Propelled by the strong post-season performance of the Toronto Blue Jays in large part, Sportsnet has seen eight months of wins in the Canadian sports market.

But November was the first time the Rogers Media sports brand had taken that month over TSN, according to Scott Moore, president of Sportsnet and NHL properties at Rogers Media.

Propelled in part by strong performances by the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, Saturday night Hockey Night in Canada audiences are up 4% for game one, averaging 1.95 million viewers this season on Sportsnet, according to Numeris numbers from Rogers Media.

Overall, Maple Leaf regional game numbers are up 17%, average audiences to regional Canadiens games are up 37% and regional Oilers audiences are up 6%. Wednesday night game viewership has been about even with last year and Sunday night numbers are up about 4%, Moore added.

Surrounding hockey programming is also up this season, with the Hockey Central Saturday pre-game show on Sportsnet up 48% year-over-year from 2015 to 2016.

Moore attributes that rise to changes in the on-air team this season, as well as a focus on more story-driven content. Excitement around the Eastern Conference teams certainly doesn’t hurt either – Moore said excitement is particularly high around the Leafs and Canadiens.

“The Leaf fan base is coming back,” he said. “They’re an exciting team to watch with Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews.”

Radio and online numbers are also up for Sportsnet. On Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown is up 16% year-over-year, with an 8.3 share in the market. Morning show Dean Blundell & Co. is up 14% year-over-year with a 7.1 share. Mid-morning’s The Jeff Blair Show is up 178% year-over-year, with a 7.9 share. Overall listeners in the 25 to 54 male demo are up 57% year-over-year.

Online, the Sportsnet app had 482,000 unique visitors in October, up 42% over the previous month, according to comScore numbers from Rogers Media.

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