The second night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs was a much stronger draw than the first. In other news, ESPN’s 30 For 30 documentary on John Calipari sank nearly 40% from last year, and he WNBA Draft scored a modest increase.
Much Stronger Night For Stanley Cup Playoffs
- Thursday’s Predators-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 1 had 769,000 viewers on NBCSN, up 23% from Flyers-Capitals last year (626K), up 29% from Penguins-Rangers in 2015 (597K). Including streaming, it had 789,000. In the competing window on USA, Maple Leafs-Capitals had 628,000 — up 147% from Islanders-Panthers last year (254K) and up 80% from Red Wings-Lightning in 2015 (348K), both of which aired on CNBC. With streaming included, it had 643,000. Rounding out the night, Flames-Ducks had 445,000 on NBCSN (-7%).
Calipari 30 For 30 Down From Previous Years
- The premiere of ESPN’s 30 For 30 John Calipari documentary One and Not Done earned 924,000 viewers Thursday night, down 39% from This Magic Moment on the 1990s Orlando Magic last year (1.5M) and down 5% from Sole Man on Sonny Vacarro in 2015 (970K).
WNBA Draft Scores Modest Bump
- Thursday’s first round coverage of the WNBA Draft earned 273,000 viewers on ESPN2, up 7% from last year (254K) but down 2% from 2015 (278K). It had slightly fewer viewers than last year’s MLB Draft on MLB Network (279K) but was no match for the NHL Draft on NBCSN (352K).
(Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 4.14)
