From the beginning to the end, the Stanley Cup Playoffs was less of a draw than in previous years.
The six-game Penguins/Sharks Stanley Cup Final averaged a 2.3 rating and 3.9 million viewers on NBC, per Nielsen fast-nationals — down 28% in ratings and 29% in viewership from last year’s six-game Blackhawks/Lightning series (3.2, 5.6M) and down 23% and 21%, respectively, from the five-game Kings/Rangers series in 2014 (3.0, 5.0M).
The series ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched Stanley Cup Final since Kings/Devils in 2012 (1.8, 3.0M), and the second-worst in both measures since Ducks/Senators in 2007 (1.2, 1.8M). It was just the second final since 2007 to average fewer than four million viewers, joining Kings/Devils.
Penguins/Sharks ended a three year run in which the Stanley Cup Final topped a 3.0 rating and 5.0 million viewers each year.
Though low overall, the series was the most-watched Stanley Cup Final that did not involve an Original Six team since Avalanche/Devils in 2001 (4.3M) — surpassing five series over that span.
Pittsburgh led all markets for the series with a 31.7 average rating, up 10% from the first six games of Penguins/Red Wings in 2009 (28.7). Game 7 of that series had a 42.2. The Bay Area ranked second with a 7.0. Buffalo (5.8), Minneapolis-St. Paul (4.2) and Denver (4.1) rounded out the top five.
The complete 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs averaged 1.2 million viewers across 89 telecasts on NBC, NBCSN, CNBC and USA Network, down 14% from last year (1.43M), down 15% from 2014 (1.45M), and the smallest audience for the postseason since at least 2010. Pittsburgh was the top market for the full postseason (6.3), followed by St. Louis (3.5), Buffalo (2.4) and Tampa-St. Petersburg (1.8). Chicago and Denver tied for the fifth spot (1.4).
(Numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
