NHL Stadium Series ratings rebounded on NBC.
Saturday’s Penguins-Flyers NHL Stadium Series game scored a 1.1 rating and 1.94 million viewers on NBC, up 57% in ratings and 76% in viewership from last year’s Stadium Series game, which took place in March (Maple Leafs-Capitals: 0.7, 1.11M), and flat and up 1% respectively from the 2017 Stadium Series between the same two teams (Flyers-Penguins: 1.1, 1.92M).
Philadelphia’s overtime win, which peaked with 2.65 million viewers from 11 PM ET through the conclusion, delivered the largest NHL regular season audience — outside of the Winter Classic — in five years. Penguins-Blackhawks had 2.76 million in the 2014 Stadium Series.
Including the streaming audience on NBC Sports digital platforms (22K), the game had 1.97 million viewers.
Both NHL outdoor games this season have increased by double-digits. Winter Classic ratings and viewership increased 14 and 20 percent, respectively.
As one would expect, the NHL was no match for the competing NBA game on ABC. Rockets-Warriors drew a 2.1 and 3.42 million overall, and doubled the NHL in adults 18-49 (1.0 to 0.5).
In other action, Sunday’s Blues-Wild game scored a 0.27 and 477,000 on NBCSN — down 23% in ratings and 20% in viewership from 2017 (Blues-Blackhawks: 0.35, 594K). There were no games on NBCSN the comparable night last year due to the Olympics.
NBCSN also scored 157,000 for Kings-Predators last Thursday night, down 19% from ’17 (Coyotes-Blackhawks: 194K).
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 2.22, 2.26, NBC Sports PR 2.26]
