Canadian Football League beats MLB playoffs on TV in Week 18

Photo courtesy: Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca

Each Canadian Football League game in Week 18 rated higher than Major League Baseball playoff games over the weekend.

The Blue Bombers’ convincing win at Tim Hortons Field led the way for the CFL with over 550,000 average viewers. Canadian running back Brady Oliveira carried the football 24 times for 147 yards and one touchdown as he makes his case for the league’s Most Outstanding Player award.

The Roughriders and Elks put on an entertaining performance with the winner decided inside the final three minutes. Amari Henderson punched the ball out from Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and C.J. Reavis recovered to secure a postseason ticket for the Green and White. The game featured nearly 800 yards of net offence with KeeSean Johnson’s head-top touchdown catch as the highlight.

The Lions scored two late defensive touchdowns to help secure a playoff spot — T.J. Lee picked up a lateral, while Mathieu Betts caught a pass that hit him in the facemask. The Stampeders produced over 100 more offensive yards than B.C. but those mistakes ended Calgary’s 18-season postseason streak.

Those three meaningful CFL games topped MLB’s American League and National League Division series which started with four games on Saturday plus two more on Sunday. Game 1 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres had 221,900 watching and Game 2 checked in with 270,100.

In the NFL, Thursday Night Football featuring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons drew 775,000 onlookers, while Sunday Night Football, which was delayed to 9:45 p.m. EDT, brought in 671,700.

2024 Week 18 TV ratings

Friday
Winnipeg at Hamilton — TSN 557,200
Calgary at B.C. — TSN 379,800

Saturday
Saskatchewan at Edmonton — TSN 490,500

Total average: 475,833