Stanley Cup Final viewership middle-of-the-road

After two years in the ditch, Stanley Cup Final viewership returned to the middle of the road.

The six-game Avalanche-Lightning Stanley Cup Final averaged 4.59 million viewers on ABC, topping only the past two altered seasons as the least-watched since Penguins-Sharks in 2016 (3.95M) and second-least watched since Kings-Devils in 2012 (3.01M). Going back further, this year’s series ranks tenth out of the 20 total Cup Finals over the past two decades and ninth out of the 17 since the season-long 2004-05 owners lockout.

Comparisons to prior years come with a number of caveats. This year’s Cup Final was the first ever to air entirely on broadcast television; prior series included at least two games on cable. The two prior Cup finals aired out-of-season in altered formats. Out-of-home viewing was not included in 2019 or prior years, though that is somewhat mitigated by the fact that television viewing levels were considerably higher then than now.

With all of that in mind, viewership declined just 4% from the first six games of Blues-Bruins in 2019 (4.77M) and 14% from the full seven-game average for that series (5.35M). Compared to the past two out-of-season years, viewership jumped 84% from last year’s five-game Lightning-Canadiens final, which began a year ago Tuesday (2.50M), and 114% from Lightning-Stars in a fanless fall “bubble” two years ago (2.14M).

Sunday’s clinching Game 6 averaged a 2.9 rating and 5.82 million viewers, down 20% in ratings and 10% in viewership from Bruins-Blues in 2019 (3.6, 6.48M). There was no Game 6 last year and Game 6 two years ago aired in late September opposite Monday Night Football (Lightning-Stars: 1.7, 2.93M).

Colorado’s title-clinching win ranks eighth out of the sixteen Game 6 telecasts over the past 20 years. In adults 18-49 (1.7), 18-34 (1.4) and 25-54 (2.0), it was television’s top non-NBA program since the Kentucky Derby. Excluding news events that aired across multiple networks, no non-sports television program has done as well in any of those demographics since the Academy Awards on ABC in March.

The trophy presentation, which ABC carried for nearly 50 minutes, averaged 3.69 million viewers and ranked second for the night in the key demos (1.0 in 18-49, 0.9 in 18-34 and 1.15 in 25-54).

Friday’s Game 5 averaged a 2.4 and 5.15 million, up 25% in ratings and 44% in viewership from last year in July (1.9, 3.56M), but down 23% and 6% respectively from Blues-Bruins in 2019 (3.1, 5.45M).

All six games of the Avalanche-Lightning series rank as the six most-watched NHL games since the league returned from hiatus nearly two years ago.

The complete Stanley Cup Playoffs averaged 1.36 million viewers, up 36% from last year (1.00M) but down 8% from 2019 (1.47M). This year’s postseason ranks seventh out of the 17 since the NHL returned from the season-long 2004-05 owners lockout.