CBC’s HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADAattracted record audiences for its Saturday night debut this weekend. An average audience of 2.251 million viewers tuned in to the first game of the evening featuring Toronto taking on Ottawa and Montreal taking on Pittsburgh, up 34% from the 09/10 Saturday night season premiere of the program. The evening’s second game from Vancouver against L.A., attracted an average of 1.430 million viewers, up 26% from the first Saturday night broadcast last season. Both are the highest Saturday night debut audiences in the program’s history. Scotiabank Hockey Tonight drew an average audience of 569,000.
On Thursday, an average of 1.968 million viewers tuned in to see the Toronto Maple Leafs take on long-time Original Six rivals the Montreal Canadiens while in the nightcap, 1.013 million viewers saw the hometown Oilers defeat the Flames. The evening’s pre-game show,NHL Face-Off, drew an audience of 601,000.
