More Canadians were interested in watching the Super Bowl ads this coming Sunday than the big game itself, according to a new poll.
The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey indicates 43 per cent of the people polled hope to see the high-priced commercials, even if they have no intention of watching the game between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints.
Only 33 per cent of Canadians polled said they hoped to watch the Super Bowl. That's the same percentage of people who said they'd watch the Grey Cup game in November between the Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
"Football is a popular sport in Canada - whether CFL or NFL," said Harris-Decima vice-president Megan Tam. "But the Super Bowl has an ability to capture the attention of those who don't describe themselves as fans of the sport.
"There is now clearly an audience for Super Bowl advertising that extends beyond those who would tune in to the game itself. "
Thirty-six per cent of people plan on watching the commercials during the game, with the remainder planning to seek them out online (39 per cent), or on television at another time (20 per cent).
Overall, Canadians are split on who they think will win Sunday. Three in 10 feel the Saints will win, while a similar number believes the Colts will emerge victorious.
But 65 per cent of avid football fans feel the Colts will win, compared to 32 per cent supporting the Saints.
The telephone poll of just over 1,000 Canadians was conducted between Thursday and Sunday. It is considered accurate within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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