NBCSN scored big increases for Game 4 between the Blues and Stars. Also, NBC had a modest dip for its Stanley Cup action last weekend, and a PGA Tour washout was not much of a draw for CBS.
Big Gains For Blues/Stars on NBCSN
- Game 4 of the Blues/Stars Stanley Cup playoff series had a 0.7 final rating and 1.1 million viewers on NBCSN Thursday night, up 40% in ratings and 47% in viewership from Canadiens/Lightning last year (0.5, 751K) but down a tick and 27%, respectively, from Bruins/Canadiens in 2014 (0.8, 1.5M). Outside of the Penguins/Capitals series, the Stars’ series-tying win was the first second round game on cable to hit the million viewer mark. On CNBC, Game 4 of Sharks/Predators earned a 0.3 and 531,000; there was no comparable window last year. The game, won by Nashville in triple-overtime, ran past 2 AM ET.
Big Drop For NBC’s Islanders/Lightning Last Weekend
- Last Saturday’s Islanders/Lightning Game 2 scored a 0.8 final rating and 1.2 million viewers on the NBC broadcast network, down a tick in ratings and 8% in viewership from Capitals/Rangers last year (0.9, 1.3M) and down 27% and 35%, respectively, from Canadiens/Bruins in 2014 (1.1, 1.8M). Blues/Stars Game 2 had a 1.2 and 1.8 million the following day; there was no comparable window last year. The previously noted Penguins/Capitals Game 2 had a 1.4 and 2.5 million.
Rain Washes Away PGA Ratings
- Rainout coverage of the PGA Tour from New Orleans earned a 0.7 final rating and 1.0 million viewers last Sunday and a 0.7 and 970,000 last Saturday, not surprisingly the lowest rated and least-watched PGA telecasts of the season on broadcast TV. Last year’s final round had a 1.6 and 2.4 million, while the third round pulled a 0.9 and 1.3 million.
(Numbers via Programming Insider, Sports Business Daily)
