NBC scored a double-digit bump in overnights for its final NHL telecast before the Stanley Cup Final.
Game 4 of the Ducks/Blackhawks NHL Western Conference final drew a 2.2 overnight rating on NBC Saturday night, up 16% from Blackhawks/Kings Game 3 last year (1.9) but down 24% from Kings/Blackhawks Game 5 in 2013 (2.9). The 2.2 is the second-highest overnight of the playoffs on any network, trailing only Rangers/Capitals Game 7 on NBCSN (2.3).
Excluding the Stanley Cup Final, the 2.2 overnight is the highest for a primetime NHL telecast on NBC in nearly two years — since the aforementioned Kings/Blackhawks Game 5 in 2013. Overall, it ranks fourth out of the ten primetime non-final games on NBC.
Head-to-head, the Blackhawks’ overtime win was more-than-doubled by Game 3 of the Warriors/Rockets NBA Western Conference Finals on ESPN (4.5). Overnights for MLB on FOX, which also aired in primetime Saturday, were not immediately available.
In other action over the weekend, Game 5 of the Lightning/Rangers Eastern Conference Final drew a 1.3 overnight on NBCSN Sunday — up a tick from Canadiens/Rangers Game 4 on the comparable night last year (1.2).
