NBA Finals Game 6 = Most-Watched NBA Game EVER in Canada

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When the Toronto Raptors beat Golden State on Thursday night in NBA Finals Game 6, more folks in Canada tuned in to watch than ever before, according to Bell Media. During the final minute of the game, 9.99 million Canadians were tuning in, and overall, 15.9 million watched at least some of the Raptors 114-110 victory.

“Canada! The NBA title is yours!” -TSN announcer after the final buzzer sounded in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.

Overall, the series-clinching win averaged 7.7 million viewers across TSN, CTV, and RDS, making it the most-watched NBA game in the country’s history.

Preliminary data from Numeris confirms that Thursday night’s Game 6 attracted an average audience of 7.7 million viewers on TSN, CTV, and RDS, making it the most-watched NBA game on record in Canada and the biggest English-language television broadcast in three years.

(via Bell Media)

The most-shocking number, in my opinion, is 15.9 million total viewers. I mean, the entire country has a population of around 37 million, so almost half the country watched at some point.  By comparison, last year’s NBA Finals drew an average of 17.5 million viewers in the United States, just a tiny sliver (about five percent) of the overall population.

As for the Toronto area itself, the number of households watching the Raptors in Game 6 was even nuttier. Per Bell Media, of every 10 households, more than eight were tuned into the game.

In Toronto and Hamilton, the game had a share of 82% on TSN and CTV, meaning that 82% of all people watching television in Toronto and Hamilton on Thursday night were tuned in to the game. This represents the highest audience ever in that market, excluding the Olympics.

(via Bell Media)

Canadian basketball fans also remained locked in after the final buzzer sounded, according to BM, with the postgame coverage averaging 6.5 million viewers.