Third Time’s a Charm: Sportsnet Remains Canada’s #1 Specialty Network and #1 Sports Media Brand in 2017 for Third Straight Year

TORONTO (January 3, 2018)  For the third consecutive year, Sportsnet retained its position as the destination of choice for Canadian sports fans by closing out 2017 as Canada’s #1 specialty network and #1 sports media brand.

For the period of January 1 to December 31, 2017, all Sportsnet networks collectively* delivered a 5.2 audience share and an average minute audience of 193,000, marking a 29% lead over its closest competitor and solidifying Sportsnet’s position as the top sports media brand in the country.  In addition, Sportsnet** captured the largest share (3.7) and average minute audience (138,000) of any Canadian specialty network.

“We are honoured that fans continue to put their trust in our brand,” said Scott Moore, President of Sportsnet & NHL Properties, Rogers Media. “All of our work is driven by the singular purpose of bringing Canadians together through compelling storytelling, quality content, insights and analysis across all our platforms, and access to the sports that matter most to them.”

Bolstered by Sportsnet’s new United By Sport brand campaign, sports fans have responded by tuning in and engaging with the brand in droves. The campaign celebrates the importance of sport as a powerful connector that brings diverse communities together and personifies Sportsnet’s mission to unify Canadians through sport with front-row access to the content they love, accessible from anywhere.

Additional highlights from Sportsnet’s 2017 campaign are as follows:

TELEVISION:

Sportsnet

• In addition to being Canada’s #1 specialty network overall, Sportsnet is also #1 with female and millennial audiences for both share and average minute audience.

Sportsnet Central and Hockey Central

• The prime-time edition of Sportsnet Central was the most-watched sports news program in 2017, delivering an average minute audience 48% higher than its closest competitor.
• Sportsnet’s Hockey Centralnational pre-game show has grown 60% year-over-year and outperforms its closest competitor by 147%, solidifying Sportsnet’s roster of hockey experts as the go-to source for opinion and analysis.

NHL

• For the 2017-18 NHL season to-date, Sportsnet has experienced growth across the following NHL broadcasts vs. the same period last year:

o   Hockey Night in Canada Game 1 is up 5%

o   Hockey Night in Canada Game 2is up 2%

o   Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey is up 31%

o   Calgary Flames regional broadcasts are up 17%

o   Toronto Maple Leafs regional broadcasts are up 2%

• When including Sportsnet’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts that air simultaneously on City and CBC, the overall audience share for Sportsnet-produced programming in 2017 increases to 6.6 from 5.2.
• The 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs delivered an overall average minute audience of 1.61 million on Sportsnet and CBC channels, marking a 94% increase over the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
• The Top 10 broadcasts of the year on Sportsnet were all from the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Game 6 of the Washington vs. Toronto first round series being the most-watched hockey game in Sportsnet history, reaching 8.4 million Canadians.

 

DIGITAL:

Sportsnet.ca and the Sportsnet App

• 3.22 million Canadians visited Sportsnet digitally each month in 2017, jumping two spots to #4 on the most-visited sports websites in Canada.
• April 2017 was the highest month in Sportsnet.ca history with 4.5 million unique visitors, with NHL playoffs and the start of the Blue Jays season.
• Based on current 2017 year-to-date data, the Sportsnet App has experienced a 35% year-over-year growth in average monthly unique visitors and set an all-time record in the month of April with 498,000 unique visitors.

Rogers NHL LIVE

The 2017-18 NHL season is off to a strong start, as more hockey fans used Rogers NHL LIVE and consumed more content on the platform in comparison to the same period last year:

• Paid subscriptions have increased 28%
• Total active users are up 10%
• Average minutes streamed are up 11%

Sportsnet NOW

• With more exclusive content and the ability to access the sports fans love from anywhere on any mobile device, Sportsnet NOW has experienced a 35% increase in paid subscribers over this time last year.

Social Media

• @Sportsnet Instagram followers were up 48%
• Sportsnet Facebook likes were up 7%
• @Sportsnet Twitter followers increased 9%

 

RADIO:

• In 2017, Sportsnet 590 The FAN remained Canada’s #1 sports radio station in the coveted Men 25-54 demographic with an audience share of 5.0, five times more than that of its closest competitor.

o   Sportsnet’s Starting Lineup dominates the Toronto morning sports scene with an audience share of 5.6

o   Prime Time Sports with the recently re-signed Bob McCown continues to be the most-listened to sports radio  show in the country with an audience share of 7.1.

• With the launch of Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver, combined with Sportsnet 960 The FAN in Calgary and Sportsnet 590 the FAN in Toronto, Sportsnet’s three radio stations reach an average of 1.24 million Canadians each week.
• Since its launch on September 4, Sportsnet 650 has made quite an impact in the Vancouver sports radio market:

o   Amongst Adults 25-54, Sportsnet 650 outperforms its closest competitor by 15% for full day audiences.

o   Sportsnet 650’s evening (7-11 p.m. PT) audience is double that of its closest competitor in the market.

 

Sources:

* Sportsnet National, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet ONE

** Sportsnet National (East, West, Ontario, Pacific)

TV – Numeris, Jan 1 – Dec 31/17 (confirmed up to Dec 17/17), Ind. 2+ AMA & Share of Total TV English, Total Canada unless otherwise noted.  NHL season comparisons based on 2017/2018 STD (Oct 4/17 – Dec 27/17) vs. same weeks last year.

Digital – ComScore Multiplatform, Jan – Oct, 2016 & 2017; Sportsnet Social Properties; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter accessed via CrowdTangle, Jan – Dec 2017; Internal Data.

Radio – Numeris, Jan 1 – Dec 31/17 (confirmed up to Dec 17/17), M25-54 Share of Toronto Stations & Vancouver Stations unless otherwise noted, Reach based on P2+, Total Canada.

 

Social Media Links:

Official website, Sportsnet www.sportsnet.ca

Sportsnet NOW website, www.sportsnet.ca/now/

Join the conversation: #UnitedBySport

Like Sportsnet www.Facebook.com/Sportsnet

Follow Sportsnet on Twitter @Sportsnet

Follow Sportsnet on Instagram @Sportsnet

Follow Sportsnet PR @SportsnetPR

 

About Sportsnet
Sportsnet is Canada’s #1 sports media brand, uniting Canadians through sport with the content they love, accessible from anywhere.  Delivering world-class storytelling on a local, regional, national and global level, the multiplatform brand consists of Sportsnet, sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Sportsnet 960 The FAN, Sportsnet 650, Sportsnet NOW, and the Sportsnet app.  Sportsnet consists of four regional channels (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific), and the nationally-distributed Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, and Sportsnet World. Sportsnet is the official Canadian NHL national multimedia rights holder, and is also the official regional television broadcast rights holder for the Calgary Flames (including radio rights on Sportsnet 960 The FAN), Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs (including radio rights on Sportsnet 590 The FAN) and Vancouver Canucks (including radio rights on Sportsnet 650). Sportsnet also has exclusive TV & radio coverage of all 162 Blue Jays games, as well as other MLB games, Toronto Raptors, NBA, Grand Slam of Curling, Rogers Cup, CHL, IndyCar, and extensive soccer programming including Premier League, Bundesliga, FA Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers.

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