Entering the conference finals, the Stanley Cup Playoffs has been on a near-record pace.
The NBC family of networks averaged 1.0 million viewers for the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, up 20% from last year (852K) and down 3% from 2012 (1.1M). The 2012 postseason was the most-viewed through two rounds on record (dates back to 1994).
In particular, the second round of the playoffs averaged 1.5 million viewers — up 2% from last year (1.4M), up 11% from 2012 (1.3M), and the most-viewed second round on record. This year included eight of the twelve most-viewed second round games ever on NBCSN and the three most-viewed playoff games of any kind on CNBC.
Second round coverage finished on a low note Friday night, as Game 7 between the Kings and Ducks drew just 903,000 viewers. Six of the seven Kings/Ducks games finished below the million viewer mark.
(Averages from NBC Sports Group Press Box; Fri. numbers from The Futon Critic)
