SPORTSNET SCORES SECOND HIGHEST AUDIENCE FOR HOME TEAM HOCKEY WITH 1.65 MILLION VIEWERS

Sportsnet attracts over a million and a half viewers for the fifth time this season

TORONTO (March 9, 2011) – Rogers Sportsnet attracted its second highest audience ever for Home Team Hockey as 1.65 million Canadians (2+) tuned in Tuesday, March 8.

Home Team Hockey is defined as four NHL regional broadcasts spread across the Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West and Sportsnet Pacific channels on the same night.

Tuesday night’s 1.65 million, according to BBM Canada's overnight preliminary data, marked the fifth time this season Sportsnet has surpassed 1.5 million (2+) viewers for Home Team Hockey.

The following is a list of Sportsnet’s Top 5 Home Team Hockey nights which exceeded 1.5 million (AMA 2+) viewers this season:

October 26, 2010 – 1.7 million (AMA 2+)

March 8, 2011 – 1.65 million (AMA 2+)

November 2, 2010 – 1.6 million (AMA 2+)

January 7, 2011 – 1.6 million (AMA 2+)

March 3, 2011 – 1.52 million (AMA 2+)

Sportsnet Ontario drew 893,000 viewers who watched the Toronto Maple Leafs lose 4-3 in overtime to the New York Islanders. That audience number was up 26 per cent from last season’s average of 656,000. In addition, the Sportsnet Connected prime edition following the Leafs game brought in 504,000 viewers.

The Vancouver Canucks’ 4-3 overtime win over the Phoenix Coyotes gained an audience of 471,000 on Sportsnet Pacific, 14 per cent above last season’s average of 403,000 viewers.

The Ottawa Senators 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sportsnet East recorded an audience of 158,000, three per cent above last season’s average of 153,000 viewers. Sportsnet West had 128,000 viewers witness a 4-1 Edmonton Oilers loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

For all the scores, highlights, breaking news and inside stories for the NHL tune in to Hockeycentral, Sportsnet Connected and log on to sportsnet.ca.

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