Entering the league’s All-Star Break, viewership for the 2011-12 NHL regular season has increased on NBC and NBC Sports Network.
So far this season, NHL games have averaged 1.36 million viewers on the NBC broadcast network, up 9% from last year.
The January 14 Blackhawks/Red Wings game — the network’s first non-holiday telecast of the season — earned a 0.9 final rating and 1.399 million viewers, up a tick in ratings and 16% in viewership from the network’s first non-holiday telecast last season (PHI/CHI: 0.8, 1.207M), and up 29% and 41%, respectively, from the first non-holiday telecast in 2010 (CHI/DET: 0.7, 996K).
Over on NBC Sports Network, which was Versus for the first three months of the season, games have averaged 330,000 viewers this season — up 13% from last year. The network’s exclusive Wednesday and Sunday night games have averaged 467,000 viewers, up 17% from exclusive games last year.
Ratings/Viewership For NHL on NBC
So far this season
| Date | Result | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., 11/25/11 | DET 3, BOS 2 | NBC |
0.9
|
1,333
|
| Sun., 1/1/12 | NYR 3, PHI 2 | NBC |
2.1
|
3,733
|
| Sat., 1/14/12 | CHI 2, DET 3 | NBC |
0.9
|
1,399
|
| Sun., 1/22/12 | WSH 3, PIT 4 | NBC |
1.1 overnight
|
|
(This year’s averages from NBC Sports Group press release via Fang’s Bites, with additional information from Media Life Magazine)
