Opposite the NBA Playoffs and ‘Baseball Night in America’ on FOX, Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final was down once again from last year.
Game 5 of the Kings/Devils Stanley Cup Final drew a 2.6 overnight rating on NBC Saturday night, according to Puck the Media, down 19% from Bruins/Canucks Game 5 on a Friday night last year (3.2), and down 35% from Flyers/Blackhawks Game 5 on a Sunday night in 2010 (4.0).
The 2.6 overnight is the lowest for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final since Penguins/Red Wings Game 5 in 2009 (2.5), which also aired on a Saturday night.
Despite the lower numbers, Game 5 ranks as the highest rated of the series in the metered markets. The previous two games on NBC drew overnights of 2.4 (Game 1) and 2.2 (Game 2).
Locally, Game 5 drew an impressive 8.8 rating in the Los Angeles market — up 33% from Game 4 on NBC Sports Network (6.6), and a series-high. By comparison, the last time the Lakers were in the NBA Finals, the lowest rated game earned a 25.1.
Game 5 also drew a 4.8 rating in New York, up 203% from a mere 2.9 for Game 4 on NBCSN.
(Saturday’s numbers from Puck the Media)
