Brier, Scotties TV numbers continue to astound

I've watched so much curling this week that my eyes no longer have pupils, they have buttons. I've watched so much curling this week, my kidney stones have little handles on them. I've watched so much curling this week, the little voice inside my head sounds exactly like Vic Rauter.

Seems I'm not alone, according to sources, as well as a report by Terry Jones in the Edmonton Sun.

As they did at the Scotties two weeks ago, it looks like strong television numbers continue to amaze at this year's Brier.

The sport's television magnetism might just be getting stronger and stronger.

It's gotten to the point where rights holder TSN considers the sport to be one of its most important mainstays, right up there with the Canadian Football League and the National Hockey League. Network president Stewart Johnson tells Jones:

Jones' column goes on to compare the CFL, NHL and Brier numbers, based on last year's showings, with a general overview of what's being accomplished, ratings wise, this year.

According to TSN, last year's Brier pulled in an average viewership of 685 thousand, for all draws. That placed it above the average CFL game (637 thousand) and not far below the average NHL game (707 thousand).

In looking for a more complete picture of TV ratings this year, I was told that those numbers won't be released to the public until after the Brier wraps on Sunday night. However, it is a very safe bet that the big draws of the week will have been those held in prime time, and they are the most likely to be the ones that spill over the 500 thousand mark, with smaller numbers during the day.

Having said that, apparently, TSN's morning draws have been gathering an impressive 300 thousand plus viewers this week, building on that for the afternoon draws and to a crescendo of a half million plus at night.

While the prime time games have been primarily held on TSN's main network through the week, one exception was Wednesday night's draw, highlighted by a game between Manitoba's Rob Fowler and Alberta's Kevin Koe. It was aired on TSN2. Despite being up against NHL hockey on its main network (Toronto vs Pittsburgh), the Fowler/Koe game pulled in over 350 thousand viewers, apparently.

It remains to be seen what the final average audience numbers for the 2012 Brier will be, but with TSN brass being so forward about their glee over the statistics they have before them, it's a safe bet that they're in last year's territory.

If so, that will mean somewhere in the vicinity of 685 thousand viewers, on average, with 1.3 million watching the final.

Add those numbers to big ones from this year's Scotties (over half a million average and 1.1 million for the final between Heather Nedohin and Kelly Scott, according to TSN) and the sport's TV picture continues to be rosy.

So where are the caveats?

Without detailed breakdowns, it's difficult to emperically say there are any.

Anecdotally, you might be able to conclude that the numbers would be much stronger in Western Canada, particularly the Prairies. As well, the demographics of curling's viewership would undoubtedly skew older. To many advertisers, that's a non-starter. They want younger audiences, not older.

Still, in the ratings game, any big cumulative number has value. Judging by the number of Capital One, Tim Hortons and M&M Meat Shops commercials you see during the Brier and Scotties, you can assume they are advertisers who see value in that. After all, they may be companies with executives who are considered "friends of curling," but at some point, that friendship would have to suffer if the numbers didn't add up.

In looking at the stacks of impressive numbers, one figure especially jumps out from this year's Scotties. The Sunday morning bronze medal game, between Quebec's Marie France-Larouche and Manitoba's Jennifer Jones, drew an incredible average of 631 thousand viewers.

Memo to curlers who hate that bronze medal game: It isn't going away. Not with a showing like that.

So, what are the reasons behind the continuing TV strength of curling? Johnson told Jones his thoughts on the matter:

There is no doubt that having the players mic'd up has been a huge boon for the sport; that's been well-documented and opined for years.

There has to be more to it than that, doesn't there?

Could curling's increasing lure be that it provides a respite from our otherwise frantically paced lives, filled with lightning fast messaging and images and go-go-go nature? It moves slowly, thoughtfully, methodically. It's pace is mostly relaxing and deliberate in a world increasingly dominated by more, more, more and now, now, now.

The athletes, themselves, likely hold a key. Putting microphones on them has opened up the strategy of the game, undoubtedly. More than that, it's shown them to be mostly well-tempered, ordinary folk who just happen to be very, very good at the game they love. They're polite, good-natured and sporting. They all seem like good neighbours. That's an attractive island in the world of sports, dominated by a sea of ego and brashness.

The telecasts are another key. Russ Howard has slipped, effortlessly, into the booth. No easy task, considering he was replacing a much-loved Ray Turnbull. Howard, and Linda Moore provide tremendous insights into a game that can be exceptionally complex. Rauter, who knows waaaay more about the game than he lets on, has always made sure that things don't get too complicated, asking the questions that casual fans -- as well as new ones -- would ask. That makes for a welcoming atmosphere, also key to growing the numbers.

Whatever the reasons, curling continues to enjoy a television renaissance of sorts.

At least for two weeks out of the year.