An overtime finish between two big market teams gave NBC strong numbers on Saturday night.
Game 5 of the Kings/Blackhawks NHL Western Conference final drew a 2.9 overnight rating on NBC Saturday night, the largest overnight for an NHL playoff game outside of the Stanley Cup Final since 1996.
Including regular season games, the 2.9 is also tied as the highest non-final overnight for the NHL on NBC since the network acquired rights in the 2005-06 season. Only the 2009 Red Wings/Blackhawks Winter Classic drew an overnight as large.
Overall, Kings/Blackhawks tied the best non-final overnight for an NHL telecast since the 1998 NHL All-Star Game on FOX (3.1).
NBC’s experiment of putting early round Stanley Cup playoff games in primetime has paid off handsomely. Each game has drawn at least a 2.0 overnight rating, with the two conference final telecasts ranking among the highest rated games in the metered markets since the late 1990s.
Despite the strong numbers, Kings/Blackhawks trailed Major League Baseball on FOX (3.2) — the first time in three head-to-head meetings that baseball on FOX has topped hockey on NBC.
Highest Overnight Ratings For Stanley Cup Playoffs on NBC
Excluding Stanley Cup Final
* Red Wings/Blackhawks Game 5 in 2013, Blackhawks/Sharks Game 4 in 2010, and Blackhawks/Red Wings Game 1 in 2009 all tied at 2.0.
(Saturday’s numbers from NBC Sports, Sports Business Daily)
