Québecor to broadcast a Canadiens game on TVA next month

Sometimes, sporting events are broadcast on a general-interest channel. But when it comes to the Canadiens, it’s always RDS or TVA Sports.

But that’s about to change next month.

According to colleague Maxime Truman, who’s been gossiping left and right, the Canadiens’ Saturday, November 9 game (against Toronto) will be shown on TVA. He tweeted a huge hint to that effect. #Branch

The NFL is sometimes on ABC (ESPN). The CFL is sometimes on CTV (TSN). F1 is sometimes on Noovo (RDS). The NHL is sometimes on CBC (Sportsnet).

Should TVA broadcast some @canadiens games on its general-interest channel?

Like the one on November 9 against the @MapleLeafs?

– Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) October 18, 2024

The match will be available on TVA Sports, but also on TVA. There will be two ways to watch the game.

It’s safe to assume that people who watch the game on TVA Sports won’t change their habits, and that the ratings will be similar. But to that we’ll add the people who tune in to TVA.

Normally, on a Saturday night, an average of 530,000 people watch the Canadiens on TVA Sports. We can expect between 200,000 and 300,000 people to tune in to TVA.

The game should therefore be more widely watched. Those who don’t have TVA Sports or RDS will have the chance to see a rare game on cable.

Note that the idea of broadcasting a match on TVA is not, from what we’ve been told, a new one. We’ve been thinking about it for some years now.

One wonders whether the experiment could be repeated after Christmas if it’s a success. And because the match will be against a division rival, it’s likely to be popular all the same.

#HFrandomizer
Arber Xhekaj – Canadiens
2023 OCT 11
Ryan Reaves – Maple Leafshttps://t.co/Jnhw27449z pic.twitter.com/MIGHS2ydOl

– hockeyfights (@hockeyfights) October 1, 2024

Normally, on Saturday nights on TVA, there’s a movie on. It doesn’t attract big ratings.

That said, it also comes with a risk. TVA Sports has 22 Canadiens hockey games and RDS has 60. If RDS decided to broadcast a game at Noovo, less than 2% of the Habs season on RDS would be available to everyone.

But a game on TVA is equivalent to nearly 5% of the TVA Sports season for the Canadiens. If Quebecor did this a little more often, it would make those who subscribe to TVA Sports for Habs games wonder if it’s worth continuing to pay for TVA Sports.

The number of games is a factor to keep in mind. But for one game, it’s simply a great initiative for hockey fans.

Extension

Let’s not forget that, at the moment, we’re also experiencing a certain media revolution. We saw it this week when Gary Bettman made no bones about it: digital broadcasting is part of the future of hockey.

Prime’s presence in Montreal on Monday is a prime example.

The November 9 game will undoubtedly be watched more than any other. With the way hockey is consumed changing, is TVA Sports trying to please the NHL in terms of ratings?

Let’s not forget that the TV contract with the NHL ends in 2026. Until then, everything’s on the table.