TSN2’s schedule of NFL games will complement CTV’s package of NFL regular season Sunday early afternoon games. While CTV will customize its NFL broadcast schedule to deliver the best games to each market, TSN2 will broadcast a marquee national game – giving viewers in most Canadian markets a choice between two different NFL games at 1 p.m. ET.

“The NFL in Canada has never been more popular. Now with TSN2, fans can see the biggest and best games in every market across Canada,” said Phil King, President of TSN. “Adding such a renowned property like the NFL to TSN2 solidifies the fact that this is a ‘must have’ channel for all sports fans.”

The addition of games on TSN2 enhances TSN’s NFL broadcast package that includes exclusive Canadian coverage of Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football. The NFL is coming off a record season on Canadian television with the most-watched SUPER BOWL of all time, record-setting playoff audiences and the most-watched NFL regular season ever on both CTV and TSN.

The NFL broadcast package is the latest major property to be added to the TSN2 schedule this month. TSN2 recently announced that Major League Baseball’s marquee Sunday Night Baseball game package and England’s Barclays Premier League matches would be airing on TSN2.

Currently available in more than 4.5 million homes, TSN2 ranks as the most-watched digital sports channel in Canada in overall average audience and in all of the key advertising demographics.

About TSN2

TSN2, a division of CTVglobemedia, brings Canadian sport fans a jam-packed line-up of major league sports action, with exclusive live events and encore telecasts of key sporting events. TSN2’s roster features an exciting lineup of sports and events, including the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB, Curling, International Hockey, Barclays Premier League, Golf, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, IndyCar Series, Grand Slam Tennis, Boxing, and NCAA Football and Basketball. Also available in High Definition, sports fans can access TSN2 through television service providers across the country. For more information on TSN2 and a complete list of participating television providers, visit TSN.ca.

– One in two Canadians watch some part of the broadcast –

– Audiences peaks at 8 million viewers in the final minutes of the fourth quarter –

– 1.8 million watch series premiere of UNDERCOVER BOSS – 

Toronto, ON (February 8, 2009) – SUPER BOWL XLIV is the most-watched SUPER BOWL ever with a record audience of 6.7 million viewers in Canada on CTV (6.025 million) and RDS (650,000) last night. Preliminary overnight data from BBM Canada confirms that the New Orleans Saints’ 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday is the second biggest audience for any broadcast on Canadian television since 1994.* Overall, an astonishing 16.64 million viewers – or one in two Canadians – tuned in to some or all of the broadcast on CTV or RDS.  

Audience levels for SUPER BOWL XLIV on CTV and RDS peaked at 8 million viewers in the final minutes of the fourth quarter as the New Orleans Saints’ Tracy Porter returned a Peyton Manning interception for a touchdown, sealing the Saints victory. The game attracted nearly two million viewers alone in Toronto/Hamilton, Canada’s largest television market, and delivered an incredible 65 share among Men 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. 

The national audience for SUPER BOWL XLIV is more than 52% higher than last year’s NFL championship game that had an average audience of 4.3 million viewers. 

The record audience comes as CTV and the NFL confirmed earlier today that they have extended their broadcast partnership for the next four years with the SUPER BOWL airing exclusively in Canada on CTV through to SUPER BOWL XLVIII. 

“Last night’s overwhelming audience is a testament to what a cultural phenomenon the Super Bowl is every year,” said Rick Brace, President, Revenue, Business Planning and Sports, CTV Inc. “What a way to end a tremendous season of NFL football on CTV. We can’t wait to bring fans and advertisers all of the SUPER BOWL excitement again next year. ” 

CTV’s extended SUPER BOWL XLIV coverage also had impressive audiences with SUPER BOWL XLIV Kick-off Show attracting 3.7 million viewers. CTV’s newest reality series, UNDERCOVER BOSS, premiered in the coveted post-SUPER BOWL timeslot to an average audience of 1.83 million viewers. Episode 2 airs next Sunday, February 14 at 9 p.m. ET on /A\.  

SUPER BOWL XLIV caps off an incredibly successful season of NFL football on CTV –with the network setting new audience records throughout the regular season, playoffs and the SUPER BOWL. 

Final SUPER BOWL XLIV audience numbers will be available in the coming weeks.

*CTV began archiving ratings data in 1994.

Audiences prior to August 31, 2009 based on BBM Nielsen Media Research Mark II meters 

About CTV

CTV, Canada’s Olympic Network, is also Canada’s largest private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV is Canada’s most-watched television network. CTV Inc. also owns radio stations across the country and owns or has interests in leading national specialty channels, featuring news, sports, factual, arts, entertainment, music, youth and fashion programming. CTV Inc. is owned by CTVglobemedia Inc. Canada’s premier multi-media company, which also owns Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail. CTV is the official broadcaster of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and London 2012 Games of the Olympiad. More information about CTV may be found on the network’s website at www.ctv.ca. 

- CTV -

– Deal comes on the heels of a record-setting playoffs and regular season – 

Toronto, ON and Miami Gardens, FL (February 8, 2009) – The National Football League, together with CTV, announced today a four-year extension of its broadcast partnership giving CTV exclusive Canadian broadcast rights to the NFL championship game through to Super Bowl XLVIII. The deal comes on the heels of last night’s Super Bowl XLIV broadcast and at the end of an incredibly successful year for the NFL on Canadian television, with record-setting playoff audiences and CTV’s most-watched regular season audience ever. 

Media Note – Audience data for last night’s SUPER BOWL will be released later today. 

Under terms of the deal, CTV remains the exclusive home in Canada for:

• NFL regular season Sunday early afternoon game package (1 p.m. ET)
• All NFL playoff games, including the PRO BOWL
• The SUPER BOWL, the most-watched single sporting event in North America.  

The deal covers 2010 through 2013 NFL seasons. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.  

“The National Football League’s broadcast package has been a perfect fit on the CTV schedule for the past three years and we are thrilled to be able to extend our partnership with a brand that defines excellence,” said Rick Brace, President, Revenue, Business Planning and Sports, CTV Inc. “As we saw last night, the SUPER BOWL is one of those rare television events that transcends sports and popular culture. We are looking forward to bringing fans and advertisers the best of the NFL for the next four years.” 

“CTV has been a tremendous partner over the past three years delivering outstanding audiences and extensive promotion for the NFL across its family of broadcast properties,” said Dan Quinn, Managing Director, National Football League – Canada. “We look forward to continuing to work with CTV and giving fans across Canada all of the excitement that surrounds NFL football and the SUPER BOWL.” 

CTV’s partnership with the NFL began in 2007. Over the past three years, NFL regular season and playoff audiences on CTV have increased substantially with the 2009 regular season registering an average audience 74% higher than the previous year. 

Brace also confirmed that CTV Inc. will continue to provide unmatched multi-platform exposure of its NFL slate through promotion inside CTV’s top-ranked line up and throughout its family of specialty networks and services, including cross-promotional support and coverage on TSN, Canada’s most-watched sports network.  

CTV’s NFL rights package complements TSN’s NFL broadcast package that includes exclusive Canadian coverage of Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football.
*Audiences prior to August 31, 2009 based on BBM Nielsen Media Research Mark II meters

About CTV

CTV, Canada’s Olympic Network, is also Canada’s largest private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV is Canada’s most-watched television network. CTV Inc. also owns radio stations across the country and owns or has interests in leading national specialty channels, featuring news, sports, factual, arts, entertainment, music, youth and fashion programming. CTV Inc. is owned by CTVglobemedia Inc. Canada’s premier multi-media company, which also owns Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail. CTV is the official broadcaster of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and London 2012 Games of the Olympiad. More information about CTV may be found on the network’s website at www.ctv.ca.

 - CTV -

– TSN delivers extensive Pre-Game and Post-Game coverage live from Miami –

– ETALK, CANADA AM, CTV NEWS, ESPN Classic, MuchMusic, MTV and CHUM Radio cover the game from all angles –

Toronto, ON (February 3, 2010) – Down… Set…Watch! With CTV home to the biggest party in North America on SUPER BOWL Sunday, the network’s family of sports, news, entertainment, radio and online properties touch down in Miami to deliver a comprehensive line-up of SUPER BOWL programming across the board.  

CTV will have exclusive Canadian coverage of Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday, Feb. 7 with more than six hours of pre-game coverage starting at 12 noon ET. In addition to the coverage on CTV on Super Bowl Sunday, Canadians can experience the SUPER BOWL phenomenon from all angles across the CTV family including extensive coverage on TSN, ETALK, CANADA AM, CTV NEWS, ESPN Classic, MuchMusic, MTV and CHUM Radio.  

TSN

TSN travels to Miami where Chris Schultz, Jesse Palmer and Paul Hollingsworth quarterback SPORTSCENTRE’s coverage of the big game breaking down all the action and filing daily reports all week long.  Highlights of SPORTSCENTRE’s week-long coverage include the final edition of Schultz’s popular Risky Business segment plus special features on the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints.  SportsCentre’s popular Top 10 feature will also look at the top Super Bowl commercials of all time. 

On Super Bowl Sunday, TSN tees up the big game with four hours of SUNDAY NFL COUNTDOWN, featuring host Chris Berman alongside Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Emmitt Smith, and NFL Insider Chris Mortensen live from Lummus Park on Miami Beach.  Analysts Trent Dilfer, Steve Young and Tedy Bruschi – all Super Bowl champions – will also appear on the show from Miami Beach, while Monday Night Football’s commentators Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski will report from Sun Life Stadium. SUNDAY NFL COUNTDOWN airs Sunday, Feb. 7 beginning at 10 a.m. ET on TSN. 

TSN’s weekly panel show, TSN THE REPORTERS WITH DAVE HODGE checks in at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the best and worst in the world of sports leading up to SUPER BOWL XLIV. 

When the game wraps, TSN’s coverage continues with SPORTSCENTRE at 10 p.m. ET delivering extensive post-game coverage of SUPER BOWL XLIV. Schultz, Palmer and Hollingsworth will be on the field, conducting live interviews and providing analysis of the big game.   TSN will feature a special edition of NFL Primetime at 11:30 p.m. ET with Berman, Jackson and Young on the field at Sun Life Stadium. 

TSN2

TSN2 will have select encores of TSN’s Super Bowl programming (check TSN.ca for program listings) along with Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials on Fri. Feb 5 at 7 p.m. ET.

TSN.ca

TSN.ca is the definitive online destination for SUPER BOWL fans in Canada, as the country’s leading sports website features all the latest news, analysis, interviews, photo galleries and highlights leading up to and following the championship game. 

Chris Schultz and Jesse Palmer give fans a behind-the-scenes look at SUPER BOWL XLIV with online columns and blogs, while Schultz also reveals his final pick of the season in the last instalment of his popular online feature, Schultz Against the World.  

Fans are also invited to visit TSN.ca and submit their best SUPER BOWL-related questions to Schultz and Palmer, who will answer the best ones online as part of the website’s exclusive SUPER BOWL XLIV coverage.  Along with extensive game coverage, TSN.ca will also include media day and press conference highlights from SUPER BOWL week, along with daily hits with Schultz and Palmer and post-game reaction and insight from Sun Life Stadium in Miami. 

Finally, fans can get interactive and win great prizes during SUPER BOWL XLIV with the Budweiser NFL Live online prediction and trivia game. The game enables fans to make live predictions and answer trivia questions simultaneously online as they watch SUPER BOWL XLIV on CTV. 

TSN MOBILE

Football fans on-the-go can keep tabs on all the action in Miami with up-to-the-minute SUPER BOWL news on TSN MOBILE– the portable version of TSN’s industry-leading sports website, TSN.ca.  Fans can also experience all of TSN.ca’s Super Bowl coverage on TSN Mobile iPhone Edition – a special application specifically designed for the iPhone and iTouch.

ESPN CLASSIC

ESPN Classic gets pumped for SUPER BOWL XLIV with a look back at some of the most recent SUPER BOWL match-ups throughout the weekend.  The six-hour marathon features NFL Films highlights from the last 12 SUPER BOWL games as well as a collection of the best SUPER BOWL commercials ever.

The broadcast schedule is as follows:

Friday, Feb. 5

• 8 p.m. ET                   Super Bowl XXXII – Green Bay vs. Denver
• 8:30 p.m. ET              Super Bowl XXXIII – Denver vs. Atlanta
• 9 p.m. ET                   Super Bowl XXXIV – Tennessee vs. St. Louis
• 9:30 p.m. ET              Super Bowl XXXV – Baltimore vs. New York Giants
• 10 p.m. ET                 Super Bowl XXXVI – New England vs. St. Louis
• 10:30 p.m. ET            Super Bowl XXXVIII – New England vs. Carolina
• 11 p.m. ET                 Greatest Super Bowl Commercials
• 12 midnight                Super Bowl XL – Pittsburgh vs. Seattle

Saturday, Feb. 6

• 12:30 a.m. ET            Super Bowl XLI – Indianapolis vs. Chicago
• 1 a.m. ET                   Super Bowl XLII – New York Giants vs. New England
• 1:30 a.m. ET              Super Bowl XLIII – Pittsburgh vs. Arizona

ESPN Classic’s SUPER BOWL marathon will re-air on Saturday, Feb. 6 beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET and includes NFL Films highlights of Super Bowl XXXVII featuring Oakland vs. Tampa Bay at 3 p.m. ET.

ETALK

CTV’s ETALK is Canada’s number one source for all the entertainment news, glamour and gossip of SUPERBOWL XLIV. From clips of the dynamic halftime show featuring rock legends The Who and performances by Carrie Underwood and Queen Latifah, ETALK delivers coverage of celebrity sightings. Catch all the entertainment highlights from the star-studded weekend in Miami on Monday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. ET.

CANADA AM

Canada’s most-watched morning show, CANADA AM will feature highlights from SUPER BOWL XLIV coverage with pre-game and post-game buzz from TSN’s team of football experts.

CTV NEWS

CTV NEWS outlets will feature SUPER BOWL XLIV reports airing on CTV NATIONAL NEWS WITH LLOYD ROBERTSON, in addition CTV and /A\ local newscasts will report from many of the SUPER BOWL festivities taking place across Canada.

CTV NEWS CHANNEL 

CTV NEWS CHANNEL will be following the Colts versus Saints as they duke it out for the SUPER BOWL XLIV title in Miami with coverage starting on Thursday, Feb. 4 and continuing to game day on Sunday, Feb. 7. Coverage will feature interviews with TSN football experts.

CP24

On Sunday, Toronto’s breaking news station; CP24 will bring Toronto SUPER BOWL XLIV highlights as they happen with CP24’s sports reporter, Ken Reid, out in the Toronto community getting game reaction from Toronto Colts and Saints fans. CP24’s coverage will be available on TV, online at cp24.com, on the go at CP24mobile which features the top stories and sports headlines and on the radio with CP24 Radio 1050.

MUCHMUSIC and MTV

The razzle-dazzle of SUPER BOWL XLIV comes to life on MuchMusic and MTV, as both networks have their fingers on the pop-culture pulse of the biggest stars and most spectacular musical acts in Miami.  Coverage surrounding SUPER BOWL XLIV will air on MuchMusic’s MUCHNEWS and MTV’s MTV NEWS and MTV LIVE.

CHUM RADIO

CHUM Radio’s TEAM stations will tackle SUPER BOWL XLIV in the days leading up to the championship game with analysis, reports and interviews. In addition, fans can listen to exclusive live Canadian radio coverage of the big game on the TEAM 1410 and TEAM 1040 in Vancouver, TEAM 1200 in Ottawa and THE TEAM 990 in Montreal.

• TEAM 1410 – Vancouver’s sports station of record for football will have it all covered, with host Jim Rome live from radio row from 9 a.m. to 12 noon PT and host Dan Patrick from 12 noon to 3 p.m. PT. They will also be sending host Bob “the Moj” Marjanovich to broadcast live and provide special Super Bowl reports, all week long. TEAM 1410 will broadcast live commentary of SUPER BOWL XLIV starting at 2 p.m. PT.  
• TEAM 1040 – Vancouver will be abuzz on the city’s sports radio leading up to Super Bowl week.  TEAM 1040 will feature special call-in guests, interviews and analysis from South Florida.  
• TEAM 1200 – Ottawa will be on the Super Bowl bandwagon as a proud broadcaster of SUPER BOWL XLIV beginning with the pre-game show “Super Sunday” immediately following the Ottawa 67’s game, starting at 4 p.m. ET.  
• THE TEAM 990 – Montreal’s sports station will have in-depth news and analysis all week leading up to the big game. TSN contributors Jesse Palmer and Chris Schultz will provide their takes and predictions in the week leading up to Super Bowl Sunday. THE TEAM 990 will have an extended pre-game show starting at 3 p.m. ET and will feature live play-by-play coverage of the big game and a three-hour post-game show.

About CTV

CTV, Canada’s Olympic Network, is also Canada’s largest private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV is Canada’s most-watched television network. CTV Inc. also owns radio stations across the country and owns or has interests in leading national specialty channels, featuring news, sports, factual, arts, entertainment, music, youth and fashion programming. CTV Inc. is owned by CTVglobemedia Inc.Canada’s premier multi-media company, which also owns Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail. CTV is the official broadcaster of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and London 2012 Games of the Olympiad. More information about CTV may be found on the network’s website at www.ctv.ca.

- CTV -

– CTV sells out all available advertising time during the Super Bowl Broadcast –

Toronto, ON (February 1, 2010) – The biggest party in North America hits CTV as the SUPER BOWL takes centre stage this Sunday. CTV’s exclusive Canadian coverage of SUPER BOWL XLIV, featuring the Indianapolis Colts taking on the New Orleans Saints, airs nationally on Sunday, Feb. 7 in High Definition from Miami. Super Bowl Sunday begins on CTV with six hours of pre-game programming starting at 12 noon ET before the kick-off show begins at 6 p.m. ET (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times).

“The SUPER BOWL is a broadcast event like no other… blending the best of pro sports and pop culture together.  CTV continues to be extremely proud to be the Canadian home of the biggest one-day party in North America,” said Rick Brace, President, Revenue, Business Planning and Sports, CTV Inc. 

Calling the SUPER BOWL is the veteran NFL broadcast team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms. The SUPER BOWL halftime show, sponsored in Canada by Pepsi, features rock legend The Who. Country superstar Carrie Underwood sings the national anthem with Queen Latifah singing ‘America the Beautiful’ prior to kick-off.

Once again, CTV has fully sold out all available advertising time for one of the biggest events of the broadcast season. Labatt (Budweiser) and PepsiCo have returned as major sponsors of the SUPER BOWL broadcast on CTV with Hyundai also becoming a sponsor this year. Some of the other advertisers include Ford, Wal-Mart, RBC and Subway.  Many of the advertisers have confirmed that they will debut new campaigns on CTV during the Super Bowl broadcast.

CTV
CTV gets fans up-close and personal with the biggest names on the NFL’s biggest stage prior to SUPER BOWL XLIV on Sunday, Feb. 7, with six hours of comprehensive coverage leading up to the most-watched sporting event in North America.  The broadcast schedule is as follows (subject to change):

• ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL

12 noon – 1 p.m. ET
Celebrating its 40^th anniversary as the longest-running and most honored (28 Emmy Awards) annual sports special, NFL Films’ ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL, re-lives the 2009 NFL season.

• Super Bowl XLII Highlights: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots

1 p.m. ET
Eli Manning and the New York Giants shock the undefeated New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Arizona.

• Super Bowl XLIII Highlights: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals

1:30  p.m. ET
Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals in a dramatic finish to give the franchise its sixth Super Bowl win, a new record for the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history. 

• THE SUPER BOWL TODAY

2 p.m. – 6 p.m. ET
James Brown, Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, Shannon Sharpe and Bill Cowher anchor the Super Bowl XLIV pre-game show live from Sun Life Stadium in Miami previewing all the excitement leading up to big game. Reporters Lesley Visser, Sam Ryan, along with Steve Tasker and Solomon Wilcots, as well as contributor Dick Enberg, cover the pre-game activities.

• SUPER BOWL XLIV Kick-off Show – Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints

6 p.m. ET
The Colts and the Saints both look to make football history when the NFL’s top two teams go head-to-head for the Vince Lombardi trophy in SUPER BOWL XLIV live from Miami.

About CTV
CTV, Canada’s Olympic Network, is also Canada’s largest private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV is Canada’s most-watched television network. CTV Inc. also owns radio stations across the country and owns or has interests in leading national specialty channels, featuring news, sports, factual, arts, entertainment, music, youth and fashion programming. CTV Inc. is owned by CTVglobemedia Inc.Canada’s premier multi-media company, which also owns Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail. CTV is the official broadcaster of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and London 2012 Games of the Olympiad. More information about CTV may be found on the network’s website at www.ctv.ca. 

- END -

– TSN2 will have exclusive coverage NFL’s best players on display this Sunday –

– A special edition of Sunday NFL Countdown kicks off coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET – 

TORONTO (January 27, 2010) – TSN2 confirmed today that it will deliver exclusive Canadian coverage of the 2010 Pro Bowl this Sunday. The annual NFL all-star game will kick off on TSN2 on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 7:20 p.m. ET live from Sun Life Stadium in South Florida. TSN2 will air a special edition of Sunday NFL Countdown leading into the game at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Many of the league’s best players will be on display including Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Tennessee Titians running back Chris Johnson and New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. ESPN’s MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL commentators Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski will call the action with sideline reporters Suzy Kolber (AFC Team) and Michele Tafoya (NFC Team).

Chris Berman will also have interviews with Super Bowl XLIV players from the Colts and Saints from a sideline set, including an anticipated live halftime interview with quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.

The Pro Bowl telecast from ESPN will feature 14 live microphones on players and coaches that will bring fans closer to quarterback conversations in the huddle, plays and the locker rooms.

Berman will host Sunday NFL Countdown  before the game with analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter.

TSN2
TSN2, a division of CTVglobemedia, brings Canadian sport fans a jam-packed lineup of major league sports action, with exclusive live events, encore telecasts of key sporting events and better timeslots for viewing in Western Canada.  TSN2’s roster features an exciting lineup of sports and events, including the NHL, Blue Jays baseball, NBA, Curling, International Hockey, Golf, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, IndyCar Series, Grand Slam Tennis, Boxing, and NCAA Football and Basketball.  Also available in High Definition, sports fans can access TSN2 through television service providers across the country. For more information on TSN2 and a complete list of participating television providers, visit TSN.ca.

-TSN-

– Indianapolis-New York Jets AFC Championship  attracts average audience of 2.3 million –

– SUPER BOWL XLIV airs Sunday, Feb. 7 on CTV – 

Toronto, ON (January 25, 2010) – The road to SUPER BOWL XLIV delivered a record audience for CTV last night. BBM Canada overnight data confirms that the NFC Championship on Sunday evening featuring New Orleans and Minnesota attracted a record average audience of more than 2.6 million viewers – making it the highest audience ever recorded for an NFL playoff game in Canada (excluding Super Bowls) .*   

The audience peaked at more than 3.6 million viewers at 10:19 p.m. ET as New Orleans’ Garrett Hartley kicked a game-ending 40-yard field goal in overtime that moved the Saints into the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. 

Earlier in the afternoon, CTV also attracted an average audience of 2.3 million viewers to see Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts secure their place in the Super Bowl by defeating the New York Jets in the AFC Championship.

CTV’s NFL games were the top two most-watched sporting events on an extremely competitive weekend in world of sports broadcasting. Overall, the NFL postseason has been an overwhelming success on Canadian television with all ten NFL Wildcard and Playoff games on CTV and TSN registering average audiences of more than one million viewers. 

The Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints will face-off against each other in SUPER BOWL XLIV. CTV has exclusive Canadian coverage of the single most-watched sporting event in North America on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 7 beginning at 12 noon ET. 

About CTV

CTV, Canada’s Olympic Network, is also Canada’s largest private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV is Canada’s most-watched television network. CTV Inc. also owns radio stations across the country and owns or has interests in leading national specialty channels, featuring news, sports, factual, arts, entertainment, music, youth and fashion programming. CTV Inc. is owned by CTVglobemedia Inc. Canada’s premier multi-media company, which also owns Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail. CTV is the official broadcaster of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and London 2012 Games of the Olympiad. More information about CTV may be found on the network’s website at www.ctv.ca. 

*The highest recorded NFL playoff audience since national audiences have been measured. Audiences prior to August 31, 2009 are based on BBM Nielsen Media Research Mark II meters.

 -30-

Toronto, ON (December 4, 2009) – TSN has capped off an outstanding four day stretch. With its packed-schedule of marquee events between November 28 and December 1, TSN saw its average 24-hour audience almost double compared to its season average. According to preliminary data from BBM Canada, TSN was the second most-watched network in all of Canada – just behind CTV– from Saturday to Tuesday.

TSN’s overall audience between November 28 and December 1 was 20% higher than Global’s average audience and 31% higher than CBC’s average audience.

Over the four-day period from Nov 28 to Dec., TSN’s schedule featured the following events:

•  Grey Cup Saturday – the full day of Grey Cup programming was highlighted by TSN’s Vanier Cup broadcast which attracted 399,000 viewers.
• Grey Cup Sunday – TSN’s Grey Cup audience of 5.087 million is the highest recorded audience on Canadian television this year and the highest audience ever recorded for the network.
• Monday Night Football – the highly-anticipated NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots attracted 1 million viewers on TSN. 
• Tuesday’s Leafs – Canadiens Game – kicking off the Canadiens week of centennial celebrations, the game had an audience of 1.4 million viewers – making it TSN’s most-watched NHL game of the season.

In addition to the live events, TSN saw substantial growth in its news programming over the busy four-day period. The late edition of SportsCentre saw its average audience increase 43% compared to its season average.

About TSN
Official broadcaster of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and London 2012 Games of the Olympiad, TSN, a division of CTVglobemedia, is Canada’s Sports Leader and Canada’s most-watched specialty network.  TSN’s comprehensive broadcast schedule features an exciting lineup of sports including NHL, IIHF, CFL, NFL, NBA, Blue Jays Baseball, Season of Champions Curling, Golf’s Majors, F1, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Grand Slam Tennis, Championship Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts events. TSN properties include TSN2, TSN MOBILE and the industry leading sports website TSN.ca. TSN delivers more sports coverage in High Definition than any other network in Canada.

- TSN -