The CFL played only three games this past week and broke away from the schedule it established to start the year, yet Week 4 generated the best TV ratings of the season so far.
Saturday’s rain-delayed game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Montreal Alouettes led the way with an average audience of over a half-million on TSN plus an additional 200,000 eyeballs on RDS, TSN’s French-language affiliate. The combined rating of 735,000 was relatively close to Sportsnet’s ratings for the Toronto Blue Jays that afternoon, which started at 3 p.m. ET and brought in an average of 856,900 viewers.
The Blue Jays crushed Friday’s night matchup between the Edmonton Elks and Ottawa Redblacks, which snapped Ottawa’s 13-game home losing streak. Canada’s lone MLB franchise drew an average audience of 921,000, while the Elks and Redblacks drew barely one-third of that.
With the help of a strong Monday night rating from the Lions and Argos, the CFL had its best week on television so far this season. Ratings were up 5.9 percent from Week 3 and 21.7 percent from Week 1. This is especially notable given that the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who typically draw strong ratings, were on a bye week.
2023 Week 4 TV ratings:
Friday
Edmonton at Ottawa — 344,700
Saturday
Winnipeg at Montreal — 534,400 TSN and 200,600 RDS for 735,000 total
Monday
B.C. at Toronto — 573,000
Total Week 4 average: 484,000 (French included: 550,900)
