When it came to Winter sports on Sunday night, America chose the X Games over the NHL All Star Game by a 2:1 margin.
ESPN averaged 1.1 million households for prime-time coverage of Winter X Games 12 on Sunday night, twice the amount of the NHL All Star Game, which averaged nearly 559,000 households on Versus. Part of the disparity in numbers can be attributed to ESPN being available in more homes than Versus; additionally, the Winter X Games had the NBA as its lead in.
That being said, distribution and a solid lead-in alone cannot account for the significant gap between the X Games and the All Star Game. Another factor may be increased interest in the X Games. Winter X Games 12 averaged 863,000 homes, up 17% from last year, and the highest average ever for the event.
While losing to the X Games may be another indignity for Gary Bettman and the NHL, the league can gloat about increased numbers for the All Star Game. Household and total viewership increased by 18%, while ratings jumped 14%.
