It's the Biggest After-Party on Record as 7.5 Million Canadians Watch the LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES CLOSING CEREMONY

- Each Canadian viewer watches nearly 21 hours of Games coverage -
- Viewing increases 88%* compared to Beijing 2008 -
- Usain Bolt's gold medal victory, and the battle between Canada and the United States' women's soccer teams, are the most-watched events throughout London 2012 -
- Canadians consume 3.4 million hours of video content on Consortium digital platforms and download more than 1.1 million Apps throughout the 2012 Games -

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LONDON, England, Aug. 13, 2012 /CNW/ - From George Michael and the Spice Girls to Queen and The Who, the London 2012 Olympic Games came to a record-breaking close as an average of 7.5 million Canadians rocked out with athletes from around the world. The LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES CLOSING CEREMONY becomes the most-watched Summer Olympics broadcast on record in Canada. The 4 p.m. ET broadcast was watched on average by 5.1 million viewers on CTV alone, more than three times the audience of the ATHENS 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES CLOSING CEREMONY.

Reaching nearly 17 million Canadians in total, the conclusion of the Games marked yet another day of gold medal audiences for Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium. In all, Canadians watched a total of 662 million hours of coverage throughout the 2012 Games, with the average viewer consuming almost 21 hours of content during London 2012. An additional 3.4 million hours of content was viewed at CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca, while more than 1.1 million CTV Olympics London 2012 and RDS olympiques pour Londres 2012 Apps were downloaded.

"Our broadcast of the London 2012 Olympic Games has proved to be record-setting," said Adam Ashton, President, Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium. "Audiences like these set a new benchmark for Summer Olympic Games broadcasts in our country. Thank you to the athletes for allowing us to share their stories with the nation. We have them to thank for our success."

An incredible 31.9 million Canadians, or 95% of the population, watched coverage on Consortium channels from the start of London 2012, with viewing up a remarkable 88%* over Beijing 2008. An average of 2.1 million viewers tuned in throughout Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium's 22 hours of daily coverage, and overall, television viewing in Canada increased 13% during the Games versus the same days last year. London 2012 event viewership peaked on Sunday, Aug. 5 as Usain Bolt ran to his first gold of the London 2012 Olympic Games in the 100m final, with online viewership peaking on Thursday, Aug. 9 with 2.5 million site visits and 1.9 million video views as the Canadian Women's soccer team won bronze, and Usain Bolt made history with his second repeat gold medal performance.

CTV won daytime and prime time on every day of the Games, with both total viewers and in the key demos of A25-54 and A18-49. TSN also saw ratings growth, increasing its full-day audience to become the second most-watched network in Canada throughout the Games, with Sportsnet ranking #4 and RDS #5, both ahead of CBC.

Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium delivered more than 5,550 hours of coverage of the 2012 Games, with events available across the Consortium's platforms, consisting of CTV, RDS, TSN, Sportsnet, OMNI.1, OMNI.2, OLN, V, ATN, CTVOlympics.ca, RDSolympiques.ca.

Most-Watched 2012 Summer Games Events:

Rank	Average Audience	Event	Networks	Date
1.	6.2 million	Athletics: Men's 100m Final	CTV, V and RDS	Sunday, Aug. 5
2.	3.8 million	Women's Soccer Semi-Final: CAN/USA	TSN, CTV and V	Monday, Aug. 6
3.	3.1 million	Athletics: Men's 1500m Semi-Final	CTV and V	Sunday, Aug. 5
4.	3 million	Swimming: Women's 50m Freestyle Final	CTV and RDS	Saturday, Aug. 4
5.	3 million	Athletics: Women's 400m Hurdles (Round 1)	CTV and V	Sunday, Aug. 5
6.	2.9 million	Swimming: Men's 4x100m Medley Relay Final	CTV and RDS	Saturday, Aug. 4
7.	2.8 million	Swimming: Men's 1500m Freestyle Final	CTV and RDS	Saturday, Aug. 4
8.	2.7 million	Athletics: Men's 200m Final	CTV, V and RDS	Thursday, Aug. 9
9.	2.6 million	Women's Beach Volleyball Quarter-Final: CZE/USA	CTV	Sunday, Aug. 5
10.	2.5 million	Cycling: Men's Omnium 15km Scratch Race	CTV and RDS	Sunday, Aug. 5

Most-Watched Video Clips of the 2012 Summer Games:

1. Jennifer Abel and Emilie Heymans on their Bronze Medal win
2. Golden Moment for Rosie MacLennan
3. The women's soccer semi-final game (Canada vs. US)
4. World's fastest Man… Again - Usain Bolt
5. Canadian Men's Eight Row to Silver

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Twitter
@CTVOlympics
@RDSolympiques

Facebook
facebook.com/CTVOlympics
facebook.com/RDSolympiques

Google+
CTVOlympics
RDSolympiques

YouTube
YouTube.com/CTVOlympics
YouTube.com/RDSolympiques

About Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium
Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium is a unique relationship led by Canada's #1 broadcaster, CTV with 80% interest, along with Rogers Media Inc. with 20% interest. The Consortium is providing unprecedented English, French, and multilingual coverage and consumer choice on multiple platforms during the London 2012 Olympic Games, through August 12, 2012. Official brands include CTV, TSN, RDS, RDS Info, Sportsnet, OMNI Television, OLN, V, ATN, CTVOlympics.ca, RDSolympiques.ca, and select Rogers radio stations across the country. In addition, select stations will also air the London 2012 Paralympic Games from August 29 - September 9, 2012. The Consortium delivered the Top 5 most-watched events in Canadian television history during its revolutionary coverage of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Source: BBM Canada
CTV electronic audience databases incorporate data beginning in 1994.
Audiences prior to August 31, 2009 based on BBM Nielsen Media Research Mark II meters.
* Based on total time tuned 

SOURCE: Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium

Please contact, Renee Rouse, 416.384.7599, [email protected]
Amy Doary, 011.4.(0) 77.14079701, [email protected]
Carolyn Fell, 416.384.2817, [email protected]