to non MLS games. CONCACAF games get half the attendance of a regular season game. Same club team. Same sport. Different perception of quality (which is ironic as the Mexican teams are generally fun to watch).
I don't think the majority are knocking soccer. Soccer sells. EPL games routinely crack the Top 25. MLS doesn't though and that perception of quality is why MLS is niched.
The selling point to MLS games for most people on this board is the event.
TV in Canada doesn't do the event of MLS very well. ESPN and Fox are changing that south of the border but they have demographic information indicating they better get on the soccer train now or it will leave without them. They don't have the big money maker (the EPL) but do have the North American and World Cup rights because they show US soccer.
Rogers and Bell are far more conservative in how they run their businesses. And with CBC running away from TV rights, they can afford to not put any effort into MLS self-promotion.
For now.
If CBC is running, it's running from all sports so I don't get your point regarding lack of competition as they do invest in self promotion for the big sports. If anything, a conservative approach could scale back coverage and people would still watch and contracts could be renewed without much competition.
An investment in promotion brings more viewers which clearly brings more revenue. I don't think either media empire is a stranger to demographics and if something offers good ROI they would be on it.
We have come a long way though. From GolTV to where we are now.
But the perception problem lingers. Again, I highlight our own fan base as a microcosm of the general population. Why do 20k show up for an MLS game involving TFC but only 10k of those same season seat holders and single game buyers can be bothered to see the PR Islanders play our Reds?
For me, the answer is the perception of the value of CONCACAF. And for many soccer fans, the answer as to why they don't watch MLS comes back to that same perception relative to the "big leagues"
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