Bombers-Riders Week 7 matchup posts rivalry’s lowest English TV rating since 2018

Photo: Michael Scraper/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

When the Winnipeg Blue Bombers play the Saskatchewan Roughriders it’s usually must-see TV across the prairies and country.

It’s hyped as the best rivalry in the CFL and that’s probably true. However, the Week 7 matchup at Mosaic Stadium drew the lowest average viewers for a game featuring the Bombers and Riders since the 2018 season.

Saskatchewan’s 19-9 win was the highest-rated matchup among the four-game slate while also producing the largest 25-54 age demographic audience (134,600) but did not yield an eye-popping number.

There wasn’t much competition for sports watchers Friday night as the Toronto Blue Jays game was on Apple TV. There was no Thursday nighter on the three-down league’s schedule, which has been a summer staple, due to stadium availability and collective bargaining requirements among other perspectives.

Perhaps being the second game in a doubleheader hindered the ratings, though Adam Bighill’s hit on Shea Patterson will not be forgotten by Rider fans and should aid in producing what’s typically the most-watched game during the CFL’s regular season: the Labour Day Classic.

2024 Week 7 TV ratings

Friday
Edmonton at Ottawa — 339,800 TSN
Winnipeg at Saskatchewan — 520,900 TSN

Saturday
Toronto at Hamilton — 376,900 TSN

Sunday
B.C. at Calgary — 400,100 TSN

Total average: 409,425

Blue Bombers vs. Roughriders TV ratings since 2018:

2023 Week 2 — 690,600
2023 Labour Day Classic — 975,000
2023 Banjo Bowl — 688,100
2022 Labour Day Classic — 796,000
2022 Banjo Bowl — 656,500
2022 Week 17 — 701,800
2021 Labour Day Classic — 979,700
2021 Banjo Bowl —550,900
2021 West Final —1,346,000
2019 Labour Day Classic — 854,400
2019 Banjo Bowl — 594,400
2019 Week 17 — 851,100
2019 West Final — 1,631,900
2018 Labour Day Classic — 838,300
2018 Banjo Bowl — 836,000
2018 Week 18 — 513,900
2018 West Semi-Final — 1,280,000