With all of the talk of high ratings for the NBA Playoffs, the NHL is drawing eye-catching numbers on Versus.
Game 4 of the Rangers/Penguins series — featuring the #1 market in the country and league superstar Sidney Crosby — drew a 1.0 rating on Versus, the highest ever for an NHL game on the network. The game drew 1.2 million viewers, also setting a network record.
The Rangers’ victory finished as the highest rated program on cable among Men 18-34 and 18-49 Thursday night, beating TNT’s competing Pistons/76ers game in both demographics.
The game, which was exclusive to Versus, drew a 2.1 in New York and a 15.3 in Pittsburgh, the highest rating ever for an NHL game on Versus in both markets. Additionally, the game was the highest rated program on cable in both markets, and the highest rated program on all of television in Pittsburgh.
The ratings for this game should be enough to make the NHL’s doubters stand up and take notice. With the right match-ups, the NHL can be a solid draw. While Versus is still averaging a relatively paltry 0.6 rating for second round playoff games this year, that number is up 50% from ’07.
The NHL may still a very distant fourth to the NBA, MLB and NFL, but the league is growing closer to those sports and further away from the AFL, MLS and WNBA.
