Nearly a million TVs tuned in to watch Joni Mitchell accept lifetime achievement award at Junos: CBC

TORONTO — Nearly a million Canadians watched on TV as Joni Mitchell accepted a lifetime achievement award at the Juno Awards on Sunday night.

CBC says 928,000 TVs were tuned to Mitchell’s speech just before 10 p.m. eastern, the most-viewed moment of the broadcast.

It says 2.6 million viewers tuned in for some portion of the ceremony, with an average overnight audience of 765,000.

The public broadcaster says that’s 11 per cent higher than last year’s ceremony.

Meanwhile, CBC says the award show at Hamilton’s TD Coliseum was streamed more than 1.8 million times on digital platforms, representing the number of times people hit “play” on the broadcast.

That’s an increase of 150 per cent over 2025, according to the broadcaster.

Prime Minister Mark Carney presented Mitchell with the award before she joined in on a tribute performance by Sarah McLachlan and Allison Russell.

The night also featured a tribute to Nelly Furtado, who was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

The moment saw Drake make a rare Junos appearance, albeit remotely. He sent in a pre-recorded speech honouring Furtado.

Rush rockers Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson opened the ceremony with their first-ever Junos performance — and the unofficial first stop on their reunion tour. The dates this summer will mark their first tour since the death of their drummer Neil Peart.

Next year’s Juno Awards will be held in Winnipeg.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2026.