Poll: Super Bowl interest in Canada down from 2012, similar to recent years

TORONTO - The battle of the Harbaugh brothers and Ray Lewis's swan song hasn't generated any extra interest in this year's Super Bowl in Canada, according to a Canadian Press-Harris/Decima survey.

The survey found that 34 per cent of Canadians polled say they will watch the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers battle for the NFL championship this Sunday, while 62 per cent say they will not.

Those numbers are down from last year's big game, but in line with previous Super Bowls. Last season, 38 per cent of Canadians polled said they would watch the Super Bowl, where the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots for the second time in five years.

In 2009 and 2010, 34 per cent said they would tune in, while 64 per cent said they would be giving the game a miss.

While the latest Super Bowl won't break any records north of the border, it will still get a sizable chunk of Sunday's television audience.

This year's game has some interesting subplots, including the coaching duel between San Francisco's Jim Harbaugh and his brother John, who will be on the sidelines for Baltimore. It's also the final game for Lewis, the controversial Ravens linebacker, and features a halftime show by pop superstar Beyonce.

There seems to be a clear favourite among Canadians to hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy. Forty-one per cent or respondents think San Francisco will be crowned Super Bowl champions for a record sixth time, compared to 21 per cent who think Baltimore is due to win its second title.

The data was gathered from a sample size of 1,006 Canadians and has a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.