The NHL Western Conference final delivered solid numbers on NBC and NBCSN over the holiday weekend.
Game 4 of the Ducks/Blackhawks NHL Western Conference final earned a 1.8 final rating and 2.8 million viewers on NBC Saturday night, up 29% in ratings and 15% in viewership from the network’s comparable Blackhawks/Kings Game 3 last year (1.4, 2.4M) but down 18% and 27%, respectively, from Kings/Blackhawks Game 5 in 2013 (2.2, 3.8M).
Compared to previous Game 4 telecasts, Saturday’s viewership increased 65% from Blackhawks/Kings last year (1.7M) and 38% from Blackhawks/Kings in 2013 (2.0M), both on NBCSN.
The Blackhawks’ double-overtime win ranks as the most-watched game of the playoffs on any network, topping the previous mark of 2.7 million for Capitals/Rangers Game 7 on NBCSN. It also ranks as the top primetime NHL telecast on NBC — excluding the Stanley Cup Final — since the previously mentioned Kings/Blackhawks Game 5 in 2013.
On Monday, Blackhawks/Ducks Game 5 earned 2.1 million on NBCSN — down 6% from Kings/Blackhawks last year (2.2M), but the most-watched game of the conference finals on cable.
(Wknd. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box, ShowBuzz Daily)
