As the Als turn – the ongoing soap opera – has not generated the kind of audience on TV some might expect.
Yes, the planned Kavis Reed firing didn’t hit headline news until Sunday after the Alouettes beat Ottawa in Week 5, but there was a marked drop in the rating for Montreal’s second straight victory. The English language number was down over 100,000 compared to the average (388,300) for the Als first three games of the season, checking in at 277,200.
Week 1: 395,600 – EDM
Week 3: 370,300 – HAM
Week 4: 399,000 – HAM
It should be said the RDS total would boost Montreal’s overall rating – 140,000 french viewers tuned in for the Alouettes season opener – but compared to games in Weeks 1, 2 and 3 the drop was sizeable. There’s an intriguing element that could draw more viewers for the Edmonton, Montreal matchup in Week 6. Whether it results in a larger number remains to be seen.
Week 5 TV ratings:
Thursday
Edmonton at B.C.: 481,300
Friday
Toronto at Winnipeg: 482,400
Saturday
Montreal at Ottawa: 277,200
Calgary at Hamilton: 514,900
Total Week 5 average: 438,950
(Overall the Week 5 total average (438,950) compared to 2018 (431,633) was up slightly.)
