Championship proves Americans will watch
USA vs Canada.
Made and missed shots.
Matt Hamilton and Jennifer Jones coaching during timeouts while also providing commentary.
It’s hard to argue that the inaugural Everest North American Curling Club Championship (ENACCC) was anything but an unmitigated success, and the numbers would seem to prove it.
Curlers in the United States have been starved of opportunities to watch any kind of televised curling in recent years.
Twin setbacks landed in February 2023 when NBC reduced curling coverage and ESPN refused to continue carrying Canada’s Scotties and Brier championships on ESPN3.
A release from Everest Funeral Concierge proved that curling can still draw great viewing numbers in the USA, as they announced their broadcasts of September’s club curling championship matches (and preceding highlight shows) reached 2.2 million Americans on the CBS Sports Network.
“As one of the fastest growing winter sports, it’s clear that there is an appetite for watching club-level curling on TV and we couldn’t be more excited to see that enthusiasm validated by the estimated U.S. viewer numbers,” said Mark Duffey, President and CEO of Everest.
“We look forward to building upon the success of the inaugural competition to fill the void in amateur curling and help grow the game.”
Music to my ears.
I had the opportunity to attend the women’s match in Lafayette, and I returned home the following day to watch the men’s match on TV. Both experiences were nothing short of fantastic.
In person, you had raucous spectators, music played between ends, and the opportunity to meet and greet familiar (and unfamiliar) faces at the after-party.
On the broadcast, you were treated to hearing Jennifer Jones, Matt Hamilton, and TSN’s Bryan Mudryk along with great camera angles and well-done graphics.
If you missed the live broadcast back in September or you wanted to rewatch it, Everest also announced the matches will be available on demand on the Everest Curling YouTube channel.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsLyEmNTzyw[/embed]
No matter how you watched, you got to enjoy the patriotic rock handles, see the new ice-side LED panels and, most importantly, watch some really enjoyable seven-end curling matches.
The success of the event seems to lend itself to the idea of the return of ENACCC in 2025.
TSN viewer figures for the Canadian broadcasts were unavailable at time of publication.
Matt Hamilton seems to want to return next year as well.
“The ENACCC was one of the most visually awesome curling setups I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot,” said the 2018 Olympic men’s team champion.
“It’s so cool to see how curling has grown and is continuing to evolve. It was amazing to be part of it. Now I’m tempted to play club nationals next year for a chance to play in this premier event!”
Sorry Matt, this one is for the club curlers. I’d prefer to see you back on the microphone (and in that blazer) again next year instead.