The NHL on NBC earned its smallest audience of the season opposite the NCAA Tournament.
The March 22 Blues/Red Wings NHL regular season game earned a 0.6 final rating and 878,000 viewers on NBC, the network’s lowest rated and least-watched NHL telecast of the season. The previous lows were a 0.7 and 1.0 million for Capitals/Flyers on Hockey Day in America.
The Red Wings’ win aired opposite opening weekend coverage of the NCAA Tournament. NBC did not air a game on the comparable weekend last year, but drew a 0.8 and 1.3 million for Bruins/Flyers on Elite Eight Sunday.
Only one last season did NBC earn a lower rating and viewership for NHL coverage — drawing a 0.5 and 700,000 for Flyers/Penguins on the final Saturday of the season.
(Final numbers from NBC Sports)
