A move from NBCSN to NBC resulted in the first year-over-year increase for the Stanley Cup Final.
Game 4 of Penguins/Sharks Stanley Cup Final earned a 3.1 overnight rating on NBC Monday night, down a third from Blackhawks/Bruins in 2013, the last Game 4 to air on the NBC broadcast network (4.6). Overnights increased 7% from Lightning/Blackhawks last year (2.9) and 11% from Kings/Rangers in 2014 (2.8), both of which aired on NBCSN.
The 3.1 overnight is the second-highest for a Game 4 in the Stanley Cup Final since NBC and NBCSN began carrying NHL games in the 2005-06 season, behind only 2013. Keep in mind most of those games have aired on cable. It is also the third-highest for any Stanley Cup Final game on NBC that did not involve an Original Six team (2006, 2007, 2012).
The Penguins’ win earned a 34.3 rating in Pittsburgh, the market’s highest for any NHL game on the NBC family of networks since Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final (42.2). It drew a 7.4 in the Bay Area, the highest ever for the NHL on NBC in that market.
(Mon. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
