The 2009 Grey Cup shot straight to the top to become the most-watched television program of the year in Canada, surpassing big ticket events including the Academy Awards, the Super Bowl and World Juniors hockey.

The climactic game on Sunday that saw Montreal squeeze past Saskatchewan in the final seconds of play netted an average 6.1 million viewers on TSN and RDS combined. (All numbers 2+ and based on PPM data.)

Over 14 million Canucks tuned in during some part of the game, according to TSN, while audiences peaked at 8.3 million at 9:49 p.m. EST as Montreal kicker Damon Duval scored his final-second field goal, producing a 28-27 win.

RDS nabbed over one million viewers while TSN contributed more than five million. The combined audience for this year’s Grey Cup bested the previous high of 5.2 million, set in 2002, on the sportscasters.

Grey Cup 2009 likely had plenty of help from BBM’s Portable People Meters, which launched Aug. 31, after the Super Bowl, Oscars and World Juniors.

‘The Grey Cup is truly a national celebration and its wonderful so many of our fans across the country joined us for one of the most remarkable games in CFL history,’ commented CFL commissioner Mark Cohon in a release.

Meanwhile, TSN.ca drew roughly 2.9 million page views on Sunday. The game is also available on-demand on TSN.ca.

From Playback Daily