'So You Think You Can Dance' Finale is Summer's Most-Watched Television Event

-- Nail-biting SYTYCD finale peaks at 2.5 million as Joshua Allen crowned America's favourite dancer

Last night's So You Think You Can Dance finale on CTV is the most-watched television program of the summer with a record 1.92 million viewers, preliminary overnight data from BBM Nielsen Media Research confirms today. The Season 4 finale, in which Joshua Allen walked away with the title and $250,000, has become the most-watched episode ever of So You Think You Can Dance in Canada. The two-hour finale provided a boost to CTV's Flashpoint, which delivered a series-high audience of 1.3 million viewers in its fifth week. The two series were the #1 and #2 programs on Canadian television last night nationally and in Toronto and Vancouver.

In advance of the upcoming premiere of its Canadian sister series on CTV this fall, So You Think You Can Dance is more popular than ever, with its average audience up an impressive 19% over Season 3 on CTV last summer.

The success story continues for Flashpoint, which has seen growth in total viewers for the past three weeks in a row. The CTV/CBS co-production was once again #1 in its time period last night, up 7% over last week. Since its premiere on July 11, Flashpoint has grown 74% among A18-34, 63% among A18-49 and 43% among A25-54.

In his widely-read "Programming Insider" column today, MediaWeek's Marc Berman writes that with Flashpoint's success, "There is every reason to now believe that the broadcast networks will rely more on quality Canadian programming in the future."

In next week's Episode 6, premiering Thursday, August 14 at 10 p.m. on CTV/CBS, Tasha Redford (Sarah Gadon, The Border, The Eleventh Hour) - an awkward 16-year old - is a target of bullies. Distraught and pushed to the limit by her tormenters, it's up to Jules to talk her off the edge of an eight storey advertising tower. Can Jules get Tasha to trust her before she lets go? Will Jules' strength be enough to keep this tormented girl alive?

Sources:

Preliminary overnight data, CTV Full (BBM Nielsen Media Research).

U.S. - Nielsen Media Research, preliminary overnight data.