The latest NHL outdoor game was a ratings bust.
Saturday’s Kings-Avalanche NHL Stadium Series game averaged a 0.6 rating and 1.00 million viewers on NBC, marking the least-watched outdoor game ever on the network (21 telecasts). The previous low was 1.08 million for the 2017 Red Wings-Maple Leafs Centennial Classic.
Across all networks, it ranks as the seventh-least watched outdoor game since the debut of the Winter Classic in 2008. That does not include a pair of Heritage Classic games on NHL Network, which is not Nielsen-rated.
It was also the lowest rated and least-watched NHL game ever on primetime broadcast television.
Los Angeles’ win sank 45% in ratings and 48% in viewership from last year’s Stadium Series game (Penguins-Flyers: 1.1, 1.94M) and a tick and 9% respectively from the 2018 edition (Maple Leafs-Capitals: 0.7, 1.11M).
In other action, Bruins-Rangers averaged a 0.7 and 1.03 million on “Hockey Day in America” Sunday — up a tick in ratings and 16% in viewership from Blues-Wild last year (0.6, 886K). Earlier in the day, Red Wings-Penguins drew a 0.6 (-14%) and 848,000 (-22%).
Shifting to cable, NBCSN averaged a 0.26 (+4%) and 419,000 (+7%) for Canadiens-Bruins on Wednesday Night Hockey last week and 150,000 for the Flames-Ducks nightcap.
The network also drew 288,000 for Blues-Predators on Sunday (-32%), 121,000 for Capitals-Avalanche last Thursday, 121,000 for Flyers-Islanders on February 11 (+9%), 227,000 for Islanders-Capitals on February 10 (-13%) and 292,000 for Avalanche-Wild on February 9 (-4%).
Figures for Monday and Tuesday’s games were not immediately available.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 2.19 a, b, 2.14, 2.13, 2.12, 2.11 a, b; Programming Insider 2.14]
