People drink tea and eat pastries during an early-morning viewing party of the coronation of King Charles III at Government House in Halifax on Saturday, May 6, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese
Millions of Canadians tuned in to the coronation of King Charles III, with the majority watching parts of the ceremony in real time, according to Numeris data.
Numeris reported that 7.6 million viewers tuned into at least one minute of the coronation broadcast, with 71 per cent having viewed a portion of it live Saturday morning.
The figures include anyone who watched the event on any of the Canadian stations and networks.
By comparison, 12 million Canadians tuned into the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in May 2018, according to numbers from Numeris.
A survey of more than 2,000 Canadians conducted by the Angus Reid Institutein April found that 41 per cent did not care about the coronation. Meanwhile, 29 per cent said they would probably read about the event after the fact, with 20 per cent saying they were likely to tune in. Only nine per cent expressed high anticipation for the event.
In the U.K., the coronation was watched by a peak TV audience of 20 million, according to the U.K. Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board.
The King was crowned in a ceremony attended by world leaders in the historic Westminster Abbey. His wife was crowned as Queen Camilla.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and astronaut Jeremy Hansen were among the Canadian dignitaries to witness the occasion.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.
