The least interesting game of the Stanley Cup Final delivered subpar results.
Thursday’s Predators-Penguins Stanley Cup Final Game 5 earned a 2.6 final rating and 4.4 million viewers on NBC, down 13% in ratings and viewership from Sharks-Penguins last year (3.0, 5.0M) and down 13% and 17% respectively from Blackhawks-Lightning on a Saturday night in 2015 (3.0, 5.3M).
The Penguins’ blowout win, which peaked with 5.2 million viewers less than an hour into the game (8:45-9 PM ET), was the lowest rated and least-watched SCF Game 5 since Kings-Devils in 2012 (2.0, 3.3M).
Going back further, it tied the third-lowest Game 5 rating in the past decade, matching Bruins-Canucks in 2011 and ahead of only Kings-Devils in ’12 and Penguins-Red Wings in 2009 (2.4).
Figures do not include the 62,000 who streamed coverage on NBC Sports’ digital platforms, bringing the total audience up from 4.38 million to 4.44 million. With or without streaming included, it was the third-least watched Game 5 since ’07, ahead of only Bruins-Canucks in ’11 (4.3M) and Kings-Devils in ’12.
Game 5 pulled a 1.5 rating in adults 18-49, down 12% from last year and 2015 (1.7 each). It tied the night’s highest rating in the demo, matching a rerun of ABC’s Celebrity Family Feud. In adults 18-34, the game’s 1.2 rating marked a 20% decline from last year (1.5) but stood alone in first place.
[Thu. numbers from NBC Sports PR 6.9]
