Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals may have been “barely on the map“, compared to other prime time programming, but the rating was way up from last year.
NBC averaged a 2.8/5 overnight for coverage of the Penguins win over the Red Wings, up 87% from a 1.5 overnight for Ducks/Senators Game 3 last year. Keep in mind last year’s Game 3 aired on a Saturday night, traditionally the lowest rated night of the week. Originally, this site reported the rating was a 2.9.
The game averaged 4.5 million viewers in prime time, according to preliminary numbers, up 158% from 1.8 million viewers for Game 3 last year. The game also finished with a 1.9/5 among adults 18-49. None of the three Stanley Cup Final games NBC broadcast last year approached these numbers.
The 2.8 overnight is the highest for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals since 2002, when Game 3 between the Red Wings and Hurricanes drew 3.8 on ABC. Additionally, the 2.8 is the third-highest overnight rating ever for an NHL telecast on NBC.
In Detroit, the Red Wings game outdrew the competing Pistons game on ESPN, 18.2 to 15.9. Like Saturday night, when the Pistons on ABC beat the Red Wings on Versus, the disparity can be blamed on hockey airing on broadcast and the NBA airing on cable.
NBC finished fourth for the night on broadcast, well behind FOX, CBS and ABC. Game 3 had the second-lowest overnight of any program on the big five broadcast networks, ahead of only Farmer Wants a Wife on The CW. Compared to the comparable night last year, when NBC aired two hours of Most Outrageous Moments and a repeat of Medium, NBC’s ratings were down a whopping 34%.
Still, considering that last year’s Game 3 was the lowest rated prime time program in the history of NBC, this would have to be considered a major improvement.
