After a hot start, Stanley Cup playoff viewership has cooled significantly compared to last year, if still trending up.
NHL Stanley Cup playoff games have averaged 800,000 viewers across ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS and truTV through Sunday, up 3% from the same point of last year’s postseason. Thanks to a weekend start, viewership had been up as much as 60 percent through the first two days.
Sunday’s Rangers-Capitals Game 4 led the weekend slate with a 0.7 and 1.40 million across TBS and truTV, up 31% in ratings and 29% in viewership from Wild-Stars last year (0.55, 1.09M) and the top audience of the postseason thus far.
Bruins-Maple Leafs Game 4 placed a close second with a 0.7 and 1.39 million across the same two networks Saturday night — up 56% in ratings and 57% in viewership from Maple Leafs-Lightning Game 3 last year, a figure that includes overflow coverage on truTV (0.43, 884K).* Last year’s game faced a competing Devils-Rangers game on ABC (0.8, 1.61M), while there was no such competition this time around.
No other game reached the million viewer mark, with Hurricanes-Islanders Game 4 coming closest at a 0.47 and 907,000 on TBS and truTV Saturday afternoon. Rounding out the Saturday slate, Panthers-Lightning Game 4 drew a 0.47 (+11%) and 876,000 (+1%) and Stars-Golden Knights Game 3 a 0.44 (+15%) and 812,000 (+12%).
Returning to Sunday, Canucks-Predators Game 4 drew a 0.44 and 871,000 on TBS and truTV — down 38% and 37% respectively from Bruins-Panthers a year ago (0.7, 1.39M). Jets-Avalanche Game 4 led-in with a 0.40 (+2%) and 753,000 (-1%) on TNT and truTV.
Oilers-Kings Game 4 brought the weekend to a close with a 0.39 and 663,000 on TBS and truTV, down 18% and 26% respectively from the same matchup in an earlier window last year (0.47, 899K).
(* This year’s truTV simulcasts include “overflow coverage,” wherein the start of a game airs on an alternate channel because the preceding game ran long. In the interest of an apples-to-apples comparison, comparisons to last year will also include truTV overflow coverage.)
