Sportsnet record for Kessel’s debut
November 4, 2009 · 13 Comments
Phil Kessel’s first game with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday produced a mega audience for Rogers Sportsnet Ontario.
With Kessel, acquired from Boston Bruins in the off-season, in the Leaf lineup, the network drew 845,000 viewers for the Tampa Bay Lightning-Leafs game, the eighth largest audience in the network’s history, and tops for a regional telecast.
In a news release, Dave Akande, vice-president of content for Sportsnet said “This number proves once again that Sportsnet is the destination for hockey that matters. Whether it is for the pre-game show, intermissions
or the game itself, we are the home for the Toronto Maple Leaf fan.”
The Sportsnet audience was helped by the fact that the new system of measuring audiences, the Portable People Meter, is reporting much larger audiences for sports TV shows across the board.
Leafs, Raptors received H1N1 shots
CBC is reporting: Some members of the Leafs and the Toronto Raptors have been given H1N1 flu shots, news that comes amid a public outcry over vaccinations received by members of the Calgary Flames.
When asked by CBC Sports reporter Simon Dingley if members of the Leafs had been inoculated, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment spokeswoman Rajani Kamath said in an emailed statement: “While all professional athletes are considered high risk to exposure and transmission of the flu due to excessive contact with other players, heavy travel requirements and public exposure, only certain players and staff have received the H1N1 vaccine.”
MLSE issued the same statement when asked by the Toronto Star if Raptors had received the vaccine.
In Ontario, only priority groups — those who are at a higher risk of developing complications from the virus than the general public — are currently eligible to receive the vaccine.
In the 10 days since the vaccine was first doled out, many of these people have had to contend with hours-long lineups.
But MLSE maintains neither the Leafs nor the Raptors jumped the queue for the vaccine.
“Similar to other physician offices, any vaccine supplies received were obtained through normal distribution and no preferential treatment was requested nor received,” the MLSE statement said.
Huge audience for Vikings-Packers
Fox Television’s broadcast of the Minnesota Vikings-Green Bay Packers game last Sunday (Brett Favre’s return to Green Bay) was the most watched program on U.S. television since Academy Awards last February.
Fox drew 29.8 million viewers to the telecast, short of the 36.3 million who watched the Oscars.
Fox reports that NFL games make up 11 of the 12 most-watching sports telecasts since the 2009 Super Bowl.
| Rank (since Super Bowl)/ Event | Viewers |
| 1. Fox Sunday national (mostly Vikings-Packers), 11/1 | 29.8 million |
| 2. Fox Sunday national (mostly Falcons-Cowboys) 10/25 | 28.4 million |
| 3. Fox Sunday national (mostly Redskins-Giants), 9/13 | 25.1 million |
| 4. NBC Sunday Night Football (Giants-Cowboys), 9/20 | 24.8 million |
| 5. CBS Sunday national (mostly Titans-Patriots), 10/18 | 23.9 million |
| 6. CBS Sunday national (mostly Steelers-Bears), 9/20 | 23.9 million |
| 7. World Series Game 4 (Yankees-Phillies), 11/1 | 22.8 million |
| 8. Fox Sunday national (mostly Cowboys-Broncos), 10/4 | 22.0 million |
| 9. ESPN Monday Night Football (Packers-Vikings), 10/5 | 21.8 million |
| 10. NBC Sunday Night Football (Bears-Packers), 9/13 | 21.1 million |
| 11. CBS Sunday national (mostly Patriots-Broncos), 10/11 | 20.9 million |
| 12. NBC Thursday Night Kickoff Game (Titans-Steelers), 9/10 | 20.9 million |
| 13. World Series Game 1 (Phillies-Yankees), 10/28 | 19.5 million |
| 14. Fox Sunday Single (mostly Falcons-Patriots & 49ers-Vikings), 9/27 | 19.3 million |
| 15. World Series Game 2 (Phillies-Yankees), 10/29 | 18.9 million |
Boudreau too sensitive
When he appeared on TSN this week to promote his book, Bruce Boudreau, the Washington Capitals coach, seemed offended and genuinely hurt that trash-talker Sean Avery had called him “a fat (bleeping) pig,” during the playoffs last spring.
In his book, Boudreau writes: “He told me I was the biggest, fattest bleeping pig he had ever seen. He told me I was fatter than bleeping Ken Hitchcock. He told me I was going to die because I was such a fat bleep.”
Don’t take it personally, Bruce. Avery trashes everybody. Besides, you are fat. And if Avery motivated you to lose a few pounds, that’s a good thing.
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“we are the home for the Toronto Maple Leaf fan.”
Cool. So Sportsnet has padded walls, delusion-inducing medications and those mirrors that make everything look bigger than it is in reality? Do they give tours?
“This number proves once again that Sportsnet is the destination for hockey that matters. ”
No all the number really proves is that viewers will tune into any channel that has the game on, even .one as badly run as Sportsnet. If fans want hockey analysis, I bet they still choose TSN by a wide margin after the game is over.
And Dave forgets to mention that Sportsnet overbid by a ton to get the games for the right to be “The Home of the Maple Leafs”. They lose something like $200,000 every game they air. Too bad all that money couldn’t buy them some credibility.
Since when were the Leafs “hockey that matters” anyway?
I always thought that was a curious slogan. Especially since, in the grand scheme of things, how much does any sport “matter” anyway?
The only reason I really ever pondered this concept of a sport “mattering”, though, is the fault of my old roommate, who is an NFL fan and said he thought it was “cute” that I watched the CFL “as though it mattered.” What does “mattering” have to do with sports in the first place? “Hockey that entertains” would be a better slogan for Sportsnet. Except it’s a little harder to guarantee than the nebulous (and kind of philosophical, when you really think about it) idea of providing “hockey that matters”…
I am not a TV executive and certainly do not understand the finances of broadcasting, but I am curious by Mike’s claim that Sportsnet will lose money on each game they broadcast.
Do most broadcasters lose money on Sports broadcasts?
That number came from an old article, either written by Bill here while he was at The Globe or Zed at The Star I forget. Sportsnet paid $700,000 per game in their contract, almost double what the old contract with TSN was. They apparently lose money because they don’t make enough in commercial sales during the games to cover the price plus any production costs.
Thanks – Man, sure sounds like a recipe for failure, or Sportsnet executives are rabid Leaf Fans.
You were a little harsh on Bruce Boudreau don’t you think?
I think it is ridiculous that Health Canada are allowing some people, hockey players, included to get the swine flu vaccine over other people.
The rule is suppose to be that you have to fall into a high risk group to get it. I attempted to go get the vaccine and was denied, because I have no underlining illness they said. So unless these hockey players have underline illnesses, they should not be getting vaccines before anyone else. And playing bad hockey doesn’t qualify for an underlining illness, Leafs!
It’s not about losing money for the Leafs. Both TSN have lost tons on the blue and white for years. What matters is turning your network into THE destination for hockey.. once there you will hopefully be impressed enough to tune in at other times.. boosting those ratings and that’s when it pays off. TSN let the Leafs go because it cost too much per game. They instead took the money and invested in NHL On TSN brand and that is arguably the go-to place for live hockey. The only reasons Sportsnet gets any live programming is because: 1 They Grossly overpay
2 It’s a product that will not make the requisite amount of money
3 Because TSN lets them.. although with the Deuce now on the dial.. this option may dry up quickly
Ultimately it won’t matter as CTVGlobemedia will likely buy Sportsnet or be bought out by Rogers within 10 years.
Transparency is the fundamental issue when it comes to pro sports teams jumping the H1N1 queue.
The good4sports blog weighs in: http://good4sports.wordpress.com