Would the CBC ever drop the Leafs from the National Broadcast? I doubt it, and I have numbers on my side.
Editor's Note: JohnnyG was riled up about the latest iteration of "maybe the Toronto Maple Leafs should get dropped from Hockey Night in Canada". So riled up in fact that he put together the cold hard numbers that should forever put this familiar hobbyhorse to rest. Imagine if the Leafs were good!
Recently there was an article in the Toronto Sun written by Rob Longley that surmised after speaking with Scott Moore (Executive Director of CBC Sports) via e-mail that the Leafs could possible be dropped from the HNIC national broadcast. I put up a fanshot on the article here. He deduces (with some sort of logic that I cannot comprehend) that the Leafs may be dropped due to falling ratings and then quickly backs that up with ratings numbers that show that they are the most watched sports show in Canada. This train of logic makes about as much sense as a Drunken Don Cherry Rant.
Well the article got me into a bit of a fight with a co-worker. I explained that I highly doubted that it was anything more then lip service given that the CBC will likely run the games that gives them the highest ratings. They argued that I could not possibly know that. I pointed out that it in fact happened multiple times in 2008-2009 that Toronto actually had a Saturday off. I am sure most of the members of this site can remember those Saturdays last December; we were all kinds of lost and bored on Saturday night.
In any case, I started out to find out proof of my assertion and with the help of blindfolded tank driver I was able to find a site that contained Rankings for Canadian Television. All of the ratings and viewership numbers were taken from www.bbm.ca individual links here, in the national archive.
A couple of notes before you look at the data. There are 27 Saturdays in the regular season in 2008-2009, 26 if you deduct the day off for the all-star game. In total there was 3 Saturdays in which the Leafs did not play (4 if you include the all-star game). Secondly I was going to include the 2nd HNIC game of the night in the calculation for a reference but unfortunately out of the 26 weeks they only made the top 30 lists 6 times, and anything outside of the top 30 was not recorded in the archives.
Full data table and summary notes after the jump.
| In Millions | |||
| Date | Week | HNIC #1 | |
| Oct 6-12 | Week 06 | 1.323 | Montreal @ Toronto |
| Oct 13-19 | Week 07 | 1.31 | Toronto @ Pittsburgh |
| Oct 20-26 | Week 08 | 1.306 | Ottawa @ Toronto |
| Oct27-Nov2 | Week 09 | 1.021 | New York Rangers @ Toronto |
| Nov 3 - 9 | Week 10 | 1.568 | Montreal @ Toronto |
| Nov 10-16 | Week 11 | 1.376 | Toronto @ Vancouver |
| Nov 17-23 | Week 12 | 1.518 | Chicago @ Toronto |
| Nov 24-30 | Week 13 | 1.372 | Philadelphia @ Toronto |
| Dec 1 - 7 | Week 14 | 1.22 | Washington @ Toronto |
| Dec 8-14 | Week 15 | 0.942 | NIL |
| Dec 15-21 | Week 16 | 1.163 | Toronto @ Pittsburgh |
| Dec 22-28 | Week 17 | 0.9 | NIL |
| Dec29 - Jan4 | Week 18 | 0.84 | Ottawa @ Toronto * |
| Jan 5 -11 | Week 19 | 1.136 | Toronto @ Philadelphia * |
| Jan 12-18 | Week 20 | 1.075 | NIL |
| Jan 19-25 | Week 21 | All Star Game = 1.516 | |
| Jan 26 - Feb1 | Week 22 | 1.284 | Pittsburgh @ Toronto |
| Feb 2 - 8 | Week 23 | 1.372 | Toronto @ Montreal |
| Feb 9 -15 | Week 24 | 0.988 | Pittsburgh @ Toronto |
| Feb 16-22 | Week 25 | 1.833 | Vancouver @ Toronto |
| Feb 23 - Mar 1 | Week 26 | 1.141 | Toronto @ Ottawa |
| Mar 2- 8 | Week 27 | 1.428 | Edmonton @ Toronto |
| Mar 9-15 | Week 28 | 1.159 | Calgary @ Toronto |
| Mar 16-22 | Week 29 | 1.274 | Toronto @ Montreal |
| Mar 23-29 | Week 30 | 1.153 | Boston @ Toronto |
| Mar 30 - Apr5 | Week 31 | 1.209 | Montreal @ Toronto |
| Apr 6 - 12 | Week 32 | 1.027 | Ottawa @ Toronto |
-- On Average the ratings for HNIC Game 1 are in the 1.228 million range. When the Leafs play it is 1.262 Million. When the Leafs do not play it is 0.972 Million. That means on average the CBC loses approx. 289,000 viewers when the Leafs do not play. That is a drop of almost 24%
-- Week 18 - January 3rd Lowest rated game of the season was played with Ottawa and Toronto. This is actually a fairly slow TV week as only 7 programs in all of Canada broke the 1 Mil viewership total during that week. Also worthy of note is that the Leafs game started at 7PM Eastern Time and the World Jr Hockey Team started at 7:30 which raked in 1.855 Mil Viewers. Clearly the Juniors and the Holidays had an effect on numbers
-- Week 25 - February 21st - Highest rated game of the season with 1.833 Million, this was a clear winner for a couple of reasons. 1, Vancouver and Toronto are two of the biggest markets in Canada. 2, It was Hockey Day in Canada. And 3, it was Mats Sundin's return to Toronto. You may remember? He scored the game winning shootout goal.
-- 2 out of the 3 lowest rated games of the year were when the Leafs didn't play which were really only saved by the fact that the world juniors it's a crazy popular event in Canada and it ruined the January 3rd ratings
-- Toronto and Ottawa was a horrible draw last year, this should not be a surprised to anyone that watched the game. The Battle of Ontario has become incredibly stale and boring since the playoff matches. They averaged only 1.0785 Million per game on Saturday
-- Toronto and Montreal as expected was a very good draw on average pulling in 1.3492 Million, I am sure the CBC wishes they could have a dozen of these games each year. (Go Go Crazy Grabbo)
-- The best part about all of this, is that the ratings from the games so far this year hover in the range of 1.6 to 1.75Mil. Which is of course higher then any game we had at all last year. The CBC is doing better with this team so far in the ratings they did vs. almost any single game from last year. That should tell you right away that they will not drop the Leafs.
So what does this all teach us? It tells me that CBC would have to be run by a bunch of Monkey's to drop the Leafs from the National Broadcast. While there is not much Data to go on in the small 3 game sample that we have. There is a clear sign that no Leafs = Less People.
So what do you tell people when they say the CBC favours the Leafs? You say Damn Right and for good reason:
" It's nothing personal, it's just good business".
PensionPlanPuppets.com is a fan community that allows members to post their own thoughts and opinions on the Toronto Maple Leafs and hockey in general. These views and thoughts may not be shared by the editor of PensionPlanPuppets.com.
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It’s such a no-brainer and has been forever pretty much. If you had to choose between airing a program for 1 million people vs. one for 5 million people, which one would it be?
I still can’t believe people complain about this and don’t understand the logic argument.
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by Sergei Puckizin on Oct 22, 2009 6:45 PM EDT reply actions
Good post Johnny. It should be blatantly obvious that CBC should stick with the Leafs as the national broadcast where possible, as it clearly drives better ratings. Of course, as we’ve seen, fans from other Canadian teams often are so clueless as to argue with what is blatantly obvious.
Being a Leaf fan here requires one to be sufficiently lubricated... and truculent!
It’s fashionable to bash on the Leafs right now but clearly there’s no way the Leafs get dropped. I don’t live in Canada so I’m not sure but do people get to watch the local game (People in Montreal get to see Montreal, people in Ottawa get to see Ottawa) or are the local games not broadcast in favor of the Leafs being on? Are people being prevented from watching their local team or are they bitching just because?
by mauvais gardien de but on Oct 22, 2009 11:46 PM EDT reply actions
All of Montreal games are broadcasted on RDS (French channel) regardless.
And I am fairly certain Ottawa region actually watches the Sens.
The arguments usually stem from west coasters who argue they don’t want to watch the Leafs on the early game the entire time.
Life as a Toronto Sports Fan?... *sigh*... It is what it is...
Welcome
Thanks for joining.
As noted, the only people that have any reason to gripe are the fans that live in the Leafs’ region but support other teams and people out west that have to watch the Leafs at 4pm on a Saturday.
Yeah, cry me a river.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Thanks. I hear people say this all the time but I’ve never really understood what the problem is. A channel is going to show the game that brings in the most viewership. End of story.
I thought since people make such a big deal about it, maybe they were unable to see their own teams but apparently, no. 4pm on a Saturday? Go outside. Go to the liquor store. Do something else until your team is on. Don’t bitch about it.
by mauvais gardien de but on Oct 23, 2009 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions
That’s what is the most insane.
If all that you get is the single CBC channel then it’s hard to complain about simple dollars and cents/sense.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
More numbers:
According to Wikipedia, the Toronto region has a population of roughly 5 million. The population of the regions of Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, and Edmonton combined is slightly more than the area of Toronto. Slightly. That is, 4 of the next 5 largest cities, all of which have NHL teams, barely have more people in them combined compared to Toronto. That’s not even including all of the people in the horseshoe southern Ontario regions, which are much larger than the rural parts of Alberta, I can tell you that.
So, even if the CBC could air a 4 team match-up between Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, and Edmonton, it still probably wouldn’t draw as many viewers as a Toronto-Pittsburgh game, let alone a Toronto-Montreal game.
It’s a matter of numbers. Get over it, rest of Canada. Toronto/Ontario is big. Much bigger than you. We’re white men aged 18-49. You’re ethnic women aged 75. Marketing-speaking.
by Van Ryn's Neurologist on Oct 23, 2009 12:09 AM EDT reply actions
Exactly,
It’s just a matter of numbers.
Look, I can understand the frustration of other team fans. Especially if I was missing out on games of my favorite team, but I would like to think I could at least see the reasoning for it.
Life as a Toronto Sports Fan?... *sigh*... It is what it is...
Toronto fans rally around the fact that we haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967. It is not an issue of disgrace for us, nor do we endlessly whine about it and try to blame other teams for it. I think it is similar to the TV situation for other teams. Lower viewership is their version of our 1967. But their response is not to rally around the fact that they have inferior viewership numbers, their response is to whine and bitch and blame Toronto.
Toronto fans: Standing up to adversity like no one else since 1967.
-Graham-
by CanadianMaple09 on Oct 23, 2009 12:48 AM EDT up reply actions
I bitched and whined about living straight south of Ottawa and getting blacked out of Leafs fans, until I just couldn’t take it anymore and moved to Peterborough. End of problem. I guarantee you there’s a lot more pissed off Leaf fans in other team’s broadcast areas than vice versa.
"We've had an ongoing problem with Grabovski this year." Bob Gainey, 4/04/09
It's also funny
How fans of other teams are the ones who complain about the Leafs always being on TV….but then watch the games anyways (usually in the hopes the Leafs lose).
Seriously. If you don’t like that Leaf games are on TV, why do you watch and thereby contribute to the high ratings they get? Idiots.
by FiftyMissionCap on Oct 23, 2009 12:52 AM EDT reply actions
Same thing with them trolling any and all Leafs stories on the CBC website, then complaining that Leafs articles are always featured. Well d’uh! You just added 250 troll comments to the 75 or so valid ones, bumping the article way up in popularity and getting it featured.
-Graham-
by CanadianMaple09 on Oct 23, 2009 12:54 AM EDT up reply actions
Not so fast
I always thought that the complaint wasn’t so much that the CBC was showing Leafs games, but that they were showing Leafs games instead of potentially more interesting games (i.e. games with playoff implications). And the stats you provide bear this out.
Using your average viewership numbers (1.228m), in the final 14 weeks of the season (which includes the two weeks before the ASG), a Leafs game performed over the average only 5 times (twice against Montreal, once against Sidney Crosby and the Pens, the aforementioned Vancouver game, and one against Edmonton…for some bizarre reason).
Conversely, before the Christmas break the Leafs (when the Leafs were still viewed as an exciting team that may surprise everyone) they drew over the average 8 out of 10 weeks.
What this suggests to me is that continuing to show the Leafs late in the season was actually bringing down HNIC’s numbers; that last season the Leafs were providing them with diminishing returns. They might have been better served by showing other Canadian teams still in the playoff race instead.
cheers
by Richard S. Argent on Oct 23, 2009 2:41 AM EDT reply actions
I’ve heard both complaints but for the vast majority the complaint is that the Leafs are shoved down their throat.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
the problem is, we know for a fact CBC is run by monkeys.
brain damaged ones at that.
just look at how they zoom in on people when they hit people along the boards and then end up completely missing the play.
or when they watch people skate to the bench WHILE the game is going.
so my only problem with this argument is that they are more likely to do the thing that makes the least sense
Well done on the post! Rec’d!
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by blindfolded tank driver on Oct 23, 2009 9:23 AM EDT reply actions
Will never happen
The CBC is committed to the Leafs, not because of the teams record but because it is good business, and will continue to be so.
The person writing the article was yanking your chain.
As your stats claim the CBC loses viewers when-ever it is not on.
Bettman would not sell the Coyetes to a money machine, because he and the rest of the league are chicken shits, so for any-one to say that the CBC is going to drop the Leafs on a Saturday are full of “horse apples”
John
Banning trolls is fun :)
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
:D
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by Marc Pilgrim on Oct 29, 2009 4:25 PM EDT up reply actions
I might have to stop enjoying engaging them so much
All In Balls Out, Since 1983
by JaredFromLondon on Oct 29, 2009 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Meh
Guy comes onto a Leafs site to toss some ridiculous arguments, you guys kick him around a bit, he acts like a twat, and then I get to ban him and delete every trace of him.
Poor troll can’t even show off to his SMS friends that he played internet tough guy.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
darn
and I miss out on the entertainment ‘cause I’m too slow
"The only way out is in a body bag. Go Leafs Go." - Blinky
by Karina on Oct 29, 2009 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions
thats what i gave the warning in the CC for! So everyone could enjoy the fun
All In Balls Out, Since 1983
by JaredFromLondon on Oct 29, 2009 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I kinda joined in... ;D
Truculence is Everything: The Barilkosphere's Rookie Blog of the Year!
"We Rant, We Caption, We Care."
by Marc Pilgrim on Oct 29, 2009 4:25 PM EDT up reply actions

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