Congratulations to Sweden, which won the World Junior Championships Monday night in Minnesota by defeating Czechia 4 to 2
After slipping out of the medals at the last three WJH championships, Canada defeated Finland Monday to earn the bronze. A step in the right direction for our 19-and-under hockey reps, but not the gold many Canadians — and clearly the TSN broadcast team — were hoping for at this tournament.
Ratings wise, however, TSN saw games involving the Canadian team crack the two million mark twice according to overnight estimates. (See the bottom of this column for Monday’s Bronze medal game ratings result.) That’s a big score any night in Canada but a sharp drop from the giddy days back when people meters were new and Canadian Juniors were perennial Gold Medal favourites. Between 2005 and 2009, Canada won five straight WJH championships, defeating Russia or Sweden for top spot over that span. (Russia has been banned from this tournament since their war with Ukraine began.)
Here, in reverse order, is a game-by-game breakdown of the ratings. On Sunday, Jan. 4, Canada was eliminated from the gold medal competition when they lost to Czechia. That team has been Canada killers for four straight annual tournaments. The 8:30 pm ET start drew an average minute audience of 2,463,000 on TSN+Com, 756,000 of that in the 25-54-year-old demo. On the same night, an estimated, overnight 896,000 watched Sweden defeat Finland and advance to Monday’s Gold Medal Game, where they won for only the third time in the history of this tournament.
Two nights before, on Friday, Jan. 2, Canada drew 2,109,000 in overnight estimates in their playoff tilt vs Slovakia. Team USA’s early exit at the hands of Finland that same night was viewed by 718,000 in Canada on TSN+com.
On New Year’s Eve, an overnight, estimated 1,889,000 watched Canada defeat Finland on TSN+com. An additional 400,000 was the draw of the same game that night on the main CTV network. Earlier that night, an estimated 499,000 watched the game between USA and Sweden.
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On Monday, Dec. 29, the game between Canada and Denmark drew an overnight, estimated 1,263,000.
Two nights earlier, on Dec. 27, Canada and Latvia skated before 1,211,000 TSN+Com viewers. Note the sharp fall off on Dec. 27 and 29, shedding an estimated half million viewers from the opening preliminary round game Dec. 26 featuring Canada and Czechia. Canada won that Boxing Day battle, watched by an estimated 1,862,000 on TSN.
With Canada winning right up until the medal round, why didn’t the ratings continue to rise? It could be that the first game drew a larger audience because these two nations have quite a rivalry going. Another factor: TSN has been hyping the start of this tourney for a month.
Some viewers, however, may also have been turned off by the young Canadian players’ beligerant tactics in Game One. It is one thing to be elbows up in Canada nowadays, but playing ugly, mid-’70s Philly Flyers hockey was hard to get behind for at least this hockey fan the day after Christmas. Play hard, sure, but if I wanted to watch ICE bullies, I could turn on the news.
UPDATE: Monday’s bronze medal finish for Canada drew a tournament low for the team in terms of viewership. An overnight, estimated 994,000 watched Canada defeat Finland on TSN. The gold medal game later in prime Monday night between winner Sweden and Czechia drew an average minute audience of 674,000.
