TORONTO – Toronto FC has broken the all-time MLS audience record yet again, after their storybook run through the AUDI 2016 MLS CUP PLAYOFFS culminated with a penalty kick showdown in the MLS CUP 2016, one of 60+ iconic championships that live on TSN. Overnight data from Numeris confirms that an average audience of more than 1.5 million viewers tuned in to TFC’s penalty kick loss to the Seattle Sounders on TSN (1.43 million*) and RDS (92,000*) to become Canada’s most-watched MLS game in history. The game was the most-watched television program – including sports broadcasts – in Canada on Saturday night.
The MLS CUP 2016 marked a 10% increase in average audience over the previous record, set on Nov. 30 in the MLS Eastern Conference Championship matchup between Toronto FC and Montreal Impact, with the TSN audience for Saturday night’s match almost doubling that of the conference final.
Overall, 4.2 million unique viewers watched some part of Saturday night’s championship game on TSN and RDS. Audience levels peaked at 11 p.m. ET with 2.7 million viewers as Sounders defender Román Torres slotted home his penalty kick to seal the victory for Seattle.
TFC fans rallied around the Reds on Saturday night, as the MLS CUP 2016 was the most-watched program in the Greater Toronto Area – more than doubling the audience of the next-highest broadcast in the team’s home market and delivering a 35% share.
As well, TSN’s official Instagram and Snapchat stories attracted 270,000 and 250,000 views, respectively, bringing fans closer to the game with behind-the-scenes content from the TFC-Sounders clash at Toronto’s BMO Field.
MLS All-Time Canadian Audience Records
Throughout the thrilling AUDI 2016 MLS CUP PLAYOFFS, Canadian teams have broken the all-time MLS audience record three times:
- 1 million viewers: Toronto FC-Montreal Impact, Eastern Conference Championship Leg 1
- 1.4 million viewers: Toronto FC-Montreal Impact, Eastern Conference Championship Leg 2
- 1.5 million viewers: Toronto FC-Seattle Sounders, MLS CUP 2016
