With the 2018/19 core television season at a close and with the #CTVUpfront just days away, Numeris data confirms that CTV is Canada’s most-watched television network in primetime for the unprecedented 18th year in a row. In a report released today looking at television performance in Canada this past season, CTV delivered four of the Top 5 and eight of the Top 10 programs in Canada among all key demographics. CTV and its sister specialty services helped make Bell Media the only Canadian media company to see audience growth across all key adult demos this year.
Audiences
- CTV grew its audiences in Daytime, Primetime, and Late Night for A25-54 and remains #1 across all key demos in all dayparts.
- CTV.ca also saw significant growth, up 26% in reach, year-over-year.
- CTV’s full-day audience is 41% larger than its closest competitor for A25-54.
- CTV and CTV2 reach 20 million Canadians on average each week, more than any other network.
- CTV delivered 47 of the Top 50 individual broadcasts on English Canadian television for A25-54.
Primetime
For the ninth consecutive year, CTV delivered the most-watched new television program of the year among A25-54 with THE CONNERS, which also topped all key demographics for new shows. Meanwhile, freshman series THE ROOKIE was a Top 10 program overall as well as the #1 new drama among A18-34, thanks to a steady growth in viewership throughout the season with audiences growing double digits from the debut to the finale. The network’s new original comedy series JANN became the most-watched Canadian comedy in its first season.
With a final audience of 5.8 million viewers for its May 16 series finale, THE BIG BANG THEORY closed out its incredible run with the most-watched series broadcast in 15 years in Canada. The comedy is the #1 series in Canada in all key demos for ninth year in a row, more than any other program on record.
With a stable of consistent performers, CTV audiences were up year-over-year among some of the network’s key mainstays among A25-54, including STATION 19 (+26%), BLUE BLOODS (+24%), CRIMINAL MINDS (+20%), and THIS IS US (+16%).
Event Programming
Once again, CTV proved to be Canada’s destination for major television events as home to four of the top five biggest events on TV (OSCARS®, SUPER BOWL, GOLDEN GLOBE® AWARDS, and THE EMMY® AWARDS). Behind only the series finale of THE BIG BANG THEORY as most-watched broadcast of 2019, the OSCARS® was the most-watched entertainment event, and saw double-digit growth on CTV vs. 2018 (+10% P2+; +15% A25-54). Additionally, the SUPER BOWL was the biggest sports event of the year with total viewers and all key demos. Of all English-speaking Canadians watching TV on the night of the SUPER BOWL, 44% were watching the big game.
News
CTV NATIONAL NEWS continues to be Canada’s #1 national newscast, leading the competition by more than 40% (+44% vs. GLOBAL NATIONAL, +131% vs. CBC’s THE NATIONAL; A25-54). CTV NEWS AT SIX ranked #1 in all diary markets it competed in, and CTV Toronto’s edition of CTV NEWS AT SIX is city’s most-watched newscast, more than doubling the next closest competitor. W5 is Canada’s most-watched documentary series, reaching 2 million Canadians each week, while QUESTION PERIOD saw audience growth of 18% (A25-54).
Daytime
As confirmed in Bell Media Studios’ 2019/20 production slate announcement last week, ETALK remains Canada’s #1 entertainment news program, and THE SOCIAL and THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW continue to be the Top 2 most-watched Canadian daily lifestyle programs.
A closer look at the 2018/2019 Canadian Television Report Card also reveals:
Canada’s Top Returning Programs of 2018/2019
- Building on last year’s success after delivering the most-watched debut season for a comedy series on record, YOUNG SHELDON claimed a spot among the Top 10 programs, ranking as the #1 sophomore comedy and was second only to CTV’s THE GOOD DOCTOR among top sophomore series.
- THIS IS US stepped it up with its most-watched season yet for Season 3.
- THE GOOD DOCTOR ranks as Canada’s overall #1 drama and joins THE BIG BANG THEORY and YOUNG SHELDON as the only programs to have individual episodes that drew over one million A25-54 viewers this year.
- After 15 years, GREY’S ANATOMY continued its residency on the Top 10 programs list with key demos. It also ranked as CTV’s most-watched program among digital audiences.
- For the sixth year in a row, THE AMAZING RACE CANADA was the #1 summer series in Canada for Season 6 among A25-54.
- STATION 19 ended the year as a Top 10 program and achieved double-digit growth this season.
- ELLEN is the #1 daytime talk program in Canada.
Canada’s Top Event Programming, 2018/2019
- SUPERBOWL LIII was the #1 sports event of the year with total viewers and across all key demos.
- The OSCARS® is the #1 entertainment event of the year
- THE EMMY® AWARDS is a Top 3 entertainment event with total viewers and all key adult demos. It also saw double digit audience growth vs. the previous year (+10% P2+ and +11% A25-54).
- The GOLDEN GLOBE® AWARDS ranks as Canada’s second-most-watched entertainment event of the year with total viewers and all key adult demos.
- THE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS also ranks among Canada’s Top 10 most-watched entertainment events of the year with total viewers and all key adult demos.
Numeris data also confirmed that CTV once again has six or more of the Top 10 programs in total viewers and all key demos. In addition, CTV has more Top 20 programs in key demos than all other competitors combined with 13/20 (A25-54) and 11/20 (A18-34 and 18-49).
Canada’s Top 20 Most-Watched Commercial Programs
(Adult demos; CTV Series in BOLD)
| Rank | A18-34 | Rank | A18-49 | Rank | A25-54 |
| 1. | THE BIG BANG THEORY | 1. | THE BIG BANG THEORY | 1. | THE BIG BANG THEORY |
| 2. | THE GOOD DOCTOR | 2. | THE GOOD DOCTOR | 2. | THE GOOD DOCTOR |
| 3. | STATION 19 | 3. | SURVIVOR (Global) | 3. | SURVIVOR (Global) |
| 4. | GREY’S ANATOMY | 4. | THE CONNERS | 4. | THE CONNERS |
| 5. | SURVIVOR (Global) | 5. | THIS IS US | 5. | THIS IS US |
| 6. | THE CONNERS | 6. | YOUNG SHELDON | 6. | YOUNG SHELDON |
| 7. | THE ROOKIE | 7. | STATION 19 | 7. | NEW AMSTERDAM (Global) |
| 8. | YOUNG SHELDON | 8. | GREY’S ANATOMY | 8. | STATION 19 |
| 9. | THIS IS US | 9. | NEW AMSTERDAM (Global) | 9. | GREY’S ANATOMY |
| 10. | NEW AMSTERDAM (Global) | 10 | THE ROOKIE | 10. | THE ROOKIE |
| 11. | 9-1-1 (Global) | 11 | BIG BROTHER CANADA – average (Global) | 11. | 9-1-1 (Global) |
| 12. | THE RESIDENT | 12 | 9-1-1 (Global) | 12. | BIG BROTHER CANADA – average (Global) |
| 13. | BIG BROTHER CANADA – average (Global) | 13 | CRIMINAL MINDS | 13. | CRIMINAL MINDS |
| 14. | CRIMINAL MINDS | 14 | BIG BROTHER: CELEBRITY EDITION (Global) | 14. | THE AMAZING RACE |
| 15. | NCIS (Global) | 15 | THE AMAZING RACE | 15. | THE RESIDENT |
| 16. | FBI (Global) | 16 | THE RESIDENT | 16. | BIG BROTHER: CELEBRITY EDITION (Global) |
| 17. | BIG BROTHER: CELEBRITY EDITION (Global) | 17 | FBI (Global) | 17. | FBI (Global) |
| 18. | THE AMAZING RACE | 18 | NCIS (Global) | 18. | NCIS (Global) |
| 19. | CHICAGO FIRE (Global) | 19 | S.W.A.T. (Global) | 19. | MAGNUM P.I. |
| 20. | S.W.A.T (Global) | 20 | CHICAGO FIRE (Global) | 20. | WHISKEY CAVALIER |