The NHL season got off to a strong start in several local markets Thursday. In other news, NBCSN earned one of the largest EPL audiences ever on cable and Formula 1 racing had another substantial increase in viewership.
Blues, Red Wings, Start Season Strong
- Thursday’s Rangers/Blues NHL regular season game drew a 6.4 rating on Fox Sports Midwest, up 32% from last year (4.9) and the network’s highest rating ever for a Blues season opener. Elsewhere, Fox Sports Detroit drew a 5.6 rating for the Red Wings’ opener against the Bruins — up 32% from last year (4.2) and its best opener since 2005 (excludes the 2013 lockout season). The Predators (1.2, +300%), Stars (1.5, +149%) and Blue Jackets (1.4, +25%) also had big gains Thursday night.
NBCSN Earns Big Numbers For Arsenal/Chelsea
- Last Sunday’s Arsenal/Chelsea English Premier League match drew a 0.4 final rating and 874,000 viewers on NBCSN, up 200% in ratings and 213% in viewership from Chelsea/Norwich last year (0.2, 279K) and the fourth-largest EPL audience ever on U.S. cable television. Over on NBC, Aston Villa/Manchester City drew a 0.4 rating and 614,000 Saturday afternoon, the network’s lowest rated and least-viewed match of the season.
Another Big Increase For F1 on NBCSN
- NBCSN earned a 0.2 final rating and 242,000 viewers for last week’s Formula 1 Japan Grand Prix, up a tick in ratings and 49% in viewership from last year (0.1, 162K). The race had the earliest start for F1 — 1:30 AM ET — since the Chinese Grand Prix in April. A Sunday afternoon re-air drew a 0.1 and 80,000 viewers, flat in ratings but down 46% in viewership from last year (0.1, 149K).
(Last weekend’s numbers from Nielsen, Awful Announcing)
