According to Senior Vice-President Doug Anderson “As might be expected, most Canadians who intend to watch the Super Bowl are also looking forward to watching the high-production ads that have become an extremely popular part of the event. What is particularly interesting is that we now find one in five Canadians saying they don’t intend to watch the game, but they DO hope to see the ads. For what other event on the planet can it be said that the sponsor advertising has such an ability to generate interest? It means that as large an audience as will actually tune in to the Super Bowl game, the number of people who will actually end up seeing the advertising will likely be far greater. That makes the media buy potentially much more valuable than the audience share the broadcaster delivers.”

• Almost four in ten Canadians say they will watch the Super Bowl. Nationally, 38% express this view, while 59% say they will not be watching the game. Virtually all of those who identify as avid fans of NFL football (12% of the sample) say they will watch the game, as will 79% who call themselves ‘occasional followers’ of NFL football (21% of the sample). Men and those with higher household incomes are more likely than their counterparts to say they’ll watch the Super Bowl.
• A majority of ‘avid fans’ believe the New England Patriots will win the Super Bowl. Overall, 57% of this group picks the Patriots to win, while 41% feel the New York Giants will come out on top. Nationally, opinion is more split with 34% picking the Patriots, and 31% the Giants.
• Three in ten Canadians indicate they watched the Grey Cup this past fall. Overall, 32% say they watched the Grey Cup. Viewership was much higher in the Prairie Provinces, and among older Canadians. Interestingly, just 54% of avid NFL fans watched the Grey Cup, with more occasional followers (59%) saying they watched.
• Almost half of those surveyed say they’re hoping to see some of the Super Bowl ads. Nationally, 48% express this view, while 49% are not hoping to catch the ads. Younger Canadians, men, and those with higher household incomes are most likely to want to see Super Bowl ads. Interestingly, even 37% of those who are not really interested in NFL football say they’re hoping to see the ads.
• A plurality intends to see the ads during the game’s broadcast. Overall, 43% say this is how they’ll catch the ads, while 33% will access them online. A further 20% say they’ll look for the ads on TV at some other time. Those not really interested in NFL football are more likely to say they’ll either access the ads online, or catch them on TV at a different time.
• Super Bowl ads have an appeal that goes beyond just those who intend to watch the game. Nationally, one in five Canadians says they won’t watch the Super Bowl, but they will watch the ads. A further 27% indicates they’ll watch both the games and the ads.
• Younger Canadians, women, and those in BC are most likely to say they’ll watch the ads, but not the game.

Each week, Harris/Decima interviews just over 1000 Canadians through teleVox, the company’s national telephone omnibus survey. The most recent data were gathered between January 26 and January 29, 2012. A sample of the same size has a margin of error of 3.1%, 19 times out of 20.