Ten years after its debut, NHL Winter Classic ratings hit a fourth straight record-low.
Monday’s Rangers-Sabres NHL Winter Classic earned a 1.4 rating and 2.48 million viewers on NBC, down a tick in ratings and 3% in viewership from last year (Blackhawks-Blues: 1.5, 2.56M) and down 13% and 11% respectively from 2016 (Canadiens-Bruins: 1.6, 2.8M). This year’s figures include streaming viewership and are compared to previous years’ TV-only viewership.
The Rangers’ overtime win ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched Winter Classic ever (10 telecasts). Ratings and viewership have declined to all-time lows in four straight years.
As recently as four years ago, the Winter Classic had a 2.5 rating and 4.4 million viewers.
The Winter Classic faced much tougher college football competition than last year. In the same early afternoon window, ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 generated a combined 22.1 million viewers for three bowl games — almost doubling last year (11.5M).
Despite the lower numbers, Monday’s game delivered the 12th-largest NHL regular season audience on NBC (dates back to 2006) — behind the nine other Winter Classics, a 2014 Stadium Series game, and regional action on opening day of the lockout-shortened 2013 season.
Buffalo led all markets for the Winter Classic with a 12.2 rating, down a whopping 68% from the inaugural Winter Classic ten years ago, which also involved the Sabres (38.1). New York City turned in a 3.2 rating, down 26% from the Rangers’ previous appearance in the game six years ago (4.3).
NHL Winter Classic Ratings, Viewership, All-Time
