Regular season baseball again took precedence over the Stanley Cup Final in numerous markets Monday night, including Detroit and Pittsburgh.
Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final was outdrawn by a regular season baseball game in eighteen markets on Monday, including ten NHL markets. In Pittsburgh, where the Penguins routinely set ratings records, Monday’s Pirates/Reds game drew a 7.39 on Root Sports — topping Blackhawks/Bruins on NBC Sports Network (2.18) by 239%.
The results were even worse in “Hockeytown” — Detroit. Orioles/Tigers on Fox Sports Detroit outdrew Game 3 by 430% in the market (11.39 to 2.15), with the caveat that the NHL game was also available locally on the CBC.
The other NHL markets where baseball won Monday night were St. Louis (Cardinals 7.12, NHL 1.44), Dallas (Rangers 5.40, NHL 1.07), the Bay Area (Giants 5.19, A’s 1.74, NHL 1.21), Philadelphia (Phillies 4.54, NHL 2.07), Phoenix (D’Backs 3.29, NHL 2.15), Washington DC (Nationals 2.92, NHL 1.87), Denver (Rockies 2.75, NHL 1.79), and Los Angeles (Angels 1.38, NHL 1.22).
Of note, baseball had its smallest win over hockey in Los Angeles.
The biggest advantage baseball had over the NHL was in Cincinnati, where Pirates/Reds drew a 10.72 rating — topping Game 3 (0.45) by 2,282%.
By comparison, baseball games outdrew Game 5 of the NBA Finals in just three markets Sunday: Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh. The NBA game was on broadcast television, while Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final was on cable.
