The TV ratings are in for Week 16 of the 2021 CFL Regular Season. The final week of CFL regular-season games had a preseason feel to them. With so many of the league’s teams resting or alternating starting players, with playoff spots already secured.

The final regular-season weekend in the CFL had very little drama attached. And the viewership totals reflected that. Tuesday’s makeup game on TSN between Edmonton and a backup Toronto team sitting 19 starters produced the league’s lowest viewership output of the entire season.

CFL On TSN Week 16 TV Ratings

• Last Tuesday’s Week 16 makeup game between the Edmonton Elks and Toronto Argonauts averaged 167,000 viewers on TSN.
• Friday’s Ottawa Redblacks come from behind 19-18 victory over the Montreal Alouettes averaged 325,000 viewers.
• The second part of Friday night’s doubleheader between the BC Lions and Edmonton Elks averaged 348,000 viewers.
• Saturday afternoon’s tilt game pitting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Saskatchewan Roughriders averaged 408,000 viewers.
• The CFL regular season finale with the Calgary Stampeders and Winnipeg Blue-Bombers averaged 409,000 viewers.

Ratings have dipped the last few weeks for CFL games on TSN.

In Week 14 on TSN, CFL games averaged 490,500 viewers. Up from the week before where the telecasts averaged 429,000 viewers.

In Week 15 on TSN, the CFL’s four games on TSN averaged 478,750 viewers.

Week 16’s games on TSN averaged just 331,400 viewers. The lowest weekly average for the entire 2021 CFL regular season. No doubt sparked by the random Tuesday night Argos-Elks game and the lack of importance in this past weekend’s contests.

Even without the Edmonton makeup game, the other 4 CFL games averaged just 372,500 viewers.

With the CFL playoffs on the horizon, viewership totals should rise. Five major playoff games are coming in the next three weeks. Starting with the Eastern and Western Semifinals this Sunday afternoon. Followed by the Finals on Sunday, December 5th, and culminating with the 108th Grey Cup on Sunday, December 12th.

It’s worth noting that the CFL games will be airing directly against a multitude of NFL games for three straight weeks. All season long, the vast majority of CFL games have aired on ESPN Plus. But starting this Sunday, November 28th, all CFL playoff games will air on ESPN 2 and ESPN News, in addition to airing in Canada.

CFL Playoff TV Schedule