Facing tough competition from the NBA, overnights dropped for Game 7 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference final.
Game 7 of the Lightning/Penguins NHL Eastern Conference final had a 2.0 overnight rating on NBCSN Thursday, down 26% from Lightning/Rangers last year (2.65 to 1.96). Last year’s game aired on a Sunday night absent any notable competition, while this year’s game faced Game 5 of the NBA’s Thunder/Warriors Western Conference Finals on TNT (7.6).
The Penguins’ win earned the smallest overnight for a Game 7 in the conference finals since Bruins/Lightning in 2011 (1.7).
Game 7 earned a 27.2 rating in Pittsburgh, the market’s second-highest ever for Penguins game on NBCSN (previously VERSUS and OLN). Game 4 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final had a 27.5 in the market. In Tampa-St. Petersburg, the game had a 10.8 rating — behind last year’s Game 7 against the Rangers (11.9) but ahead of the 2011 Game 7 against the Bruins (7.8).
In other action, Game 6 of the series had 1.8 million viewers Tuesday night — down 12% from Rangers/Lightning last year (2.0M) and down 17% from Canadiens/Rangers in 2014 (2.1M). Blues/Sharks Game 6 had 1.4 million the following night, down 40% from Ducks/Blackhawks last year (2.4M) and down 37% from Blackhawks/Kings in 2014 (2.3M).
(Thu. numbers from NBC Sports; Tue./Wed. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily [1], [2])
