The glamour series of the NHL playoffs ended with a strong audience on NBCSN.
Wednesday’s Penguins-Capitals Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 7 earned a 1.5 final rating and 2.5 million viewers on NBCSN, up 88% in ratings and 86% in viewership from Blues-Stars last year (0.8, 1.3M) but down a tick and 8% respectively from Capitals-Rangers in 2015 (1.6, 2.7M).
Pittsburgh’s win, which peaked with 3.5 million viewers from 10 PM ET through the conclusion, delivered the fourth-largest second round audience ever on NBCSN (previously VERSUS and OLN). Capitals-Rangers Game 7 in ’15 and Games 6 and 7 of Blackhawks-Red Wings in 2013 hold the top three spots.
Figures do not include the 83,000 who streamed coverage on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app, an NHL record for the digital platforms. With those viewers included, the game had 2.6 million.
Game 7 scored a 23.9 rating in Pittsburgh, up 24% from the Penguins’ previous second round Game 7 against the Rangers in 2014 (19.3) and the market’s second-best second round rating on NBCSN. Penguins-Senators Game 3 in 2013 had a 25.6 rating. Compared to the last Penguins-Capitals Game 7 in 2009, ratings fell short of a 25.0 on FSN Pittsburgh.
In Washington D.C., Game 7 had an 8.3 rating — the market’s highest ever for the NHL on NBCSN, and up 5% from the team’s Game 7 loss to the Rangers two years ago (7.9). Compared to the 2009 Penguins-Capitals Game 7, ratings increased 56% from a 5.3 on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic.
Later in the night, Oilers-Ducks Game 7 had a 0.8 and 1.4 million. There were no comparable windows last year or in 2014, but it topped both of last year’s Western Conference game sevens. Together, Wednesday’s games averaged 1.9 million viewers on NBCSN, marking the network’s most-watched NHL doubleheader. The previous high was 1.7 million.
Entering the conference finals, the Stanley Cup Playoffs has averaged a 0.6 rating and 965,000 viewers on the NBC family of networks — flat in ratings and up 7% in viewership from last year (0.6, 905K). It has averaged 988,000 including streaming, also up 7%.
(Numbers from NBC Sports)
