Canada has finally fallen in love with the World Cup. The 2006 FIFA World Cup is one of the most diverse cultural events, which holds the entire global public under its spell. That’s especially true in Canada, where viewership numbers have shown surprising strength. In fact, viewership for the first fourteen matches in Canada has increased an astonishing 150% versus the 2002 World Cup, and 125% higher than in 1998. In fact, Canadian audiences have provided the third largest audience increase to date for the event.
The increase in viewership goes beyond the broadcaster and improved timeslot. Even though we don’t have a team that qualified, Canadians have rallied around the World Cup as a way of expressing national and international pride. The Cup is also great entertainment. There are a number of countries that are competing for the first time which is drawing even more viewers to the matches. This bodes really well for the FIFA U-20 World Cup next year, which Canada is hosting.
In Toronto, where the Initiative office is located, you don’t actually need to watch the match to see who won. Within minutes, everyone is in their cars, up and down the downtown streets with flags spilling out the back. Up until that point, who knew there were that many Swedes in Toronto? Or if you don’t have a car, you just hang out at the appropriate corner store, delicatessen, or restaurant like the Turks last cup, and wave your flag at the passing honking cars.
Canada loves a Cinderella story – we still tell stories about beating Russia in hockey in 1972. And since our own team didn’t make it to the cup – we’re ranked 83rd, behind Oman – you can root for any team at all. In the Initiative office? We had our hopes on Paraguay!
Chris Herlihey, VP Research Director, IPG Media, Canada
Canada may be ranked 83rd behind Oman but if they so wished they could surely have produced just as boring a game against the Ukraine as the Swiss managed tonight ? So tonight's question is how many of the 54 matches played so far could Barcelona, Chelsea or another top European Club have beaten either of the Competing Countries at least 7 out of 10 times if refereed by someone of the stature of PierLuigi Collina instead of too many inexperienced Officials appointed by FIFA to satisfy their worldwide constituency ? Or put mnore simply was the Quality of Team and Individual Football played below that which we can expect in the top UEFA Champion Lague contests ?
Posted by: Bob Copeman | 26 June 2006 at 11:42 PM