International Ice Hockey Federation

Viewership record

Viewership record

World Juniors watched by more fans than ever

Published 25.04.2017 09:17 GMT-4 | Author Hockey Canada
Viewership record
Canada's Scott Laughton is being interviewed on TSN at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship. Photo: Francois Laplante / HHOF-IIHF Images
Team Canada’s epic gold medal win at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship on home ice was an unforgettable moment that united fans across the nation.

Preliminary overnight data confirms a record-breaking average audience of 7.1 million Canadians watched Canada’s thrilling 5-4 victory over Russia on TSN (6 million) and RDS (1.13 million), making it the most-watched broadcast on record on specialty television in Canada.

The gold medal game ranks as the most-watched World Juniors game ever – 6% higher than the 2011 gold medal game (6.7 million viewers on TSN and RDS).

Overall, 13.4 million unique Canadian viewers tuned in to watch Team Canada reclaim World Junior gold. Audience levels on TSN and RDS peaked at 9.7 million viewers at 10:31 p.m. ET in the game’s dying seconds as Canada held on for the victory.

“Team Canada’s gold medal performance at the World Juniors has once again inspired fans across the country, and this massive audience demonstrates that fan engagement in the tournament has reached staggering new heights,” said Stewart Johnston, President of TSN. “Everyone at TSN is so proud to showcase the drama and excitement of this incredible tournament for viewers in Canada and around the world.”

“This IIHF World Junior Championship proved once again the passion Canadians have for hockey, and for this tournament,” said Tom Renney, president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada. “We are extremely proud of the work TSN and RDS did this year in Toronto and Montreal, and have done over the last 25 years. The networks have played an integral role in growing the World Juniors into the holiday tradition it has become, and we are thrilled to continue to strengthen our partnership with Canada’s Sports Leaders.”

Overall, 19.4 million Canadians – or more than half the country’s population – tuned in to watch some or all of TSN and RDS’s wall-to-wall coverage of the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship in Montreal and Toronto – a 14% increase compared to the last time it was played in Canada.

Collectively, Canadians consumed 105 million hours of the World Juniors on TSN and RDS over 27 games in an 11 day period – three hours of viewing for every person in Canada.

The average audience for the seven Canada games was 3.8 million, a new all-time high.

Team Canada’s semi-final victory over Slovakia on Sunday was the second most-watched game from the tournament, attracting an average audience of 4.5 million viewers on TSN (3.9 million) and RDS (617,000).

Russia’s semi-final victory over Sweden on Sunday was the most watched non- Canadian World Juniors semi-final game ever, with an average audience of 1.46 million viewers on TSN and RDS.

 

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