Stanley Cup Final: Games 5 and 6 of Kings/Devils Down From Last Year

The 2012 Stanley Cup Final concluded the way it began — with declines in ratings and viewership compared to last year.

Game 6 of the Devils/Kings Stanley Cup Final drew a 3.1 rating and 4.93 million viewers on NBC Monday night, down a tick in ratings and 10% in viewership from Bruins/Canucks Game 6 last year (3.2, 5.484M), and down 34% and 41%, respectively, from Blackhawks/Flyers Game 6 on a Wednesday night in 2010 (4.7, 8.279M).

Monday’s clincher ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final since Hurricanes/Oilers in 2006 (1.9, 2.921M), and the lowest rated and least-viewed Stanley Cup clincher since Ducks/Senators Game 5 in 2007 (1.8, 2.902M).

On Saturday, Game 5 of the series drew a 2.0 final rating and 3.331 million viewers — down 23% in ratings and viewership from Canucks/Bruins Game 5 on a Friday night last year (2.6, 4.319M), and down 39% and 43%, respectively, from Flyers/Blackhawks Game 5 on a Sunday in 2010 (3.3, 5.848M).

Saturday’s game was the lowest rated and least-viewed Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final since the previously mentioned Ducks/Senators Game 5 in 2007.

Keep in mind Game 5 aired opposite ‘Baseball Night in America’ on FOX and Game 7 of the Celtics/Heat NBA Eastern Conference Finals on ESPN. The latter drew over thirteen million viewers.

Games 5 and 6 earned mixed results among adults 18-49. Game 6 scored a solid 2.0 rating in the demo, even with last year (2.0), but down 38% from 2009 (3.2). Especially for a last place network like NBC, a 2.0 rating in the demo is not bad at all.

Saturday’s Game 5, however, drew a miserable 1.1 rating in the demo — down 31% from last year (1.6), and down 50% from 2009 (2.2).

Game-By-Game Viewership For the Stanley Cup Final
Past five seasons

(Saturday’s numbers from Son of the Bronx; Monday’s numbers from Sports Business Daily, TV By the Numbers)