Stanley Cup ratings: Game 7s hit viewership highs

A historically competitive first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs delivered in the ratings for new broadcast partners Turner Sports and ESPN.

The opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs averaged 768,000 viewers across ESPN, ESPN2, TNT and TBS, up 26% from last year (619K), up 3% from 2019 (745K) and the highest since 2018 (785K).

Keep in mind zero game aired on broadcast television, compared to the NHL’s previous media rights deal with NBC, which included regular games on the NBC broadcast network. This year’s average is the highest ever for the first round on cable, up 58% from last year’s cable-only average and up 20% from 2019.

TNT and TBS averaged 812,000 viewers for 25 games and ESPN and ESPN2 725,000 for 26.

First round coverage concluded with a weekend of five Game 7s, four of which rank among the most-watched first round games ever on cable. Penguins-Rangers topped the charts with a 1.2 rating and 2.33 million on TBS Sunday, easily the most-watched first round game in cable history (records date back to 1994).

The Rangers’ overtime win also ranks as the most-watched playoff game on cable — excluding the Stanley Cup Final — since Capitals-Lightning Game 7 in the 2018 Eastern Conference Final (2.6M).

Six of the seven Rangers-Penguins games averaged more than one million viewers; Game 6 on TNT Friday drew a 0.55 and 1.16 million and Game 5 on ESPN last Wednesday a 0.55 and 1.05 million.

The previous night’s Lightning-Maple Leafs Game 7 drew a 0.8 and 1.68 million on TNT, ranking second all-time among first round games on cable. Prior to this year, the high-water mark was 1.64 million for Hurricanes-Capitals Game 7 on NBCSN in 2019.

Ranking just shy of the previous record, Saturday’s Bruins-Hurricanes Game 7 drew a 0.75 and 1.63 million on ESPN — ranking fourth all-time.

The two Western Conference game sevens ranked further back, with Stars-Flames at a 0.51 and 1.02 million on ESPN2 Sunday night and Kings-Oilers a 0.57 and 1.06 million on ESPN Saturday.

All five Game 7s comfortably outdrew last year’s lone first round Game 7 (507K*), but that comes with a number of caveats — last year’s game was an all-Canadian matchup (Canadiens-Maple Leafs) that aired on CNBC opposite a strong-performing Islanders-Bruins game on NBCSN (1.50M*).

[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily, league and network PR]

NBA playoff viewership at eight-year high through two rounds

Jon Lewis

Jon Lewis has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and main writer of Sports Media Watch. You can contact him here or on the social media websites X (Twitter) or Bluesky.

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Comments 4

Hello Larry says:

4 years ago

I’ve seen the ratings already for the first 3 days of the 2nd round and they’re extremely strong already on both TNT and ESPN. All of the non-Canadian matchups are over 1 million viewers with the NY Rangers still leading the way at 1.6 million viewers. Hopefully, the Rangers bounce back at MSG and make that a longer series. They’re the highest draw left in the playoffs. The Battle of Florida is surprising to me they’re averaging 1.1 million and the Avs and Blues are a bit of a draw at 1.4 million viewers.

Oilers-Flames was at 900k so with the Canadian factor not included this is a pretty strong draw for an all-Canadian matchup in the States.

The NHL ratings have been great so far in these playoffs but the only problem remains the lack of games on broadcast. That’s the messed up part of this deal, the NHL should’ve made sure ABC had more games. I would’ve actually kept a cheaper deal with NBC just to broadcast games during the playoffs and not included any cable games in that package. NBC could just air one game a week, that couldn’t had been too difficult.
Jaiden Virani says:

4 years ago

Hey Paulsen, with the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers now meeting in the playoffs for the first time since 1991, how much ratings/viewership would take place in the USA?
- Paulsen says:
  
  4 years ago
  
  I can’t imagine that will be a particularly strong series, ratings-wise, given the all-Canadian matchup.
  - Jaiden Virani says:
    
    4 years ago
    
    I know right, also Sportsnet and CBC will televise every single game of Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers taking on Johnny Gaudreau and the Calgary Flames in the Battle of Alberta, so it will be high ratings for both the USA and Canada.