In the midst of its greatest postseason in recent memory, the NHL finds itself as a huge draw in several big markets, but remains an afterthought nationally.
Through two rounds, the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs have been the most stirring in recent memory, featuring big markets, big stars and exciting series — and the ratings in many markets have reflected a renewed interest in the league.
In Boston, NESN aired 5 of its 7 highest rated Bruins telecasts ever, including a record 14.2 for Hurricanes/Bruins Game 7. Comcast SportsNet Chicago drew a record 7.8 rating for Canucks/Blackhawks Game 6, surpassing previous records set earlier in the ’09 postseason. FS Detroit set an all-time ratings record for Game 5 of Red Wings/Ducks (17.1) — and then broke that record days later for Game 7 (17.5).
None of that compares to the success in Pittsburgh, where Games 5, 6 and 7 of Penguins/Capitals drew the three highest ratings ever for an NHL game on a FOX Sports RSN — topped by a whopping 25.0 rating for Game 7.
Despite stellar ratings success in some of the top markets in the country, the NHL remains a national TV dud. Certainly, ratings and viewership are up on NBC and Versus. Through six games, NBC is averaging 1.6 million viewers for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, up 15% from last year. Versus says it had the highest rated second round of the playoffs on cable since 1997. But while higher numbers are always a good thing, it does not say much when the Stanley Cup Playoffs can only muster 1.6 million viewers on broadcast and fewer than 1 million on cable.
One positive for the NHL is that the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals are exclusive to national television, meaning those massive local audiences will translate into bigger numbers for Versus and NBC. And a Penguins/Red Wings rematch — or a Penguins/Blackhawks tilt — should draw higher numbers than last year’s Finals, which were the highest rated since ’02.
Overall, the NHL remains a split television draw. Locally, the league has been a major player in several major markets — and in places like Pittsburgh, Detroit and Boston, on par with or better than the local NBA and MLB competition. Nationally, few sporting events draw smaller audiences than the NHL, and the league is not close to being even slightly competitive with the NBA and MLB.
Perhaps the best way for the NHL to improve its national ratings footprint is not necessarily to cater to the casual fan, but to the rabid fans who tune in in large numbers to watch their local team, and then seemingly tune out once their team is eliminated.
