Stanley Cup playoff viewership continues to trend at multi-year high.
Sunday’s Hurricanes-Bruins NHL Eastern Conference Final Game 2 earned a 1.2 rating and 2.26 million viewers on NBC, up a tick in ratings and 18% in viewership from Capitals-Lightning last year (1.1, 1.93M) and up 23% and 30% respectively from Senators-Penguins in 2017, which aired on a Monday night on NBCSN (1.0, 1.74M).
The Bruins’ easy win, which peaked with 2.6 million viewers, ranks as the third-most watched game of the postseason. Games 2 and 5 of Blue Jackets-Bruins hold the top spots. Boston has played in six of the top seven games thus far.
Game 1 of Hurricanes-Bruins on Friday night had a 1.2 and 2.08 million on NBCSN — up 56% in ratings and 54% in viewership Capitals-Lightning (0.8, 1.35M), but down 24% and 28% respectively from Senators-Penguins, which aired on a Saturday night on NBC (1.6, 2.89M).
Friday’s game was the most-watched conference final opener ever on NBCSN.
The Western Conference has been a mixed bag. Saturday’s Blues-Sharks Game 1 had a 1.2 and 2.09 million on NBC, down 13% in ratings and 11% in viewership from Golden Knights-Jets last year (1.4, 2.34M), but up 135% and 144% respectively from Predators-Ducks in 2017 (0.52, 856K).
Game 2 on Monday night had 1.39 million viewers on NBCSN, up 12% from Golden Knights-Jets (1.24M) and up 10% from Predators-Ducks (1.27M). It was the most-watched Game 2 of the West Final since 2015 (Blackhawks-Ducks: 1.67M).
Including streaming, Games 1 and 2 of Hurricanes-Bruins had 2.16 and 2.30 million viewers, respectively. Games 1 and 2 of Blues-Sharks had 2.15 and 1.48 million, respectively.
Through Monday, the Stanley Cup Playoffs has averaged 1.13 million viewers across NBC Sports’ TV and digital platforms — up 2% from last year (1.11M), up 9% from 2017 (1.03M), and the highest average since 2012 (1.14M). The conference finals in particular have averaged 2.03 million across TV and digital (+14%), the highest since 2013 (2.42M).
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 5.14, NBC Sports PR/Twitter 5.10, 5.14 a, b, c, d]
