Stanley Cup Finals television ratings

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The following is an overview of the television ratings for the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Finals in both the United States and Canada.

See also: List of Stanley Cup Final broadcasters

Contents

American television [edit]

Main article: Ratings for The NHL on NBC

NBC's coverage (2006-present) [edit]

2006 [edit]

For Game 3 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, NBC got a 1.7 overnight rating, with one point equaling 1% of the United States' 77 million overnight TV households. That was down from a 2.0 for Game 3 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals. Out of four television networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX) broadcasting programming on Saturday, June 10, NBC came in dead last.

Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals earned a mere 2.88 million viewers, and a 1.1/ 4 among adults 18–49 from 8–11 p.m. Game 4 (June 12) earned NBC another fourth place (technically, fifth place if you count TNT the season premiere of The Closer) finish. Game 4 got a 2.6 rating (with a 1.5 in the 18–49 demo) with only 3.85 million viewers.

Game 7 earned NBC a 3.3 rating and 6 share. That was down by 21percent from Game 7 in 2004 -- the last season before the lockout. In 2004, the Tampa Bay Lightning's Game 7 victory over the Calgary Flames had a 4.2 rating and a 7 share on ABC. It was at or near the top in all coveted TV viewer demographics.

In all, the five Stanley Cup Finals games that NBC aired averaged a 2.3 rating and 4 share. That's down by 12% from a 2.6/5 on ABC in 2004. In addition, NBC averaged 3.6 million viewers, which was down by 8% from ABC's 3.9 million in 2004.

2007 [edit]

  • According to Mediaweek, Game 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on NBC (Games 1 and 2 were on Versus) received just 1.73 million viewers and a 0.5/ 2 among adults 18–49 in prime time.
  • According to Mediaweek, Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals on NBC received 3.02 million viewers and a 1.2/ 3 among adults 18–49 in prime time. The year-ago Stanley Cup match-up scored 3.13 million viewers and a 1.3/ 4 in the demo, based on the final nationals on June 12, 2006.
  • According to Mediaweek, Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals (Ottawa vs. Anaheim) earned a 2.1/ 3 in prime time. Comparably, that was 25 percent below the year-ago overnight series average for the Stanley Cup Finals (2.8/ 4 in 2006).

2008 [edit]

According to http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2012/06/stanley-cup-final-games-5-and-6-of-kingsdevils-down-from-last-year/

Game 1(on Versus) had 2.352 Million Viewers

Game 2(on Versus) had 2.608 Million

Game 3 had 4.041 Million

Game 4 had 4.044 Million

Game 5 had 6.247 Million

Game 6 had 6.779 Million

Overall the series averaged 4.345 Million Viewers, 5.278 on NBC

2009 [edit]

According to http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2012/06/stanley-cup-final-games-5-and-6-of-kingsdevils-down-from-last-year/

Game 1 had 4.300 Million Viewers

Game 2 had 5.386 Million

Game 3(on Versus) had 2.955 Million

Game 4(on Versus) had 3.448 Million

Game 5 had 4.446 Million

Game 6 had 5.814 Million

Game 7 had 7.992 Million

Overall the series averaged 4.91 Million Viewers, 5.588 on NBC

2010 [edit]

Game 1 produced the best overnight rating in the United States for a Game 1 since 1999. The 2.8 overnight rating and 6 share was a 12-percent increase from the first game of the 2009 Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings.[1]

Game 2 of the series, on Memorial Day, earned a 4.1 rating.[2] The number of viewers increased as the game averaged approximately 6 million viewers with a peak of 6.940 million at 10:30 pm ET.[3] According to NBC, this is the highest Game 2 since at least 1975 because data prior to then is unavailable. Game 2 also saw a 21-percent increase over 2009's second game.[4] In local markets game two drew a 25.1 rating and 39 share in Chicago along with a 18.5 rating and 28 share in Philadelphia.[5]

Game 3 returned to cable on Versus where it received a 2.0 rating and 3.6 million viewers.[2] The broadcast peaked at 5.1 million viewers at 10:30 pm ET. It ranked as the highest rated and most viewed program in the history of Versus, which is now NBC Sports Network.[2] It also ranked as the highest rated and most viewed Stanley Cup Final game on cable television since 2002.[2]

Game 4 saw a decline of 9% from the 2009 Final between the Penguins and the Red Wings as just 3.1 million viewers tuned in to the game.[6]

With the series returning to broadcast television on NBC, the ratings trend rebounded and improved over the 2009 Final ratings trend. Game 5's prime time portion of the broadcast received a 3.3 final rating and averaged 5.848 million viewers, an increase of 38% in the ratings and 32% in viewers over the 2009 Final.[7] Locally, the Chicago market received a 26.0 rating while Philadelphia had a 19.7 rating. The three game average for NBC broadcasts rose to 5.4 million viewers, an increase of 800,000 compared to 2009.[8] This increase came despite going head to head with the 2010 NBA Finals.

Game 6 was the most-watched NHL game since Game 6 in 1974,[2] when Gene Hart made his famous announcement of the Flyers winning that game,[2] drawing a 4.7 rating and 8 share, up 38 percent vs. 3.4/6 for Game 6 in 2009.[2][9] The top two markets were Chicago, with a 32.8/50 and Philadelphia, 26.8/38.[2][10]

2011 [edit]

NBC's broadcast of Game 7 drew a 5.7 national overnight rating and a 10 share (numbers that equaled Game 7 of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals),[11] a number later updated to 8.54 million viewers, making the game the most-watched NHL broadcast in the US since 1973;[11] in the Boston market alone, the broadcast pulled in a 43.4 rating and a 64 share.[11]

2012 [edit]

Through 6 games, NBC's broadcast averaged approximately 2.98 million viewers per game, the lowest amount of viewers for a nationally-televised Stanley Cup Final series since 2007. Game 6 drew a 4.0/7 overnight rating, up 3 percent from Game 6 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. It was the first game of the series to see bigger numbers than last year's. It was a growth of 35 percent from Game 5's overnight, which was previously the highest of the series. The Kings' Stanley Cup clinching drew a 13.6/25 in Los Angeles, meaning one in every four people with a television on in the market was watching the Kings emerge victorious. It was the highest-rated hockey game on record in Los Angeles, surpassing Game 7 of Devils vs. Ducks in 2003 (10.0/18).

ABC's coverage (2000-2004) [edit]

Main article: Ratings for The NHL on ABC
Year Teams Games Carried Rating
2000 New Jersey-Dallas 3, 4, 5,[12] 6 3.7
2001 Colorado-New Jersey 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 3.3
2002 Detroit-Carolina 3, 4, 5 3.6
2003 New Jersey-Anaheim 3,[13] 4, 5, 6, 7 2.9
2004 Tampa Bay-Calgary 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 2.6

Fox's coverage (1995-1999) [edit]

Main article: NHL on Fox
Year Teams Games Carried Rating
1995 New Jersey-Detroit 1, 4 3.4
1996 Colorado-Florida 1, 3 3.6
1997 Detroit-Philadelphia 1 4.0
1998 Detroit-Washington 1 3.3
1999 Dallas-Buffalo 1, 2, 5 3.4

Canadian television [edit]

  • 2010 - Game 1 was viewed by 3.164 million people on CBC.[14] Game 6 was the most-watched All-American Stanley Cup Final game, with 4.077 million viewers.[9] The Final averaged 3.107 million viewers, up 44 percent from 2009.[9]
  • 2009 - Game 7 drew an average of 3.529 million viewers to the CBC. However, it averaged 2.154 million viewers for the seven-game rematch, down 7% from the 2008 final.[15]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Lepore, Steve (30 May 2010). "NBC Scores Best Game 1 Rating in 11 Years". Puck The Media. Retrieved 30 May 2010. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Stanley Cup Playoffs attract largest audience ever". NHL.com. June 14, 2010. 
  3. ^ Gorman, Bill (1 June 2010). "TV Ratings Monday: NHL Stanley Cup Finals Edges Bachelorette & True Beauty". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 1 June 2010. 
  4. ^ Lepore, Steve (1 June 2010). "NBC Sports: Game 2 Ratings Best Since At Least 1975". Puck The Media. Retrieved 1 June 2010. 
  5. ^ Rosenthal, Phil (1 June 2010). "Blackhawks TV: Chicago ratings surge with Stanley Cup finals Game 2 victory". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 1 June 2010. 
  6. ^ Lepore, Steve (2010-06-08). "VERSUS Slumps to 3.1 Million For Game 4". Puck The Media. 
  7. ^ Lepore, Steve (2010-06-08). "Final Numbers For Game 5". Puck The Media. 
  8. ^ Lepore, Steve (7 June 2010). "Game 5 Nears 6 Million Viewers, Up Big From 2009". Puck The Media. Retrieved 7 June 2010. 
  9. ^ a b c Canadian Press (June 10, 2010). "NHL draws highest TV ratings in 36 years". CBC Sports. Retrieved 2010-06-10. 
  10. ^ Worley, Brandon (June 10, 2010). "2010 Stanley Cup Finals Game 6 highest rated NHL game since 1974". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2010-06-10. 
  11. ^ a b c d "Game 7 smashes Hockey Night in Canada record". CBC Sports (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). June 16, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011. 
  12. ^ Walters, John (June 19, 2000). "A Small Victory". Sports Illustrated. "On June 7, NBC televised Game 1 of the NBA Finals and earned a 10.5 rating in the Nielsens. One night later ABC aired Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals, a triple-overtime duel for the ages in which the Stars defeated the Devils 1-0. That match earned a 4.2. That was the highest national rating a hockey game had received since 1980, when the Cup-deciding Flyers-Islanders Game 6 pulled a 4.4 on CBS." 
  13. ^ Farber, Michael (June 14, 2004). "Dark Days Ahead". Sports Illustrated. "If recent NHL news has been grim—the rating for Game 3 of the final on ABC was 1.4, the second lowest for any prime-time show in the history of the major networks—the league's short-term prospects are even bleaker." 
  14. ^ Lepore, Steve (1 June 2010). "Game 1 Draws 3 Million to CBC". Puck The Media. Retrieved 1 June 2010. 
  15. ^ Canadian Press (2009-06-15). "Deciding Game of Stanley Cup Draws More than 3.5 Million Viewers to CBC". NHL.com. Retrieved 2009-06-16. 
  16. ^ Canadian Press (June 15, 2011). "Babych haunted by Canucks' Game 7 loss in 1994". CBC Sports. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved June 15, 2011. 
  17. ^ Mckay, John (February 26, 2002). "Record number of viewers tune in hockey game". Canadian Press. "A record-busting 8.7 million Canadians were...watching the Canadian men's hockey team snatch gold from the United States in Salt Lake City. The television audience actually peaked at 10.6 million, the CBC said Monday...CBC says that prior to Sunday, its highest-rated sports show was Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks, which attracted an average of 4.97 million viewers" 
  18. ^ Houston, William (November 6, 1997). "Cole's Close Call". The Globe and Mail. p. S4. "Cole's three most memorable TV games: 1. Game 7 of the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals (Edmonton 3, Philadelphia 1). The Oilers at their peak. 2. Game 3 of 1996 World Cup of Hockey Final (United States 5, Canada 2). 'I was devastated.' 3. Game 7, 1994 Stanley Cup Finals (New York Rangers 3, Vancouver 2). 'A great series.'" 

External links [edit]

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