Last year’s Super Bowl was the most watched in Canada, with 7.3 million viewers tuning into CTV and RDS for its broadcast of the game, up 5% over the 2010 numbers, according to BBM Canada.
Though big-budget commercials and the half-time show offer alternate entertainment during the big game, the crowd that watches is still largely dependent on the match-up playing on the field. So, with the NFL Playoffs finishing up this week, MiC asked industry members to weigh in on who they wanted to see on Super Bowl Sunday, and who the best match-up would be for a ratings win.
Dave Naylor, football insider and special features reporter at Bell Media’s TSN tells MiC the match-up that would serve up the biggest numbers would be the New England Patriots versus the New York Giants.
“That would be a rematch of the Super Bowl from four years ago, which is remembered as one of the greatest and had a fantastic finish with the Giants upsetting New England,” he says. “Also, the Patriots are one of the biggest brands and the one with the most momentum over the last 10 years. They have been to four Super Bowls in the last 10 years and have been a powerhouse in the regular season. Then you have the Giants who not only represent New York, but are one of the NFL’s most historic franchises as well.”
Kirstine Stewart, EVP of CBC English Services agrees with Naylor, saying New England against New York would draw big numbers because it’s a rematch of the game which wrecked the Patriot’s perfect season four years ago. “The biggest upset in Super Bowl history,” she says.
Naylor and Stewart’s picks line up with the most popular match-up chosen in MiC’s informal industry poll of who people would most like to see in this year’s Super Bowl.
The majority picked the New England Patriots versus the New York Giants, with runner-up going to the San Francisco 49ers taking on Tom Brady’s Patriots.
Third went to the Baltimore Ravens taking on the San Francisco 49ers. The potential game match-up of Baltimore versus New York came in last, with exactly zero votes.
Chris Williams, SVP and managing director at Media Contacts, had an alternate take on the match-up that would draw the biggest numbers on Super Sunday.
“If it was all about Super Bowl ratings, it would be the Leafs versus a team led by Georges St-Pierre with a choice of weapons from Call of Duty and the ability for the viewers to interact with the play through an iPad app,” he says. “Why? It’s the year of the multi-screen living room, everybody loves gaming and the ladies like Georges.”
For Matt Di Paola, chief strategy and innovation officer at MediaCom Canada, it’s all about which advertiser ends up on top.
“I don’t watch football,” he says. “So as an ad guy, I would like to see Apple vs. Google vs. RIM in the advertising and see who gets more positive social chatter.”
Super Bowl XLVI airs Sunday Feb. 5 on CTV.
