Viewership for the NBA on NBA TV remains up by over a third so far this season. In other news, ESPN put up below average numbers for the NBA opposite the NCAA Tournament, and the recent Bruins/Penguins NHL game hit a season-low on NBC.
- NBA Viewership Up Over a Third on NBA TV: Through 68 telecasts, NBA TV has averaged a 0.24 U.S. rating and 348,000 viewers for regular season NBA games, a 36% increase in viewership from last year. (Turner Sports via The Futon Critic)
- ESPN’s NBA Coverage Struggles Opposite NCAA Tournament: Friday’s Heat/Sixers NBA regular season game drew just 1.001 million viewers on ESPN, while the Spurs/Thunder game that followed drew 1.195 million. ESPN was not originally scheduled to telecast games on Friday due to the NCAA Tournament, but added the doubleheader to make up for the games canceled due to the NBA owners’ five-month lockout. On Sunday, another night when ESPN was not originally scheduled to air NBA games, Magic/Heat drew a substantially better 1.949 million viewers, while Trail Blazers/Thunder drew 1.359 million. For some perspective, ESPN averaged 1.978 million viewers for NBA coverage through early March. (The Futon Critic)
- NHL on NBC Hits Season-Low For Bruins/Penguins: The March 11 Bruins/Penguins NHL regular season game drew a 0.7 final rating and 1.103 million viewers on NBC, down 13% in ratings and 11% in viewership from last year (CHI/WSH: 0.8, 1.241M), and down 13% and 3%, respectively, from 2010 (WSH/CHI: 0.8, 1.135M). The game ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed NHL telecast of the season on NBC (table below). (Media Life Magazine)
Ratings/Viewership For NHL on NBC
During the 2011-12 season
| Date | Game | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., 11/25/11 | Red Wings/Bruins | NBC |
0.9
|
1,333
|
| Sun., 1/1/12 | Rangers/Flyers | NBC |
2.1
|
3,733
|
| Sat., 1/14/12 | Blackhawks/Red Wings | NBC |
0.9
|
1,399
|
| Sun., 1/22/12 | Capitals/Penguins | NBC |
0.9
|
1,340
|
| Sun., 2/12/12 | Capitals/Rangers | NBC |
0.8
|
1,369
|
| Sun., 2/19/12 | Sharks/Red Wings, Penguins/Sabres or Blues/Blackhawks | NBC |
1.3
|
1,939
|
| Bruins/Wild | NBC |
0.9
|
1,378
|
|
| Sun., 3/4/12 | Bruins/Rangers | NBC |
0.8
|
1,191
|
| Sun., 3/11/12 | Bruins/Penguins | NBC |
0.7
|
1,103
|
| Sun., 3/18/12 | Penguins/Flyers | NBC |
1.0 overnight
|
|
