Raptors putting on a show - who's watching? - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

james99 · 2007-10-31, 08:35 AM

The team's best showing is on TSN, where it is averaging 143,000 viewers. That's a good number for amateur sports, but hardly the kind of national audience you'd expect for an entertaining, first-place team.

That's about one-10th the audience of a CBC Leafs game.

And audiences on the Raptors' other three channels are even lower: The Score (113,000), Rogers Sportsnet (118,000). Raptors NBA TV ratings were not available, but rest assured they'd be lower yet.

Article is a few months old but makes some good points.

darrylr · 2007-10-31, 08:37 AM

The NBA is never going to be very popular in Canada. About the only thing that might improve it in my opinion is if the Raptors somehow won the championship.

Outside of Toronto, the Raptors fanbase must be miniscule. Even in Toronto it isn't that big.

james99 · 2007-10-31, 08:47 AM

I understand the CBC is now showing the Raptors. Curious if that will have any effect upon the viewing habits of Canadians.

rgto · 2007-10-31, 10:11 AM

No it won't....

Jaymeister · 2007-10-31, 12:29 PM

I really don't understand the marketing of the Raptors as a national team rather than as a Toronto team. The rest of the country isn't buying it. If there are NBA fans in the rest of Canada, they just continue to follow the teams they have always followed. The same thing will happen if Toronto gets an NFL team. It's time to stop pretending that the Raptors are "Canada's team" any more than Ottawa, Calgary or Edmonton when they make the Cup finals. I think the Canadian public is more sophisticated and less provincial now than they were in the heyday of the Blue Jays and Expos.

acadian33 · 2007-10-31, 12:49 PM

I can only speak for myself but I am big fan of the Raptors. And part of the reason I follow them is because they are located in Canada. The other being I had nothing else to follow during the hockey strike.

Now the NBA will probably always fall behind hockey and the NFL in term of popularity. But having a Canadian as one of the elite players and a canadian team that getting close to competing for a championship, will certainly grow the NBA's fanbase in the foreseeable future..

Have a good one

Tezster · 2007-10-31, 01:11 PM

The popularity of the Raptors can only go up, especially considering that they have a core group of relatively young and good players to build with.

Obviously they're not nearly in the same level of popularity as the Leafs who seemingly have a license to print money no matter how good or bad they play - Toronto will *always* be a hockey town first. But the Raptors have their own fan base which continues to grow - winning and playing exciting basketball will do that for you

It's also a lot easier to get decent raptors tickets for a reasonable price than it is for the leafs. I usually go to a few games a year and enjoy the experience immensely.

JesseJ · 2007-10-31, 02:18 PM

Quote:

I understand the CBC is now showing the Raptors. Curious if that will have any effect upon the viewing habits of Canadians.

Not Sunday afternoon vs the NFL!

leaffan1967 · 2007-10-31, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JesseJ

Not Sunday afternoon vs the NFL!

That will only affect a few games, NFL is almost half over now

thegman · 2007-10-31, 04:10 PM

One reason is that TheScore is the main carrier of the games, and imo, this is a joke. Then theres RaptorsTV carrying games, a digital only station. (although I guess with the introduction of LeafsTV, it can be comparable)

One 'bright' spot, is that all games will be in HD this year (if you call theScoreHD HD, stupid ticker, and if your provider carries it). I believe the Raptors are only one of three teams that will have this. And yes, that includes road games.

The ratings should only go up.

Weezle56 · 2007-11-07, 01:16 AM

Yah, there's nothing like watching a team lose by 27 points in High Definition.

Jaymeister · 2007-11-07, 08:11 AM

Since HD is supposed to be five times the resolution, that's like the seeing the Raptors lose by 135 points in SD!

2007-10-31, 08:35 AM	#1
james99 Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Burlington Posts: 24,791	Raptors putting on a show - who's watching? The team's best showing is on TSN, where it is averaging 143,000 viewers. That's a good number for amateur sports, but hardly the kind of national audience you'd expect for an entertaining, first-place team. That's about one-10th the audience of a CBC Leafs game. And audiences on the Raptors' other three channels are even lower: The Score (113,000), Rogers Sportsnet (118,000). Raptors NBA TV ratings were not available, but rest assured they'd be lower yet. Article is a few months old but makes some good points.

2007-10-31, 08:37 AM	#2
darrylr Veteran Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Nepean, Ontario Posts: 2,980	The NBA is never going to be very popular in Canada. About the only thing that might improve it in my opinion is if the Raptors somehow won the championship. Outside of Toronto, the Raptors fanbase must be miniscule. Even in Toronto it isn't that big. Last edited by darrylr; 2007-10-31 at 08:47 AM.

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2007-10-31, 08:47 AM	#3
james99 Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Burlington Posts: 24,791	I understand the CBC is now showing the Raptors. Curious if that will have any effect upon the viewing habits of Canadians.

2007-10-31, 10:11 AM	#4
rgto Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Ottawa, ON; Shaw Direct HDPVR630/DSR505; Samsung HLT5687; Harmon/Kardon AVR247; Harmon/Kardon HKTS11 Posts: 440	No it won't....

2007-10-31, 12:29 PM	#5
Jaymeister Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto, Rogers Cable, 8642HD, LG 55LW5600, Sony BDVE980W Posts: 389	I really don't understand the marketing of the Raptors as a national team rather than as a Toronto team. The rest of the country isn't buying it. If there are NBA fans in the rest of Canada, they just continue to follow the teams they have always followed. The same thing will happen if Toronto gets an NFL team. It's time to stop pretending that the Raptors are "Canada's team" any more than Ottawa, Calgary or Edmonton when they make the Cup finals. I think the Canadian public is more sophisticated and less provincial now than they were in the heyday of the Blue Jays and Expos.

2007-10-31, 12:49 PM	#6
acadian33 Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Moncton, NB (Aliant TV FiberOP) Posts: 88	I can only speak for myself but I am big fan of the Raptors. And part of the reason I follow them is because they are located in Canada. The other being I had nothing else to follow during the hockey strike. Now the NBA will probably always fall behind hockey and the NFL in term of popularity. But having a Canadian as one of the elite players and a canadian team that getting close to competing for a championship, will certainly grow the NBA's fanbase in the foreseeable future.. Have a good one

2007-10-31, 01:11 PM	#7
Tezster Veteran Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Mississauga Posts: 1,985	The popularity of the Raptors can only go up, especially considering that they have a core group of relatively young and good players to build with. Obviously they're not nearly in the same level of popularity as the Leafs who seemingly have a license to print money no matter how good or bad they play - Toronto will always be a hockey town first. But the Raptors have their own fan base which continues to grow - winning and playing exciting basketball will do that for you It's also a lot easier to get decent raptors tickets for a reasonable price than it is for the leafs. I usually go to a few games a year and enjoy the experience immensely.

2007-10-31, 04:10 PM	#10
thegman Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Brantford Posts: 902	One reason is that TheScore is the main carrier of the games, and imo, this is a joke. Then theres RaptorsTV carrying games, a digital only station. (although I guess with the introduction of LeafsTV, it can be comparable) One 'bright' spot, is that all games will be in HD this year (if you call theScoreHD HD, stupid ticker, and if your provider carries it). I believe the Raptors are only one of three teams that will have this. And yes, that includes road games. The ratings should only go up.

2007-11-07, 01:16 AM	#11
Weezle56 Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Scarborough, Ontario Posts: 13	Yah, there's nothing like watching a team lose by 27 points in High Definition.

2007-11-07, 08:11 AM	#12
Jaymeister Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto, Rogers Cable, 8642HD, LG 55LW5600, Sony BDVE980W Posts: 389	Since HD is supposed to be five times the resolution, that's like the seeing the Raptors lose by 135 points in SD!