Over 70 percent of Canadians watched the Stanley Cup final
Jul 5, 2021; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens right winger Josh Anderson (17) celebrates his teammates after scoring against Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (not pictured) in overtime in Game 4 of the Cup Final Stanley 2021 at the Bell Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Insane numbers from Sportsnet on Thursday morning just a day after the Tampa Bay Lightning won back-to-back Stanley Cups.
According to Sportsnet, the final between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning was the most watched Cup final in company history. Sportsnet took over the broadcasting rights in Canada in 2014-15.
The final figures are in … #GoHabsGo vs #GoBolts becomes the most watched #Stanley Cup Final in @Sportsnet story ⌛️💫
Overall, the 2021 #Stanley Cup The playoffs reached 26 million viewers on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports – 70% of the population of 🇨🇦!
Thanks for listening, Canada! 🍁🏒 pic.twitter.com/SafbN0HQCz
– Sportsnet PR (@SportsnetPR) July 8, 2021
On top of that, Sportsnet claims that more than 70% of the Canadian population has watched the finals via Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports, while 26 million people are reached across the country.
Some other interesting figures from Sportsnet:
- This year’s cup finals drew a 51% increase in average viewers per game compared to last year.
- Overall, this year’s playoffs attracted 73 percent more viewers than last year.
- Over 18 billion minutes have been spent watching the playoffs in Canada this year.
All of these numbers are staggering and show just how enraged Canada is as a hockey nation. It’s also interesting for a league like the NHL.
With the reshuffled divisions and the playoffs, it’s undeniable that having four Canadian teams guaranteed a playoff berth was anything but a success for hockey in Canada and America. More eyeballs have clearly been turned to the playoffs this year and that’s good for the game.
Zach Laing is Chief News Officer and Senior Columnist for the Nation Network. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or contactable by email at [email protected]
