Wednesday’s Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final was the third straight game of the series to suffer a decline in both ratings and viewership.
Game 4 between the Canucks and Bruins earned a 1.6 U.S. rating and 2.714 million viewers on Versus Wednesday night, down 6% in ratings and 13% in viewership from last year (CHI/PHI G4: 1.7, 3.126M), and down 11% and 21%, respectively, from 2009 (DET/PIT G4: 1.8, 3.448M).
The game ranks as the lowest rated Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final since at least 1998 (ratings prior to 1999 were not available). Keep in mind that Game 4 aired on broadcast each year from 2000 to 2008.
For some perspective, Game 4 of the 2007 Ducks/Senators Stanley Cup Final drew a 1.9 and 2.797 million viewers, albeit on broadcast network NBC.
Ratings and viewership have now declined for Games 2, 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, with Games 2 and 3 suffering double-digit declines.
Game 4 drew a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49, tied as the second-highest rated program of the night on cable in the demographic. Only the midseason finale of South Park on Comedy Central drew better numbers (1.3).
Local ratings for Game 4 were not immediately available.
(This year’s numbers from Son of the Bronx, TV By the Numbers)
