The Toronto Blue Jays’ remarkable run to the American League East division championship has translated into record-high ratings for Sportsnet.
Blue Jays telecasts delivered an average audience of 973,000 people 2+ this season, a 68% increase over the 580,000 viewers who tuned in last year.
September was also the best month in the channel’s history, producing a 7.9 audience share and an average minute audience of 320,000 – a 114% increase over the previous year.
Sportsnet.ca, meanwhile, enjoyed a 200% increase in year-over-year pageviews, while video views were up 450% and unique visits were up 125%.
Sportsnet was the second most-watched network in prime time across both specialty and conventional during September – trailing only CTV – and was the country’s highest-rated specialty channel for the second consecutive month.
Jays games attracted an average audience of 1.6 million, a 190% increase over 550,000 in September 2014. The team was also a major draw on radio, with August broadcasts on Sportsnet 590 The Fan up 159% year-over-year.
Ratings were also up in several key advertising demos, including adults 18-34 (+58%), adults 25-54 (+75%) and women 18+ (+66%).
In total, 57 Blue Jays telecasts surpassed 1 million viewers, with two surpassing 2 million viewers. The pre-game show Blue Jays Central attracted an average audience of 290,000, a 90% year-over-year increase.
The Jays’ success also translated into ratings for the prime time edition of Sportsnet’s nightly sports highlight show Sportsnet Central, which attracted an average audience of 341,000 in September, a 145% year-over-year increase.
The Rogers-owned network’s pre-season NHL coverage delivered an average audience of 413,000, a 19% increase over the 2014-15 pre-season.
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