TSN is #1 With Sports Fans-- National Audience Survey
TSN continues to be the television destination for sports fans across the country, according to a recent national survey of sports viewers' attitudes and trends. Recently released, the 2007/08 Roper Reports Canada results revealed that TSN is the top-ranked network among sports viewers in English Canada for Channel Most Enjoy Watching, Best Channel for Watching Sports, Best Sports News, and Best Overall Quality of Sports Coverage.
TSN has consistently been voted the No. 1 source for sports from sports viewers across English Canada since the survey's inception in 1998.
According to the survey, TSN once again handily claims the No. 1 position for 'Channel Most Enjoy Watching' by 42% of the respondents in English Canada, outpacing other all-sports networks and Canadian and American conventional networks by a wide margin. The closest competitors were major American networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX) with a combined 16% of sports viewers' votes, followed by CBC at 14%. In British Columbia, a highly competitive market for sports television, TSN retains a sizeable lead over all-sports network Rogers Sportsnet (43% to 20%).
TSN also received enormous accolades in the 'Best Channel for Watching Sports' category, with 46% of the votes, well ahead of all-sports rivals The Score, which finished third at 12%, and Rogers Sportsnet in fifth place with 9%. In B.C., the gap continues to widen as TSN was the overwhelming favourite (55% vs. 12% for Rogers Sportsnet).
SportsCentre, TSN's flagship news and information program, was the clear-cut leader in the sports news category as TSN garnered nearly half of the votes (48%) for 'Best Channel for Sports News'. TSN's French-language counterpart, RDS, was voted No. 1 in the Quebec market with 45% of the votes.
TSN was also chosen the No. 1 network for 'Best Overall Quality of Sports Coverage' with 44%, well ahead of second place The Score at 16% and a three-way tie for third for CBC, Rogers Sportsnet and American Networks (11%).
Roper Reports Canada is a national syndicated marketing and public opinion service, patterned after the highly regarded Roper Reports service in the United States. It is North America's most comprehensive database for tracking, analyzing and forecasting consumers' attitudes, behaviour and lifestyles. The 2007/08 Roper Reports Canada survey was conducted from November 16, 2007 to February 15, 2008 among 1,200 Canadian adults, 18 years of age and older, reflective of the Canadian adult population. The above-referenced results reflect the opinions of the 953 English-language respondents who watch sports on TV. The statistical margin of error in this survey is +/- 2.8%, 19 out of 20 times.
I used to be a very big Sportsnet fan, but over the years they've either done nothing to improve, or have made some weird decisions with their TV and website...First and foremost, I'm not a fan at all of Connected and the whole casual theme they have, sportsnet news was fine! also, their current website sucks, I hate the automatic video playing, and the top news stories keep moving around way too fast.
One thing they do best is their baseball coverage, their hockey is a joke, the whole "hockey that matters" branding is corny, and the overall theme to their hockey broadcasts is amateur at best, at least get a better graphics and especially MUSIC theme!
Slowly over the course of time I shifted to TSN. Their website is better, not to mention that it also updates breaking news MUCH faster than sportsnet, and Sportscentre easily is better than Connected...Jay Onrait is a genius, Mike Toth is pretty good too though...TSN's hockey is a little bit better, the only problem with it (that myself and the rest of the country have) is Pierre McGuire and Bob Mckenzie...Sportsnet hasn't brought anyone new in, in who knows how long, Gary Valk (loved him as a leaf) is just downright terrible as a broadcaster, I'm sure there are MANY former NHL'ers looking to get into broadcasting that would be better suited for the job...
anyway thats my rant, I still watch both networks, but thats why I like TSN more
See, now, to me...it's just all a matter of quality. TSN embodies every bit of the term "A Team" and Sportsnet is the "B Team". Sportsnet, to me, just looks very amateur..very BUSH LEAGUE compared to TSN. It starts with the talent where every single member of the TSN on-air crew (for EVERYTHING) is heads and tails above their respective counterpart on Sportsnet.
Really, I'm not a huge fan of Dutchyshen (his act is tired), Hedger (she frightens me, and I'm pretty sure there's an adam's apple there), or Onrait (the guy is a humanoid-muppet that even Jim Henson would have a hard time loving) but they are far more talented than Sportsnet's entire crew, with the exception of Martine Guillard (sp?) who is, IMO, a great talent working below herself.
Yeah, Sportsnet shows a lot of Flames/Oilers/Canucks hockey in the West, but TSN shows a ton of hockey NATIONALLY and they show just about every Leafs game regionally, and do a far better job of their broadcasts, I think.
You know what the REALLY shocking thing in that survey was?? The fact that people on the West coast picked TSN by a HUGE margin...wow!!! Sportsnet is constantly rallying around the idea of TSN being the "Toronto Sports Network" that doesn't look out for the West at all, but yet Westerners STILL choose TSN??!!
Pretty interesting survey no matter how you shake it down...
I am new to the forum, but have been reading posts for quite a while. Great stuff.
I am probably going to take some heat for this, but I think in a lot of cases, stations like TSN and Sportsnet go cheap on the talent because they know that A) there are a ton of personalities out there dying to work for them and B) The general public really has no other option when it comes to watching Canadian sports.
TSN's talent is far superior to Sportsnet, I agree. But, the talent of today is nowhere near the talent of the late 80s and early 90s when Michael Landsberg and Brendan Connor (I know a lot of people didn't care for him) were manning Sportsdesk at night. People like Dan O'Toole, Holly Horton, Cory Woron, Dave Randorf, Jay Onrait are just happy to be there. They are not Jim Van Horne or even John Wells quality.
On Sportsnet, I agree Martine is good and perhaps even the best female desk anchor for sports broadcasting out of the two channels. Kudos to Brad Fay, who does a solid job and tries not to upstage the sports highlights he describes. I can't go five minutes when Barry Davis is on. I do, however, feel Daren Millard is the best 'host' of the hockey shows.
Jim Hughson and Paul Romanuk were solid play by play announcers for hockey. While Cuthbert is enjoyable, I cannot even watch a game done by Miller and McGuire. I believe McGuire actually has a decent amount of talent, but the ego gets in the way. Miller is not even a major junior calibre announcer.
On Sportsnet, I can't think of one real good play by play announcer and in a few cases, the announcing prevents me from tuning in.
Baseball gets similar marks. Going from Hughson and then Shulman to what TSN has now is not close. But, still much better than Jamie Campbell and Rance Mulliniks!
I am willing to bet the salaries paid to announcers in the mid90s compared to today was likely higher ten years ago. Those companies recognize the general public will watch, regardless, and there are never going to be a shortage of announcers. Discussing The Score in this regard might be a whole new topic.
I am also likely going to bet a recruiter could assemble a real good cast of announcers, play by play people, and analysts by scouring medium sized markets and some large markets and then forking over the dough. There are a lot of good announcers out there, but I think it comes down to whether or not you want to make a good living versus having your mug on a national sports tv station and being able to brag as such.
I guess this is a long winded reply to the original post. The survey numbers don't surprise me, but that doesn't mean it is big-time quality broadcasting.
I realize I probably just hammered on some pretty good people and I'm not the best broadcaster either. But, I'm not in the national limelight either. I am most likely right where I deserve to be!
To the moderators and frequent posters....keep up the interesting comments.
I would say that I agree for the most part, but personally, I'm a HUGE fan of Cory Woron and think that he's maybe the most under-rated sports reporter in Canada. When he was on Global Winnipeg, you just KNEW it wouldn't be long before he was out from Pascucci's little shadow.
Also, I'm in the group that thinks Chris Cuthbert is the best hockey and football PBP guy in North America (which probably means the World) CBC made a HUMONGOUS mistake, IMO, by keeping guys like Mark Lee and Steve Armitage, and letting Cuthbert go.
I'm pleased to hear that part of Jim Hughsons deal with CBC is that he does their Blue Jays games(He is the best IMHO). I agree with the comment about Campbell and Mulliniks on Sportsnet, its like having Ralph Malph and Potsie Webber from Happy Days doing PBP.
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