Andreescu's US Open win outdraws Stanley Cup Final in TV ratings

As Canadians from coast-to-coast cheered Bianca Andreescu on to victory, nobody was smiling more than the execs at TSN.

The ratings are in and they are very favourable, as you might expect with a historic win at the US Open women’s final by a Canadian against living legend Serena Williams.

TSN says the match “smashed audience records,” with 7.4 million unique viewers in Canada tuning in to watch some part of the match.

Andreescu attracted an average of 3.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched tennis broadcast ever on TSN and RDS. It also drew in a larger average audience than the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

Audiences peaked at 5.3 million viewers, just before 3 pm PT / 6 pm ET, as the 19-year-old Canadian secured the title. The match had a 58% share on TSN in Andreescu’s hometown of Toronto, meaning that more than half of all people watching television in Canada’s largest city were tuned into the women’s final.

Andreescu broke multiple TV records during the tournament, as new marks were achieved for TSN’s most-watched US Open broadcast with wins in both the semi- and quarter-finals. Nearly 10.7 million Canadians tuned into some part of the tournament, a 69% increase over last year.

LIVE NOW: 🇨🇦 Bianca Andreescu looks to finish off her historic #USOpen run with a win over 🇺🇸 Serena Williams. Catch the match LIVE on TSN4 or stream on TSN Direct – TSN's exclusive streaming service.

The match will can also be seen on TSN5 at the conclusion of TOR/OTT. pic.twitter.com/4X0KjYZaT0

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 7, 2019

Given the hype surrounding Andreescu, it was a curious decision to many that the women’s final was buried on TSN4 — a channel that not every sports fan has in their cable package. A number of fans voiced their displeasure and confusion online, as they were surprised they weren’t able to tune into the match.

The main TSN channel was broadcasting a CFL game at the time, likely something they were contractually obligated to do. Perhaps the powers that be at Bell Media will find a way to move such a historic match to CTV next time.