CTV SportsNet drew 417,000 viewers for its first NHL
national Tuesday night game, but dropped to 210,000 in its
second week, according to William Houston of the Toronto
GLOBE & MAIL. Meanwhile, TSN's first Maple Leafs telecast
was a split national broadcast, with Leafs-Predators in
Ontario and boxing to the rest of the country. The telecast
drew 350,000 viewers, with an estimated 60,000 for boxing,
and 290,000 for the Leafs -- which is "significantly higher"
than CTVS's national numbers for its Week Two Stars-Flames
game. In evaluating the numbers, Houston writes that while
TSN "paid heavily for the Leaf rights ... early ratings seem
to support the investment." Houston also writes that while
CTVS's Tuesday night audience "will also grow," TSN's Leafs
games in Ontario "appear to be a better ratings investment"
than CTVS's national game of the week (GLOBE & MAIL, 10/30).
CANADIAN NEWS: TSN drew 448,000 viewers for Sunday
night's Bills-Panthers game -- double the average CFL or NFL
game on TSN (TORONTO STAR, 10/30)....A "power struggle ...
could be looming" after Sun Media "vowed to fight" a $748M
purchase offer from Torstar Corp. (TORONTO STAR, 10/30).
