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Soccer audience horrible


andersontwo

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From the Toronto Star blog:

Toronto FC's television audience: next to nil

There are few doubts that Toronto FC is a success at the box office. On the field, there are strides to be made but the team has at least become a contender for a playoff spot early in its infancy.

But as a TV property, it has a very long way to go. Ratings are abysmal, as witnessed by Saturday's game in Seattle that couldn't even draw 100,000 viewers to CBC. That's not far out of line with what TFC has drawn all season and throughout most of its brief existence.

It' s a bit of a mystery why the team hasn't fared better in the ratings. The games are interesting and the home crowd puts on a pretty good show. The road games aren't much to look at, especially when the other team's feed is used and broadcasters call things from a Toronto studio. But that's to be expected until ratings start to rise.

So why aren't more people watching? Where are all those soccer fanatics we keep hearing about?

My theory is that too many soccer fanatics have little interest in Major League Soccer because they find it inferior to the big European leagues. In addition, because there's no other MLS team in Canada there's no rivalry to feed off. People in Vancouver and Montreal have little incentive to watch a Toronto team in which they have no stake.

With expansion, that could change. But it's going to take a while and whether the MLS ever catches the eyes of the Euro crowd is doubtful.

Here are the overnight English-Canadian sports ratings for last weekend, as compiled by BBM Nielsen Media Research.

1. Football, Stampeders at Argos, Friday, TSN: 346,000

2. Football, Tiger-Cats at Eskimos, Saturday, TSN: 329,000

3. Baseball, Blue Jays at Red Sox, Sunday, Sportsnet: 281,000

4. Baseball, Blue Jays at Red Sox, Friday, Sportsnet: 262,000

5. Baseball, Blue Jays at Red Sox, Saturday, Sportsnet: 254,000

6. Auto racing, NASCAR Nationwide Montreal, Sunday, TSN: 223,000

7. Football, Bears at Broncos, Sunday, TSN: 147,000*

8. Auto racing, Belgian Grand Prix, Sunday, TSN: 121,000

9. Track and field, Golden League, Saturday, CBC: 106,000

10. Soccer, Toronto FC at Seattle, Saturday, CBC: 85,000

* Viewers on NBC not calculated

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quote:Originally posted by andersontwo

So why aren't more people watching? Where are all those soccer fanatics we keep hearing about?

My theory is that too many soccer fanatics have little interest in Major League Soccer because they find it inferior to the big European leagues. In addition, because there's no other MLS team in Canada there's no rivalry to feed off. People in Vancouver and Montreal have little incentive to watch a Toronto team in which they have no stake.

I have no doubt that there is truth in that theory.

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quote:Originally posted by VPjr

I have no doubt that there is truth in that theory.

Yes, I totally agree on both counts. We all know the league isn't the Premiership, La Liga or Serie A but there's nothing we can do about that. People will watch or they won't. That's just the way it is. Hopefully over time things will evolve but heck, it's only year 3.

Regarding other Canadian teams, again yes absolutely. The CFL does so well in part because every single game involves two Canadian teams. It's ideal for television.

Let's hope that once Vancouver (or Montreal) are in MLS, the leagues schedulers can be persuaded to give us two home and two away against our football brethren. It would terrific for the grown of the game on television.

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quote:Originally posted by SthMelbRed

Football below the highest levels does not translate into great TV in most cases, no matter how good the live experience might be.

That's likely true, but in this case, we're talking about the local team (a city of 5 million people) playing in the highest level of domestic play. Sure, MLS isn't of the caliber of the Euro leagues, but isn't it weird that so many "soccer fans" have no interest in their home team?

I mean, if I moved to Sweden or something, I'm pretty sure I'd latch on to the local hockey club, even if I realized the games weren't NHL-quality. But maybe that's just me.

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quote:Originally posted by dbailey62

Yes, I totally agree on both counts. We all know the league isn't the Premiership, La Liga or Serie A but there's nothing we can do about that. People will watch or they won't. That's just the way it is. Hopefully over time things will evolve but heck, it's only year 3.

Regarding other Canadian teams, again yes absolutely. The CFL does so well in part because every single game involves two Canadian teams. It's ideal for television.

Let's hope that once Vancouver (or Montreal) are in MLS, the leagues schedulers can be persuaded to give us two home and two away against our football brethren. It would terrific for the grown of the game on television.

It does so well because people in their 40s and 50s like to sit at home and watch TV. People in the TFC demograph, not so much.

I wonder if the guy who wrote this article has any background in marketing research.

Also, I would like to see a breakdown in the numbers for the Argos - Stamps game. I wonder how many of that 346 000 plus was from Calgary.

Anyhow, I guess what I'm getting at is these numbers aren't so bad, especially considering the team is very young.

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quote:Originally posted by Macksam

It does so well because people in their 40s and 50s like to sit at home and watch TV. People in the TFC demograph, not so much.

I wonder if the guy who wrote this article has any background in marketing research.

Also, I would like to see a breakdown in the numbers for the Argos - Stamps game. I wonder how many of that 346 000 plus was from Calgary.

Anyhow, I guess what I'm getting at is these numbers aren't so bad, especially considering the team is very young.

Interesting point. There are plenty of examples of people crowding to bars specifically to watch TFC games, but I doubt the same happens for baseball or CFL games. And those bars are 50, 75, 100 people at a time.

Also consider the alternate manners in which soccer fans may get their fix -- Internet streams (legal and otherwise), timeshifting, GOLTV's "Game in an Hour"... suffice to say, Neilsen ratings aren't the be-all and end-all of determining something's popularity.

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Please stop talking about people not going to bars to watch CFL? FFS, get out of Toronto and visit the real world and get a clue.

I cannot believe that NASCAR outdraws anything 3-1!!

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quote:Originally posted by Ed

Please stop talking about people not going to bars to watch CFL? FFS, get out of Toronto and visit the real world and get a clue.

I cannot believe that NASCAR outdraws anything 3-1!!

Too true. CFL is big in the west, particularly Sask and Winnipeg where we don't have a local NHL team to distract us. I am always surprised when soccer fans (esp. on this board) feel the need to talk down the CFL. Its success is something pro soccer in this country should be aspiring to.

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quote:Originally posted by Ed

Please stop talking about people not going to bars to watch CFL? FFS, get out of Toronto and visit the real world and get a clue.

I cannot believe that NASCAR outdraws anything 3-1!!

Well, it's Toronto FC. I wouldn't expect too many people outside of Toronto watch TFC.

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For something as ubiquitous as the CFL, those numbers aren't that great, "real" world or no.

I realize they are better than they used to be, but for all the media attention the CFL gets (even here in big, bad Toronto) it hardly draws what I'd expect.

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quote:Originally posted by Rudi

For something as ubiquitous as the CFL, those numbers aren't that great, "real" world or no.

I realize they are better than they used to be, but for all the media attention the CFL gets (even here in big, bad Toronto) it hardly draws what I'd expect.

I think they're pretty good. By way of comparison, NHL on TSN only had an average viewership of 451,000 for their broadcasts last season. This is the network's key property, supported by their insufferable wall-to-wall NHL reporting and analysis.

The two matchups from the Star's article (Stamps-Argos and Ti-Cats-Esks), both non-divisional matches with two of the league's worst supported teams, also skew the CFL numbers for that weekend lower. Look at the ratings from this weekend's games for the high end of the scale.

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quote:Originally posted by TFC07

That is lowest ratings for TFC on CBC. They usually get 100,000-150,000 on CBC.

Are those the average numbers? Or the numbers they got in the early season, when the games were coming on right before or after NHL playoff games, with a huge lead-in audience?

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quote:Originally posted by Rudi

For something as ubiquitous as the CFL, those numbers aren't that great, "real" world or no.

I realize they are better than they used to be, but for all the media attention the CFL gets (even here in big, bad Toronto) it hardly draws what I'd expect.

Well it's hard to beat top 2 in the list. CFL is a major draw out west, in the bars and in the stadiums. "Beer, Food, Bus to Game" packages are available all over the place. To say that the CFL crowd is older, more likely to sit at home and does not go out to bars is just a very poor assessment of the sports scene in much of Canada.

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quote:Originally posted by Ed

Well it's hard to beat top 2 in the list. CFL is a major draw out west, in the bars and in the stadiums. "Beer, Food, Bus to Game" packages are available all over the place. To say that the CFL crowd is older, more likely to sit at home and does not go out to bars is just a very poor assessment of the sports scene in much of Canada.

I agree with and understand all of that. I just expected CFL ratings to be higher.

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100,000 isn't bad at all. It pisses all over what ESPN gets for their weekly MLS game in the States. But I guess the journalist had his article already written before those numbers actually came in. Damn, facts can be pesky!

quote:Originally posted by squizz

Interesting point. There are plenty of examples of people crowding to bars specifically to watch TFC games, but I doubt the same happens for baseball or CFL games. And those bars are 50, 75, 100 people at a time.

Also consider the alternate manners in which soccer fans may get their fix -- Internet streams (legal and otherwise), timeshifting, GOLTV's "Game in an Hour"... suffice to say, Neilsen ratings aren't the be-all and end-all of determining something's popularity.

Come on, how many bars in Canada are packed to watch TFC?

Neilsen ratings aren't perfect, but advertisement money is based on them. So the ratings are the only thing that really matters (apart from stadium attendance, of course). Perception is reality. [8)]

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To respond to the various responses to my post... I was talking about Toronto. I'm sure CFL packs them to the gills elsewhere in the country, but it's rare here. Similarly, as amacpher said, I doubt bars outside of Toronto fill up to watch TFC.

But I was talking about Toronto. The city where Toronto FC is based. Which is what we're talking about in this case. Chill out.

EDIT: And for what it's worth, I've been a CFL (Argos) season-ticket holder for 5 years now, and was excited as anyone when the Grey Cup came to town two years ago (and happily dropped $350 to watch the Riders and Bombers).

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TFC is three years old. CFL is what, a several decades older? The comparison is unfair.

While I agree so many soccer "purists" would rather watch Euro football, I really believe that a natural Canadian rivalry AND lots of eventual success would increase TV attendance.

Get in the playoffs, surprise a few people, and TFC will get more new fans than trying to infiltrate the Eurosnob market.

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One problem with the ratings for the last CBC game is that it was the first TFC game on CBC in about a month and a half. Unless you're an established fan or a regular CBC watcher you're not getting the promo lead-insabout the upcoming CBC game that draw in the borderline fans.

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Also the CBC feed was crap compared to the Seattle feed. I hate the way that the CBC presents the game normally though. There whole 'lets leave play to ask some Muppet thats on the concourse during the game some generic soccer question' thing drives me nuts.

Also as everyone else has said TFC is Toronto's team, just because the Toronto media thinks its Canada's team doesn't make it true.

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quote:Originally posted by squizz

That's likely true, but in this case, we're talking about the local team (a city of 5 million people) playing in the highest level of domestic play. Sure, MLS isn't of the caliber of the Euro leagues, but isn't it weird that so many "soccer fans" have no interest in their home team?

I mean, if I moved to Sweden or something, I'm pretty sure I'd latch on to the local hockey club, even if I realized the games weren't NHL-quality. But maybe that's just me.

I live in Melbourne and attend a few Melbourne Victory matches a season. The atmosphere at the games is quite good. And that's in a massive AFL stadium which is generally about half full. However, watching the same matches on TV are generally quite unexciting. Watching a lower caliber of sport on TV will always suffer by comparison when viewed by an audience used to watching the best leagues in the world every week on TV. Those same fans that can't bring themselves to watch on TV would be more than happy to watch a live match between the same two teams, as the live atmosphere does not necessarily suffer in the same way by comparison.

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"My theory is that too many soccer fanatics have little interest in Major League Soccer because they find it inferior to the big European leagues."

Hell, that theory is proven every Saturday in my house. My wife enthusiastically watches virtually any match from the Premiership with me but doesn't last beyond the quarter-of-the-hour mark before going to do something else when I put on a TFC match.

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