With only two games on one network, the Stanley Cup Playoffs benefited from a lack of cannibalization Wednesday night.
Wednesday’s Panthers-Bruins first round Stanley Cup playoff Game 5 averaged 1.47 million viewers on ESPN, the largest audience on record for a first round game on cable (excluding game sevens).
Florida’s overtime win, which peaked with 2.1 million viewers, jumped 40% from Penguins-Rangers in the same window last year (1.05M). Keep in mind last year’s game overlapped with competing NHL action on ESPN2. Adding in the ESPN2 game (Capitals-Panthers: 448K), the combined audience last year was slightly higher at 1.50 million.
The Kraken-Avalanche nightcap averaged 1.15 million, up 64% from Stars-Flames a year ago (699K). That was the only game in the late window last year. Seattle’s win delivered the largest audience on record for a first round late night game (again excluding game sevens).
The games delivered the second-and-fourth largest audiences of the postseason. Eight games have topped the million viewer mark, compared to five at the same point a year ago.
In other action, ESPN on Tuesday averaged 933,000 for Islanders-Hurricanes Game 5 and 695,000 for the Kings-Oilers nightcap — up 13% and 6% respectively from last year’s equivalent games (Bruins-Hurricanes: 829K; Blues-Wild: 653K). TBS drew 565,000 for Wild-Stars, down 17% from Lightning-Maple Leafs on ESPN2 a year ago (679K).
The Stanley Cup Playoffs is now averaging 808,000 viewers across the ESPN networks (20 telecasts), up 24% from last year.
(Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 4.26, 4.27, network PR)
