TORONTO — CBC’s coverage of the Sochi Games is enjoying a ratings win after both the men’s and women’s teams claimed gold medals in the event.
Friday’s broadcast of the Team Canada vs. USA men’s ice hockey semifinal game was watched by more Canadians than on any other day of the 2014 Winter Olympics, the CBC reported.
Around 15 million Canadians, or around half of the country’s population, tuned into the semifinal game, which saw Team Canada prevail before going on to defeat Sweden for the hockey gold medal on Sunday morning.
The audience for the semifinal game peaked at nearly 8.6 million Canadians in the final minutes of the third period.
The game secured a 74 percent share of the overall Canadian English-language TV market for the pubcaster.
And nearly 13 million Canadians tuned in last Thursday when the Canadian women’s team defeated Team USA for the gold medal, including more than 3.1 million viewers via the CBC’s online stream.
The peak minute for the CBC during the women’s gold medal game came during the final minutes, with 6.37 million viewers tuning in.
SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER