The Stanley Cup playoffs drive TVA Sports to audience heights!

• TVA Sports was the most watched sports channel in Quebec this spring
• From January to June, TVA Sports increased its market share by nearly 400%
• Peaking at up to 2.5 million viewers during Montreal Canadiens' games
• Up to 969,000 viewers watched the Blackhawks' victory on TVA Sports

MONTREAL, June 18, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - TVA Sports is extremely proud of its first results from the Stanley Cup playoffs as the National Hockey League's exclusive Francophone broadcaster until 2026. In the last two months, TVA Sports smashed ratings records with its presentation of the 89 games played by 16 NHL teams trying to get their hands on the most coveted trophy, making it the most watched sports channel in Quebec, across all sports networks, between April 15 and June 14. In addition, from January to June, the channel has earned market shares of 3.5%, an increase of almost 400% compared to the same period in 2014.

Quebec rocked to the rhythm of the series
Montreal Canadiens' games experienced unprecedented success. During the 12 playoff games, an average of 1,577,000 fans gathered to follow the Montreal team, reaching audience peaks of up to 2.5 million, for a market share of 49.1%.

During the Stanley Cup final between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay Lightning, an average of 502,000 fans gathered for each game, reaching a peak of 969,000 viewers for the final game on Monday, earning TVA Sports a market share of 23%.

"For a first year of broadcasting NHL games, our results are clearly beyond our expectations. TVA Sports is extremely proud of the product quality offered by our on-air teams and on our digital platforms," said Serge Fortin, Vice President, TVA Sports. "We have made every effort to offer fans the best hockey broadcasts and we are very pleased that they have adopted TVA Sports. The audience sizes and subscription increases demonstrate our channel's popularity. This is just the beginning and we are already hard at work preparing for next season."

Fans' destination before and after games
Dave Morissette en direct was the number one post-game show during the playoffs, averaging 332,000 viewers after Montreal Canadiens games. TVA Sports also innovated with the pregame Destination Stanley Cup, which attracted an average of 170,000 viewers for Montreal Canadiens' games. Also, TVA Sports has announced that the show will return for the playoffs next spring.

A multiplatform offering that gave users everything and more
The TVA Sports Website has taken advantage of the NHL playoffs to confirm its place in the Quebec's digital world. Setting records in terms of visits, unique visitors and page views, it is clear that the TVAsports.ca offer has delighted hockey fans across the province. An impressive total of nearly 11 million hits were registered on the Website for the series. Plus, nearly 3 million video capsules were viewed from April 15 to June 15.

TVA Sports and TVA Sports Hockey mobile applications also benefited from the Stanley Cup playoffs, breaking usage records. With more than 250,000 downloads since its launch in October 2014, it is clear that TVA Sports mobile applications are now entrenched in the lives of sports fans who don't want to miss any of the action, no matter where they are.

SOURCE TVA Sports