NHL Stadium Series ratings hit primetime network lows last weekend.
Saturday’s Maple Leafs-Capitals NHL Stadium Series game had a 0.7 rating and 1.11 million viewers on NBC, down 36% in ratings and 42% in viewership from last year (Flyers-Penguins: 1.1, 1.9M) and down 30% and 35% respectively from 2016 (Red Wings-Avalanche: 1.0, 1.7M). Those games took place one week earlier in the season.
Washington’s win, which was bumped to NBCSN in the final minutes to accommodate NBC’s Saturday Night Live, ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched primetime NHL game ever on broadcast television. The previous lows were a 0.8 and 1.4 million for a Rangers-Flyers indoor game in 2015.
It does not rank as the least-watched “Big Four” sporting event in primetime. A 2016 Rays-Yankees Major League Baseball game had 1.02 million viewers on FOX. That game aired opposite the Olympics.
Ratings and viewership were also the second-lowest ever for an NHL outdoor game on broadcast television. The 2017 Centennial Classic — Red Wings-Maple Leafs opposite a full slate of NFL games — ranks dead last (0.6, 1.08M).
The Stadium Series faced greater obstacles than usual, airing opposite both the Duke-North Carolina college basketball game on ESPN (2.0, 3.4M) and a high-profile Celtics-Rockets NBA game on ABC (1.9, 3.2M). In addition, it was hamstrung by the presence of a Canadian team, a lopsided 5-2 score, and a brief blackout delay.
In other recent NHL action, Red Wings-Wild had a 0.21 (+50%) and 351,000 (+56%) on NBCSN Sunday night. Penguins-Bruins drew 258,000 (+22%) and Blackhawks-Sharks 184,000 last Thursday. Finally, Red Wings-Blues drew 278,000 on last week’s Wednesday Night Rivalry (-59%).
[Numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 3.6]
