Canada’s mid-season TV ratings stacked up well against U.S. numbers this year, according to Numeris data presented yesterday at the Broadcast Rating Council mid-season TV event.
U.S. fall TV numbers were down 4% overall in households, with the biggest drop off from people aged 18 to 34, who watched 13% less programming versus the previous year.
Canadian TV viewing, on the other hand, was slightly up across the board, according to the numbers presented by Susan Ellsworth, VP and research director, OMD, with ratings going up an average of 2% across demos.
Women aged 18 to 34 were watching TV 2% more versus the fall of 2013, and Canadian men in that demo watched 3% more. Men and women in the 25 to 54 demo watched TV 3% more this fall versus last.
For Canada overall, boomers watched the most TV this fall, approximately 39 hours per week. They are followed by Generation X viewers at 26 hours a week and millennials at 20 hours per week.
Those numbers dip slightly in Toronto, and go up with French-speaking Montreal viewers, a demo with traditionally higher-than-average TV viewership, says Ellsworth.
Primetime viewing also remained stable across Canada, with boomers watching 17 hours a week, Generation X viewers watching 11 hours and millennials watching 8.9 hours a week of TV content in that block.
One stat that had the room’s attention was that 56% of Canadians now own a PVR. That number varies by market, with those in Calgary being the most likely to have one, at 64%, and people in Toronto being the least likely, at 47%.
Overall, Canadians with a PVR are watching 13% of all viewing through playback, with boomers watching the least at 11% and Generation X the most, at 16%.
Primetime PVR viewing numbers are even higher for those with the device, with millennials and Generation X viewers watching 22 and 23% of programming on playback, Ellsworth said, adding those numbers made her double and trip-check the stats.
Here’s a breakdown of the top five shows viewed by playback for each group.
Millennials:
Generation X:
Boomers:
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
