CFL ratings report: Labour Day rematches just as good as the original

While the Labour Day games have always been a ratings juggernaut for the CFL and broadcast partner TSN, the second-half of those matchups are proving to be just as popular – and in some cases, even more so.

The Banjo Bowl between Winnipeg and Saskatchewan featured an average of 836,200 viewers on English-language TSN, just a couple of thousand less than the Labour Day game the week before (838,300.) More impressively, the Banjo Bowl ratings were up a whopping 45 per cent over last season’s contest.

It was much the same story in the Alberta re-match, which outperformed Labour Day by a substantial margin for the second straight year (though it was down slightly from last year’s game.) Only the Argo-Ticat tilt failed to deliver big numbers, with an average audience of just 413,000.

Overall, however, ratings for the week were up 2.6 per cent and year-over-year numbers have improved by any measurement.

Week 13 ratings

Friday
Ottawa at B.C.: 461,000

Saturday
Saskatchewan at Winnipeg: 836,000 (+44.9 per cent over last year)
Calgary at Edmonton: 744,100 (-0.9 per cent over last year)
Hamilton at Toronto: 413,000

Week 13 (2018) vs. Week 12 (2017): +2.6 per cent
Year-to-date (50 games) vs 2017 (49 games): +3.7 per cent
Through 13 weeks 2018 vs 2018: +5.5 per cent