When Lionel Messi and Connor McDavid play for trophies, they draw a lot of attention in the sports world and the Canadian Football League experienced that firsthand in Week 3.
Canada took on the No. 1-ranked country in the world, Argentina, during group Copa América action on Thursday night as Messi helped his side beat Alphonso Davies and the red and white 2-0, drawing an audience of 1,036,200 on TSN with 382,600 in the 25-54 age demographic tuning in.
The match went head-to-head on television with the Montreal Alouettes’ 47-21 win over the Ottawa Redblacks at a sold-out Percival Molson Stadium. Cody Fajardo completed 28-of-35 passes for 393 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in an outstanding performance, though less than half as many people watched Fajardo compared to the men’s national team.
The Edmonton Oilers hosted Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Friday night, drawing 4,760,400 viewers, including 1,595,700 in the 25-54 age group, to watch a 5-1 win against the Florida Panthers. Vernon Adams Jr. and Alexander Hollins put on a show for the B.C. Lions in Winnipeg but the TV number suffered going against the NHL.
The Blue Jays did not play on Thursday but drew average ratings of 304,900 on Friday, 556,700 on Saturday, and 489,400 on Sunday, which were well below usual numbers.
Year-over-year, the CFL’s ratings dropped over 19 percent when compared to the same week last season.
2024 Week 3 TV ratings
Thursday
Ottawa at Montreal — 226,100 TSN and 221,700 RDS (447,800 total)
Friday
B.C. at Winnipeg — 339,100 TSN
Saturday
Edmonton at Toronto — 458,100 TSN
Sunday
Hamilton at Saskatchewan — 479,700 TSN
Total average: 375,750 (French included: 431,175)