The Great Canadian Ratings Report: An uplifting spring for CBC

This hasn't been a good year for CBC, what with its loss of Hockey Night In Canada after only 62 years at the people's network and budget cuts resulting in hundreds of staffers about to end up on the unemployment rolls.

So it is with some happiness we can report that there is a shaft of light in the midst of all that darkness. All in all, it's been a pretty good spring for the public network -- maybe the last for some time.

Despite dire predictions for the Stanley Cup playoffs thanks to the presence of only one Canadian team, the CBC did pretty well.

Its overall playoff average was 2.11 million viewers per game -- up 2 per cent from last year's tournament. While that sounds like insignificant growth, it's actually quite good considering the lack of Canadian content. Anytime a network can show an increase, it's a good thing.

The hockey increase pales in comparison with what's happening in Brazil, though. Through Sunday, the CBC was averaging 1.42 million viewers per game from the World Cup, a 50 per cent increase over the last go-round.

While there's no doubt the CBC promised advertisers an bump in ratings, considering that this World Cup time slots are five hours later than they were in South Africa, there's no way anybody expected a 50 per cent increase in audiences.

An explanation for such a rise in interest isn't obvious. Surely it can't just be the lack of vuvuzelas. The cast of characters isn't much greater and, like 2010, there's no Canadian content to drive ratings.

With absolutely no scientific evidence, I'll offer two possible explanations. One is that the calibre of play has been much more appealing. There have been more goals, more upsets and more drama.

Goals don't always spell excitement, but they do tend to appeal to those who aren't hardcore soccer fans. It's the same thing that revived baseball back in the '90s, when all those home runs got peripheral fans all excited. (The fact they were fuelled by steroids wasn't known at the time, despite all those bulging biceps.)

The other is that the game of soccer has had four long years to grow in Canada. World soccer's on a bit of roll in this country and four years can create a lot of new fans. Throw in four years of immigration and you've got the perfect storm for a ratings bonanza.

Here are the most-watched sports events on English-language television for the past weekend, according to BBM Canada overnight ratings:0

*U.S. audience not calculated.

THREE TO WATCH

Making a racket: For the first time in many years, Canadian hopes are high at Wimbledon. With Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic creeping up the world rankings, there's a good chance both could make a splash here. After all, if Andy Murray can break a 78-year-old British drought, anything may be possible. Both got off to good starts, winning their opening matches on Tuesday. Daily coverage starts at 7 a.m. ET on TSN.

Worldly matters: With the group stage providing more than enough thrills, chills and upsets -- not to speak of dives -- things get really serious when the round of 16 starts on Saturday. It begins with Brazil and Chile (1 p.m. ET) in what should be an emotional continental battle. All games CBC and Sportsnet.

Hot time in Houston: Oakville's James Hinchcliffe stands in 11th place in the IndyCar standings and hopes to jump up a few spots in this weekend's Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston doubleheader. Saturday (3 p.m. ET) and Sunday (3 p.m. ET) on Sportsnet One.