Further analysis of yesterday’s historic television audience reveals that 22 million people – or two thirds of the Canadian population – were watching when Sidney Crosby scored in overtime and ignited a cheer heard across the nation. The peak audience follows the announcement earlier today that the 16.6 million average audience for the game is the most-watched television broadcast in Canadian history. Twenty million viewers were watching the medal ceremony in which Team Canada received the record 14th gold medal of the Games, peaking at 20.5 million viewers when Sidney Crosby was presented with his medal from IOC President Jacques Rogge. The game captured an 85 Share, meaning 85% of Canadians watching television at the time were watching the gold medal match.
The game capped off a series of golden ratings for Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, which delivered the Top 5 most-watched television events in recorded history in Canada. Canadians consumed 1.25 billion hours of Vancouver 2010 coverage on television alone, with the average viewer watching 38 hours of content throughout the Games. In prime time, Vancouver 2010 (5.8 million) delivered 66% more viewers than Salt Lake City 2002 (3.5 million). Overall television viewing in Canada increased 22% during the Games versus the preceding five weeks, with CTV tripling its average full-day audience. CTV won every timeslot in prime time on every day of the Games, for both total viewers and the prime selling demos of A25-54 and A18-49. Meanwhile, TSN also tripled its full-day audience to become the 2nd most-watched network in Canada during the Games, with Rogers Sportsnet right behind at #3.
Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium delivered 4,800 total hours of coverage of the 2010 Winter Games. Every second of Olympic Games competition was available live on one of the Consortium’s platforms – CTV, V (and CPAC), TSN, Rogers Sportsnet, RDS, RIS Info Sports, OMNI, OLN, APTN, ATN, CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca.
NOTE: See below for “Most-Watched 2010 Winter Games Events” and “Most-Watched Canadian Medals”.
Additional Day 17 Television Highlights
– 10.3 million viewers watched the Men’s Hockey gold medal game on CTV alone, with and additional 2.78 million watching on TSN and 2.52 million watching on V/CPAC and RDS.
– Day 17 had the highest single-day reach of the Games, with 30.5 million viewers (91% of population) watching some part of yesterday’s coverage. Throughout the 24-hour period, 6.7 million people were watching in the average minute.
– Yesterday’s Closing Ceremony audience, now the second most-watched television broadcast in Canadian history with an average audience of 14.3 million viewers, was more than double that of Salt Lake City 2002 (6 million). The broadcast peaked with 16 million viewers when the Canadian Olympic Team entered the stadium. More than 1.7 million viewers watched on TSN, while another 1.1 million watched the Closing Ceremony on V/CPAC.
Additional Day 17 Online Highlights
– CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca ended the Games with more than 215 million page views, nearly four times the amount achieved for Beijing 2008.
– Nearly half of all internet users in Canada visited at least one of the two sites during the Games, totaling 12.3 million unique visitors.*
– Ending on a high note, peak concurrent streams exceeded 133,000 during the Closing Ceremony, the highest number of peak concurrents since Day 1.
– The most-watched video yesterday was Stephen Brunt’s moving video essay, which first aired on OLYMPIC MORNING on Day 17, followed by the Gold Medal winning overtime goal by Crosby in the Men’s Hockey CAN/USA final match.
Most-Watched 2010 Winter Games Events
Total Viewers Event Date
1. 16.6 million Men’s Hockey: CAN/USA Feb. 28
2. 14.3 million Closing Ceremony Feb. 28
3. 13.5 million** Opening Ceremony Feb. 12
4. 10.6 million Men’s Hockey: CAN/USA Feb. 21
5. 10.5 million Men’s Hockey:
CAN/RUS Feb. 24
6. 9.7 million Men’s Hockey: CAN/SVK Feb. 26
7. 7.5 million Women’s Hockey: CAN/USA Feb. 25
8. 7.44 million Short Track Speed Skating: Men’s 1000m Finals Feb. 20
9. 7.4 million Men’s Hockey: CAN/GER Feb. 23
10. 6.9 million Men’s Curling: CAN/NOR Feb. 27
Most-Watched Canadian Medals
Viewers Medal Medallist(s) Event Date
1. 16.6 million GOLD Team Canada Men’s Hockey: CAN/USA Feb. 28
2. 7.5 million GOLD Team Canada Women’s Hockey: CAN/USA Feb. 25
3. 6.9 million GOLD Kevin Martin Men’s Curling:
CAN/NOR Feb. 27
4. 6.82 million** GOLD Alexandre Bilodeau Freestyle Skiing:
Men’s Moguls Feb. 14
5. 6.8 million SILVER Cheryl Bernard Women’s Curling: CAN/SWE Feb. 26
6. 6.7 million** SILVER Jenn Heil Freestyle Skiing:
Ladies’ Moguls Feb. 13
7. 5.2 million** BRONZE Kristina Groves Speed Skating:
Ladies’ 3000m Feb. 14
8. 4.4 million BRONZE Joannie Rochette Ladies’ Figure Skating Feb. 25
9. 4.2 million SILVER Marianne St-Gelais Short Track Speed Skating: Ladies’ 500m Feb. 17
10. 3.7 million GOLD Maëlle Ricker Snowboard: Ladies’ Snowboard Cross Feb. 16
Sources
Television: BBM Canada preliminary overnight data. Audiences quoted prior to August 31, 2009 are based on BBM Nielsen Media Research Mark II meters.
Online: Omniture unless otherwise indicated.
*Based on ComScore Media Metrix total internet audience of 25 million online Canadians.
**Based on final BBM Canada data.
