U SPORTS on CBC fall digital broadcasts set viewership records

TORONTO With two weeks remaining in its fall 2021 championship schedule, U SPORTS partnership with CBC Sports has established record online viewership for its championships.

 

Audiences to U SPORTS digital coverage over 37 games has increased by more than 643%* compared to the same period in 2019-20, with 97%* of those audiences coming from CBC Sports digital platforms.

 

The CBC Sports partnership is exceeding our expectations, said John Bower, U SPORTS Director of Marketing and Communications. We know there is an appetite for university sport and were expecting gains moving to CBCs digital platforms but we did not expect to see such impressive early returns on the investment.

 

Highlights of the 71 English and French broadcasts to date

     Total views exceed the U SPORTS digital viewership from the entire 2019-20 season (150 broadcasts) by 8% 

     Greater diversity in voices 18% of commentators identify as BIPOC and 30% of commentators identified as female

     56% of the commentators are former U SPORTS student-athletes

     MacEwan Universitys historic win in womens soccer was the most-watched English language championship

     Montrals mens soccer championship was the most-watched French broadcast this fall

     Queens womens rugby title on home turf saw a 300% increase in views compared to 2019

     Views of the thrilling Toronto-Victoria womens field hockey championships series increased by 4000%

     The bilingual cross-country broadcasts where the Laval Rouge et Or captured the championship banners established a new benchmark for coverage with by 430%

 

Produced in association with iSi Live and Axis Productions (Cross-Country), U SPORTS on CBC is presented by Vereburn Medical Supplies, Nike Team, Fox 40 and the Government of Canada.

 

The Road to the Vanier Cup continues this weekend!

The fall championship season continues with the Road to the 2021 Scotiabank Vanier Cup presented by Levio with the mens football national semifinal games on Saturday.

 

Festivities kick off at 12 pm ET (9 am PT) with the 2021 Mitchell Bowl from London, Ontario as the OUA Yates Cup champion Western Mustangs host the StFX X-Men, winners of the AUS Loney Bowl. The English language broadcasts are on CHCH-TV in Ontario and nationally on CBC Sports digital platforms (cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app and the free CBC Gem streaming service), while TVA Sports provides French-language coverage coast-to-coast.

 

Legendary Canadian football voice and former Carleton Ravens quarterback Mark Lee will have the call alongside analyst and former Guelph Gryphon pivot Justin Dunk and current Carleton defensive coordinator Paul Eddy Saint-Vivien, while CBC Sports Signa Butler will patrol the sidelines bringing viewers complete coverage. The same broadcast crew will be joined by CBC Sports Andi Petrillo and former varsity football players Donnovan Bennett and Jesse Lumsden for the Vanier Cup, airing live on ROAD TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES on CBC TV on December 4 from Quebec City.

 

On TVA Sports, Renaud Bourbonnais will have the call alongside two-time Vanier Champion Arnaud Gascon-Nadon.

 

Radio Western 94.9 and Newstalk 1290 CJBK will also have radio coverage of the game.

 

The 2021 Uteck Bowl kicks off at 3 pm ET (12 pm PT) from CEPSUM in Montreal where the RSEQ Dunsmore Cup champion Carabins host the Canada West Hardy Cup champion Saskatchewan Huskies.

 

English language coverage of the game will be exclusive to CBC Sports digital platforms (cbcsports.ca, CBC Gem, CBC Sports App). Former McMaster quarterback and CFL on TSN broadcaster Marshall Ferguson has the call of the game and will be joined in the booth by former Waterloo Warriors wide receiver and prsvre.com founder Dashawn Stephens.

 

TVA Sports lead crew will be on the field in Montreal to provide wall-to-wall coverage of the Carabins quest to return to the Vanier Cup. The voice of football in Qubec, Denis Casavant calls the action with analyst and former McGill football standout Charles-Antoine Sinotte. McGill Hall of Fame offensive tackle Matthieu Quiviger joins host Justine St-Martin on the sidelines for pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage. The same team will bring Francophone viewers complete coverage of the 2021 Scotiabank Vanier Cup presented by Levio next weekend.

 

Wray Morrison and Pattison Media will provide radio coverage of the game in Saskatchewan as well as via the Huskie Fan App.

 

*Source: Adobe Analytics, video views (content starts), November 6 – 21, 2021.

 

About U SPORTS

 

U SPORTS is the national brand for university sports in Canada. Every year, over 14,000 student-athletes and 700 coaches vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. U SPORTS also provides high performance international opportunities at FISU Winter and Summer World University Games, World University Championships, University World Cups and various educational initiatives.