As it turns out, the rollercoaster that is the U.S. election – including U.S. president Donald Trump’s recent COVID-19 diagnosis – was good for television in Canada. Not just for news, but also for Saturday Night Live.
An average of 1.93 million viewers per minute tuned in to watch various SNL sketches including Jim Carey’s debut as Joe Biden, a tribute to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and, of course, a sendup of the recent presidential debate, making it the series’ biggest season premiere in Canada in 10 years.
And that wasn’t even the highest-viewed show, nationally. SNL pulled in higher numbers than any single-night program had the week before, but Canadians were even more tuned into their TVs this week thanks to The Masked Singer. Even though that show led the pack last week at 1.73 million, it shot way up to 2.08 million this week.
The Saturday night news on CTV came in third, while the top-five was rounded out by other unscripted shows: Global’s new series I Can See Your Voice, which appears to be becoming a fast favourite among viewers, and Big Brother, which has pulled in consistently high numbers all seasons.
Regionally, there were few anomalies, although most markets saw overall lift week-over-week. This was especially true in the Toronto-Hamilton market, where SNL pulled in more than 600,000 viewers and The Masked Singer nearly doubled its audience, and in Calgary, where SNL took nearly 100,000 viewers in a market where the top show typically hits below 60,000.
Meanwhile, despite the Oilers’ failure to make it past the qualifying round of the Playoffs, the Stanley Cup final was still enjoyed by Edmontonians – an average of 56,000 people in the city tuned in to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning dominate the Dallas Stars (the game, due to the NHL’s bubble format, was played in Edmonton and broadcast during the city’s prime time). Nationally, the broadcast averaged 818,000 viewers per minute.
Canada (Anglophone)
1. The Masked Singer on CTV Wednesday at 8 p.m.: 2.08 million viewers
2. Saturday Night Live on Global Saturday at 11:29 p.m.: 1.93 million viewers
3. CTV Evening News: Weekend on CTV Saturday at 6 p.m.: 1.36 million viewers
4. I Can See Your Voice on Global Wednesday at 9 p.m.: 1.24 million viewers
5. Big Brother on Global Wednesday at 8 p.m.: 1.22 million viewers
Quebec (Francophone)
1. La voix on TVA Sunday at 7 p.m.: 1.31 million viewers
2. En direct de l’univers on SRC Saturday at 7 p.m.: 1.31 million viewers
3. Tout le monde en parle on SRC Sunday at 8 p.m.: 1.2 million viewers
4. Tout la vie on SRC Tuesday at 8 p.m.: 1.113 million viewers
5. Les enfants de la télé on SRC Wednesday at 8 p.m.: 1.112 million viewers
Montreal (Anglophone)
1. CTV Evening News: Weekend on CTV Saturday at 6:00 p.m.: 83,000 viewers
2. The Masked Singer on CTV Wednesday at 8 p.m.: 79,000 viewers
3. Saturday Night Live on Global Saturday at 11:29 p.m.: 64,000 viewers
4. I Can See Your Voice on Global Wednesday at 9 p.m.: 42,000 viewers
5. Dancing With the Stars on Citytv Monday at 8 p.m.: 40,000 viewers
Toronto/Hamilton
1. Saturday Night Live on Global Saturday at 11:29 p.m.: 613,000 viewers
2. The Masked Singer on CTV Wednesday at 8 p.m.: 522,000 viewers
3. CTV Evening News: Weekend on CTV Saturday at 6 p.m.: 267,000 viewers
4. NFL late broadcast on CTV Sunday at 4:23 p.m.: 266,000 viewers
5. Filthy Rich on CTV Monday at 9 p.m.: 256,000 viewers
Edmonton
1. The Masked Singer on CTV Wednesday at 9 p.m.: 82,000 viewers
2. Saturday Night Live on Global Saturday at 9:29 p.m.: 80,000 viewers
3. Global News Morning Saturday at 7 a.m.: 67,000 viewers
4. NFL Monday Football on TSN Monday at 8:13 p.m.: 65,000 viewers
5. Lightning vs. Stars on Sportsnet Monday at 6:21 p.m.: 56,000 viewers
Calgary
1. Saturday Night Live on Global Saturday at 9:29 p.m.: 91,000 viewers
2. The Masked Singer on CTV Wednesday at 9 p.m.: 75,000 viewers
3. Global News at 11: Weekend Saturday at 11:02 p.m.: 55,000 viewers
4T. The Weakest Link on CTV Monday at 8 p.m.: 44,000 viewers
4T. Jann on CTV Monday at 9 p.m.: 44,000 viewers
Vancouver/Victoria
1. Saturday Night Live on Global Saturday at 8:29 p.m.: 236,000 viewers
2. The Masked Singer on CTV Wednesday at 8 p.m.: 223,000 viewers
3. I Can See Your Voice on Global Wednesday at 9 p.m.: 143,000 viewers
4. Lightning vs. Stars on Sportsnet Monday at 5:21 p.m.: 134,000 viewers
5. NFL early broadcast on CTV Sunday at 10:02 a.m.: 122,000 viewers
