Last weekend’s record-breaking winter storm led to some record-breaking numbers for The Weather Network and MétéoMédia.
The Weather Network reports it saw more than 4.6 million viewers tune in for storm information on Feb. 8, an 81% increase over a typical winter Friday in 2012. Meanwhile, MétéoMédia reached 1.3 million viewers in the French market, a 26% increase.
The storm, which hit Central and Eastern Canada Feb. 7-10, was the biggest snowfall the Greater Toronto Area had seen since 2008 and dropped 20-40 cm on Atlantic Canada. The Weather Network and MétéoMédia provided up-to-date weather information and the storm’s impact on school closures and travel delays.
Online engagement levels at TheWeatherNetwork.com were high throughout the weekend, with a 50% increase in time spent per visit compared to a typical day.
“During active weather, like this past weekend’s storm, we see not only a rise in our audience reach, but also engagement and audience penetration,” said Ken Headrick, managing director of The Weather Network and MétéoMédia, in a release.
Other key audience stats from “snowmaggedon”:
• TheWeatherNetwork.com drew record page views from iPhone and Android smartphones on Feb. 7, with 12.8 million and 3.5 million views respectively
• Traffic to the website skyrocketed to nearly 13 million page views on Feb. 8, a 113% increase over Feb. 2013’s daily average
• Both the Ontario and Toronto extended TV market saw increases of 132% and 138% respectively compared to a typical Friday in winter last year
