Though not much higher than Boston/Vancouver three years ago, Game 1 of the ballyhooed New York/Los Angeles Stanley Cup Final got off to a good start on NBC.
Game 1 of the Rangers/Kings NHL Stanley Cup Final drew a 3.0 final rating and 4.8 million viewers on NBC Wednesday night, down 23% in ratings and 25% in viewership from Bruins/Blackhawks last year (3.9, 6.4M), but up 67% and 65%, respectively, from Kings/Devils in 2012 (1.8, 2.9M). Rangers/Kings earned the second-largest audience for a Stanley Cup Final opener since Sabres/Stars Game 1 in 1999 (3.4, 5.1M), trailing only last year.
Viewership peaked at 5.7M from 10:45-11:00 PM ET, compared to last year’s peak of 7.4M from 11:15-11:30 PM. Last year’s game went three overtimes, compared to one this year.
Though viewership was the second-highest for an opener in fifteen years, it should be pointed out that Rangers/Kings did not do much better than other recent series. Game 1 only barely edged the 2011 opener between the Bruins and Canucks (4.6M), a battle between the nation’s #7 market and a Canadian team. Game 1 of Flyers/Blackhawks in 2010 drew 4.4 million on the Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend, one of the least-viewed nights of television in a given year.
In other words, the New York/Los Angeles match-up has given the NHL a boost, but not a dramatic one.
Wednesday’s game earned a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49, down 24% from last year (2.5) but up 73% from 2012 (1.1). The game was the top program on all of television in the demo.
(Wed. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
