Opening Day Kickoff Weekend Reaches More than 7 Million Canadians
Published on July 6, 2010 under Canadian Football League (CFL) News Release
Toronto, ON - (July 6, 2010) -Fans embraced the Canadian Football League's opening weekend in massive numbers, reaching more than 7.1 million Canadians on TSN and RDS through the league's first four games.
"Our season is off to a tremendous start, with tremendous ratings, strong attendance, and some amazing football," said CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon. "It's great to be back in front of so many dedicated and passionate fans."
While more than seven million Canadians tuned in for some portion of the CFL's opening weekend, the average audience for the four games exceeded one million viewers per game. That's more than 20 per cent higher than the average audience for CFL regular season games in the second half of last season. (A new television ratings system was introduced halfway through the 2009 CFL season.)
An average of more than 1.4 million Canadians watched Game One of the RONA Canada Day Kickoff on TSN and RDS, witnessing an overtime classic that saw the Saskatchewan Roughriders edge the Montreal Alouettes 54-51 in a rematch of the 2009 Grey Cup Game. It was followed later Thursday night by the Calgary Stampeders' 30-16 victory over the Toronto Argonauts, watched by an average of 658,000 viewers on TSN.
The debut of Wendy's Friday Night Football on TSN, featuring the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 49-29 defeat of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, had an audience of 882,000. And an average of 921,000 Canadians watched Sunday night as the British Columbia Lions defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 25-10 on TSN.
Attendance for the four games averaged 29,755, equaling opening weekend attendance from a year ago.
The CFL continues this weekend starting with Wendy's Friday Night Football on TSN at 7:30pm ET featuring the Argos and Blue Bombers live from Canad Inn Stadium in Winnipeg. The action continues on TSN on Saturday when the Tiger-Cats host the Stampeders, coverage starting at at 12:30pm ET, and the Lions welcome the Roughriders to Empire Fields with coverage beginning at 9:30pm ET. Sunday features the Alouettes visiting the Eskimos at 7:00pm ET on TSN and RDS.
All ratings are preliminary overnight data from BBM Canada.
Canadian Football League Stories from July 6, 2010
- Connections Added to Empire Field - B.C. Lions
- Esks Release Drew - Edmonton Elks
- Blue Bombers Sign Inglis and Willis - Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Elite coaches team with AAU to launch football evaluation camps for kids aged 13-18 - OSC Original by Dave Eminian
- Opening Day Kickoff Weekend Reaches More than 7 Million Canadians - CFL
- Blue Bombers Add Brown Jr, Release Bestard - Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Thigpen Named CFL Special Teams Player of the Week - Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- Gibson's Finest CFL Players of the Week Named - CFL
- Lobendahn Named Defensive Player of the Week - Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Durant and Fantuz Win Weekly Awards - Saskatchewan Roughriders
- David Bedford Appointed Toronto Argonauts Vice President - Toronto Argonauts
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