Super Bowl XLIV Pulls in Largest Audience in Canadian History, CTV Extends TV Deal

Super Bowl XLIV scored the largest audience for a Super Bowl in the game’s history, with 6.7 million viewers tuning in on CTV (6.025 million) and RDS (650,000) last Sunday. The New Orleans Saints’ 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts also marks the second largest audience for any Canadian program since 1994. Overall, a total of 16.64 million viewers – one in two Canadians – caught at least some of the broadcast on CTV or RDS.

In addition, CTV announced this week that they have extended their television deal with the NFL another four years, running through Super Bowl XLVIII. The game has aired on CTV since 2007.

“Last night’s overwhelming audience is a testament to what a cultural phenomenon the Super Bowl is every year,” says Rick Brace, President, Revenue, Business Planning and Sports, CTV. “What a way to end a tremendous season of NFL football on CTV. We can’t wait to bring fans and advertisers all of the SUPER BOWL excitement again next year. ”

The Super Bowl’s audience of 6.7 million was more than 52% higher than last year’s game that had an average audience of 4.3 million viewers. Audience levels on Sunday peaked at 8 million viewers in the final minutes of the fourth quarter