Rock vs. Warriors game on TSN nets record-high numbers on the network
Toronto vs. Vancouver, FirstOntario Centre (Photo: Ryan McCullough)
The National Lacrosse League has confirmed that last week’s NLL Game of the Week on TSN between the Toronto Rock & Vancouver Warriors (5pm ET) earned the biggest viewership on the network in league history, garnering a 30% increase in viewers in comparison to last year’s highest-performing game on the network.
In July of 2021, the NLL & TSN announced a multi-year partnership that included that previously mentioned NLL Game of the Week, with games broadcasted live on TSN television during the league’s December-April regular season. Comprehensive playoff coverage during May & June, including the NLL Cup Finals, was also available on Canadian television screens across the country through TSN channels.
The second year of the deal started this past weekend, which in addition to the record-setting Rock vs. Warriors game, also included the NLL’s very first game of the season between the Halifax Thunderbirds & Philadelphia Wings.
This year’s NLL Game of the Week on TSN schedule includes 20 televised games. The partnership also puts every single regular-season game on TSN.ca and the TSN app. A similar deal with ESPN for American-based viewers was announced last month.
Week 1 goals by Halifax forward Chris Boushy and Saskatchewan Rush scorer Marshall Powless were featured on ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 over the weekend.
Both of TSN’s televised games during Week 1 were blowouts with Toronto topping Vancouver 19-8 and Halifax flooring Philadelphia 18-8. Stakes in Toronto’s game were further heightened after the team promoted their opener versus Vancouver as a Guaranteed Win Night, which would have put free tickets in the hands of fans had they lost. The most-watched match was also Matt Sawyer’s 100th game as a head coach in the NLL. Toronto’s bench boss spent a single season leading the Boston Blazers before re-joining the Rock as their head coach in 2017.
This upcoming weekend’s NLL Game of the Week on TSN will see the Calgary Roughnecks hosting the Warriors on Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome (9:30pm ET).