While it eventually had to be called off, this year’s World Junior Hockey Championships continued to be one of the biggest draws for Canadian audiences over the holidays.
Before the tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreaks among the teams, the first preliminary game between Canada and Czechia on Boxing Day drew just under 2 million viewers for TSN nationally. It also topped the ratings across the five biggest Anglophone markets.
Sports content performed well during a light holiday TV schedule, with CTV’s early NFL broadcast – taking place right before the World Junior game – being the second-most viewed program of the week nationally, with the late game in fifth. History’s The Curse of Oak Island also benefited from audiences looking for something to watch on Boxing Day, coming in third nationally and reaching the top five in Edmonton and Vancouver/Victoria.
In Quebec, this year’s broadcast of comedian Jean-Marc Parent’s La Floride de JMP special was the top-rated program, followed by Radio-Canada’s Discussions avec mes parents.
National
1. World Junior Preliminaries on TSN Sunday at 7 p.m.: 1.938 million
2. NFL Early Game on CTV Sunday at 1 p.m.: 1.084 million
3. The Curse of Oak Island on History Sunday at 10 p.m.: 911,000
4. Global News at 6 Weekend on Global Sunday at 6 p.m.: 777,000
5. NFL Late Game on CTV Sunday at 4:25 p.m.: 665,000
Quebec (Francophone)
1. La Floride de JMP on TVA Sunday at 7 p.m.: 739,000
2. Discussions avec mes parents on SRC Monday at 7 p.m.: 692,000
3. VLOG on TVA Sunday at 5:30 p.m.: 679,000
4. Simon Leblanc – Tout court on TVA Tuesday at 9 p.m.: 627,000
5. Que les Fêtes commencent! on TVA Friday at 9 p.m.: 609,000
Toronto/Hamilton
1. World Junior Preliminaries on TSN Sunday at 7 p.m.: 368,000
2. NFL Early Game on CTV Sunday at 1 p.m.: 224,000
3. Monday Night Movie on CBC Monday at 8 p.m.: 143,000
4. Friday Night Movie on CTV Friday at 8 p.m.: 141,000
5. NFL Late Game on CTV Sunday at 4:25 p.m.: 131,000
Montreal
1. World Junior Preliminaries on TSN Sunday at 7 p.m.: 50,000
2. NFL Thursday Football on TSN Thursday at 8:19 p.m.: 41,000
3. Global News at 6 Weekend on Global Sunday at 6 p.m.: 32,000
4. CTV Noon News on CTV Friday at 12 p.m.: 30,000
5. Fantasy Island on Global Thursday at 8 p.m.: 28,000
Calgary
1. World Junior Preliminaries on TSN Sunday at 7 p.m.: 126,000
2. Global News at 6 Weekend on Global Sunday at 6 p.m.: 57,000
3. Star Trek: Discovery on CTV Sci-Fi Thursday at 9 p.m.: 44,000
4. Global News at 11 Weekend on Global Sunday at 11 p.m.: 43,000
4. CTV Evening News Weekend on CTV Sunday at 6 p.m.: 43,000
Edmonton
1. World Junior Preliminaries on TSN Sunday at 7 p.m.: 142,000
2. Global News at 6 Weekend on Global Sunday at 6 p.m.: 91,000
3. The Curse of Oak Island on History Sunday at 10 p.m.: 87,000
4. Henry Danger on YTV Tuesday at 12 p.m.: 54,000
5. Monday Night Movie on CBC Monday at 8 p.m.: 43,000
Vancouver/Victoria
1. World Junior Preliminaries on TSN Sunday at 7 p.m.: 188,000
2. CTV Late News on CTV Friday at 11:30 p.m.: 105,000
3. The Curse of Oak Island on History Sunday at 10 p.m.: 99,000
4. Border Security on Global Sunday at 7 p.m.: 98,000
5. In Conversation with the Prime Minister on Global Saturday at 6:30 p.m.: 82,000
