Oh Canada!! 16.6 Million Watch Team Canada Ignite a Nation

    
     - 14.3 million watch Closing Ceremony as Vancouver 2010 comes to a
                                   close -
    

VANCOUVER, March 1 /CNW/ - It was an epic game that delivered an epic audience. Yesterday's gold medal Men's Hockey game has become the most-watched television broadcast ever in Canadian history, with an average audience of 16.6 million viewers. Nearly half of the Canadian population watched the entire game on average, while 80% of Canadians watched some part of the game (26.5 million). The game aired live on nine television networks in eight languages via Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium.

"Crosby scores! Sidney Crosby! The golden goal! And Canada has once-in-a-lifetime Olympic gold!," called play-by-play announcer Chris Cuthbert as Canada clinched its record-breaking 14th gold medal. "These Golden Games have their crowning moment."

Additionally, the 2010 Winter Games Closing Ceremony becomes the second most-watched broadcast ever, as 14.3 million viewers said goodbye to Vancouver 2010. A total of 24.5 million watched some part of the broadcast.

Detailed ratings summary to follow.

    
    About Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium
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Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium is a unique relationship between leading media conglomerates CTV Inc. and Rogers Media Inc., which together provided unprecedented coverage and consumer choice in English, French and multi-languages on multiple platforms for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The partnership will continue for the upcoming 2010 Paralympic Winter Games and the London 2012 Games of the Olympiad. Official brands include CTV, TSN, RDS, RIS Info Sports, Rogers Sportsnet, OMNI, OLN, V, APTN, ATN, CTVOlympics.ca, RDSolympiques.ca, The Globe and Mail, Corus Québec and select Rogers radio stations across the country.

Television: Preliminary overnight data from BBM Canada.

For further information: Jim Quan, CTV Inc., [phone], [email protected]; Carolyn Fell, CTV Inc., [phone], [email protected]; Pamela Mollica, Consortium, [phone], [email protected]; Andrea Goldstein, Consortium, [phone], [email protected]