NBCSN earned one of its largest NHL audiences for Game 3 between the Lightning and Blackhawks.
Game 3 of the Lightning/Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final earned a 2.2 final rating and 3.9 million viewers on NBCSN Monday night, up 29% in ratings and 35% in viewership from Kings/Rangers last year (1.7, 2.9M) but down a tick and 4%, respectively, from Blackhawks/Bruins in 2013 (2.3, 4.0M).
The Lightning’s win earned the fourth-largest audience for an NHL game on NBCSN (previously VERSUS and OLN), trailing only Game 7 of last year’s Kings/Blackhawks West final (4.1M) and Games 2 and 3 of the previously mentioned Blackhawks/Bruins series in 2013 (4.0M for each game).
Going back further, it had the third-largest audience for any Stanley Cup Final game since Hurricanes/Red Wings Game 1 on ESPN in 2002 (4.0M).
Head-to-head, Lightning/Blackhawks topped competing coverage of the United States/Australia FIFA Women’s World Cup match on Fox Sports 1 (3.3M). It was not the most-watched show of the night on cable, however, trailing TNT’s Major Crimes in viewership (4.0M).
Among adults 18-49, Game 3 had a 1.4 rating — up 17% from last year (1.2) but down 13% from 2013 (1.6). It tied VHI’s Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta 4 as cable’s top program in the demo, and ranked third on all of television behind NBC’s American Ninja Warrior (2.1) and ABC’s The Bachelorette (1.8).
(Mon. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box, TV Media Insights)
