The Saskatchewan Roughriders 41-8 demolition of the B.C. Lions last Sunday was the most-watched CFL game on TSN so far this season.
The Riders-Leos match up even beat the Toronto Blue Jays, their 750,000 average audience besting the 721,000 the Jays posted on rival Sportsnet. The two games did not go head-to-head, however: the baseball game started at 1 p.m. EST (11 a.m. local time in Saskatchewan) while the CFL began at 8 p.m. EST (6 p.m. Saskie time.)
But the CFL game did compete with the top-rated show on the day. Game of Thrones on HBO Canada averaged a whopping 1,446,000 viewers – proving that even a Riders’ blowout is no match for the Mother of Dragons.
The Riders’ strong viewership – they own four of the top five ratings’ performances on TSN so far this season – is a testament to just how important the Saskatchewan franchise is to the league’s TV numbers. A Saskatchewan team that remains competitive down the stretch would do likely help boost the league’s sagging TV numbers, which are still down 14 per cent from last year’s 592,000 average.
Week 7:
Thursday
Edmonton at Ottawa: 435,000
Friday
Toronto at Montreal: 401,000
Saturday
Winnipeg at Hamilton: 526,000
Saturday
B.C. at Saskatchewan: 750,000