The 2022 CFL Playoff TV Ratings are in for this past Sunday’s Semi-Final games featured on TSN. The overall viewership numbers are down 27 percent from last year’s first round of the playoffs, which took place later in November. This year’s semi-final CFL games faced stiff competition from the NFL, NBA, and NHL in Canada.
CFL 2022 Playoff TV Ratings On TSN
On TSN, Sunday afternoon’s East Semi-Final between Hamilton and Montreal averaged 516,000 viewers. Down from last year’s Alouettes-Ticats semifinal playoff game, which averaged 685,000 viewers. Montreal’s 28-17 triumph over Hamilton sets the stage for this Sunday’s East Final at 1 pm ET, where the Alouettes will clash with East Division champion Toronto at BMO Field.
The Sunday playoff doubleheader on TSN, which saw the BC Lions beat the Calgary Stampeders 30-16 to advance to the West Final, averaged 754,000 viewers. The 2021 West Semi-Final between Saskatchewan and Calgary averaged 1,070 million viewers. The Lions’ are headed to Winnipeg this Sunday, 4:30 pm ET on TSN, to try and take down the defending CFL-champion Blue Bombers.
This Sunday, the winners of the two division final games will meet in the 109th Grey Cup on Sunday, November 20th, at 6 pm ET on TSN.
During the regular season. Not accounting for RDS, french speaking television viewership. The CFL averaged anywhere from 425-475,000 viewers per TSN telecast. During the regular season, the league averaged a shade under 500k on TSN a year ago. (498k).
The 2021 CFL playoffs saw a significant spike in viewership, averaging 980,000 viewers in the four semi-final and divisional final games. (865,000 & 1,096,000). The 108th Grey Cup, which saw the Winnipeg Blue Bombers stage a twelve-point comeback in the 4th quarter to win in overtime, averaged 2.873 million viewers last December.
The final week of the 2022 CFL season, in what were essentially exhibition games without playoff stakes, averaged 321,000 viewers.
The CFL Grey Cup playoffs opening round also aired on ESPN2 south of the border. The Alouettes-Tiger-Cats telecast averaged 81,000 viewers, and the Lions-Stamps game averaged 66,000 in the doubleheader.
CFL is watched on TSN and RDS plus streaming. Now the Argos and Als game only show the English viewership numbers (TSN). RDS not included. Al’s owner said the viewership for the Montreal team was as high as any in the Canadian Football League this year. The early game must be 400K or higher on RDS, so total of close to 1 million viewers. True Mike?
I don’t believe the assumptions by Numeris or “rules” apply the same across all sports. who checks them and what assumptions do they make? It’s statistics so they have to assume something and are they applying the rules the same across all sports?
A Szoke
November 10, 2022 at 7:14 pm
CFL is watched on TSN and RDS plus streaming. Now the Argos and Als game only show the English viewership numbers (TSN). RDS not included. Al’s owner said the viewership for the Montreal team was as high as any in the Canadian Football League this year. The early game must be 400K or higher on RDS, so total of close to 1 million viewers. True Mike?
I don’t believe the assumptions by Numeris or “rules” apply the same across all sports. who checks them and what assumptions do they make? It’s statistics so they have to assume something and are they applying the rules the same across all sports?