Of the NHL’s made-for-TV spectacles, the “Stadium Series” was a much bigger deal than “Hockey Day” last weekend.
Last Saturday’s Penguins/Blackhawks NHL outdoor game, part of the NHL “Stadium Series,” earned a 1.6 final rating and 2.8 million viewers on NBC (SBD, 3/7). Excluding Winter Classics and regional telecasts, the game ranks as the highest rated and most-viewed regular season NHL telecast ever on NBC (dates back to 2006).
Including outdoor and regional telecasts, Penguins/Blackhawks ranks as the eighth-most viewed regular season telecast on NBC.
NBC’s two “Stadium Series” games — Penguins/Blackhawks and the January 26 Rangers/Devils game — rank among the net’s ten most-viewed regular season telecasts.
Sunday’s NHL action was not nearly as solid a draw. The Flyers/Capitals game on NBC earned a 0.7 rating and 1.0 million, down 46% in ratings and viewership from Blackhawks/Red Wings last year (1.3, 1.9M), and down 13% and 14%, respectively, from Bruins/Rangers in 2012 (0.8, 1.1M).
Over on NBCSN, the Senators/Canucks “Heritage Classic” had a 0.2 U.S. rating and 234,000 viewers, by a wide margin the smallest audience ever for an NHL outdoor game in the United States. Later in the night, and opposite the Oscars, Bruins/Rangers had 513,000 viewers.
Most-Viewed NHL Regular Season Games on NBC
Since the network resumed airing games in the 2005-06 season
(Weekend numbers from Sports Business Daily, NBC Sports, Son of the Bronx)
