NHL wins demo, but MMA wins ratings battle.

Posted by | 06/03/2008 at 6:46 pm

The final results from Saturday night are in, and both the NHL and MMA have something to brag about.

Elite XC Saturday Night Fights drew a 3.0/6 final rating with 4.9 million viewers on CBS from 9:00-11:51 PM Saturday night. From 11:30 to 11:51 PM, during the Kimbo Slice/James Patterson bout, CBS averaged 6.5 million viewers.

The 3.0 for Saturday Night Fights was a solid 30% higher than the 2.3 rating for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals on NBC.

The good news for the NHL is that Game 4 helped NBC win the night among adults 18-49 and 18-34 in prime time. This marks the first time in seven years that the Stanley Cup Finals has won the night in the demo. Keep in mind that the Kimbo Slice fight did not air until after prime time.

The 2.3 for Red Wings/Penguins Game 4 was up 21% from the Ducks/Senators Game 4 last year.

  • Sean O

    Why did ESPN keep saying that CBS won the 18-34 demo all day Monday?? I know on PTI, they kept going off about how CBS crushed hockey and everything else in that demographic.

  • Anonymous

    Those idiots on PTI never let the facts stand in their way. They will talk hockey only to bash it. Fact is MMA picked up alot of hockey fans who wouldn’t have been watching TV Saturday nite if there wasn’t a hockey game on. Hockey boosted MMA’s numbers. The opposite could not be said. Hockey still won the demo….