Though there was little growth over Saturday’s Game 2, the third game of the Stanley Cup Final set another record on NBC Sports Network.
Game 3 of the Blackhawks/Bruins Stanley Cup Final earned a 2.3 U.S. rating and 4.0 million viewers on NBC Sports Network Monday night, up 130% in ratings and viewership from Devils/Kings Game 3 last year (1.0, 1.7M), and up 44% and 45%, respectively, from Canucks/Bruins Game 3 in 2011 (1.6, 2.8M).
Monday’s game ranks as the most-viewed NHL telecast ever on NBC Sports Network (previously Versus and OLN), and the network’s second-most viewed program of any kind. The previous marks were held by Saturday’s Game 2 (3.96M). Overall, the game earned the largest Stanley Cup Final audience on cable since Game 1 of Hurricanes/Red Wings on ESPN in 2002 (4.0M).
Blackhawks/Bruins also ranks as the highest rated and most-viewed Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final since Red Wings/Penguins on NBC in 2008 (2.4, 4.0M), and the second-best Game 3 in those measures since Hurricanes/Red Wings on ABC in 2002 (3.3, 5.5M).
Among adults 18-49, Game 3 had a 1.6 rating — up 167% from Game 3 last year (0.6), and up a tick from Saturday’s Game 2 (1.5).
Game 2 drew a 27.2 rating in Boston, up 16% from Game 3 in 2011 (23.4). The game drew a 16.8 in Chicago, actually down 4% from Blackhawks/Flyers Game 3 in 2010 (17.5).
Overall, Games 2 and 3 of the Stanley Cup Final averaged just under 4.0 million viewers on NBC Sports Network, up 110% from the network’s two-game coverage of Devils/Kings last year (1.9M), and up 47% from coverage of Bruins/Canucks in 2011 (2.7M). Bruins/Blackhawks ranks as the most-viewed Stanley Cup Final on cable 1997, when ESPN aired three games of the Red Wings/Flyers series (4.9M).
The complete Stanley Cup Playoffs on cable averaged exactly 1.0 million viewers on NBCSN and CNBC, the highest average for the playoffs on cable since ESPN and ESPN2 averaged just over 1.0 million in 1999. NBCSN alone averaged 1.2 million, up 17% from last year (1.0M).
Ratings and Viewership For Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final
Since the 2004-05 NHL owners’ lockout
|
Year
|
Date
|
Away | Home |
Net
|
Rating
|
Viewers
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2013
|
Mon., 6/17/13 |
Blackhawks
|
Bruins
|
NBCSN
|
2.3
|
4.0M
|
|
2012
|
Mon., 6/4/12 |
Devils
|
Kings
|
NBCSN
|
1.0
|
1.7M
|
|
2011
|
Mon., 6/6/11 |
Canucks
|
Bruins
|
VS
|
1.6
|
2.8M
|
|
2010
|
Wed., 6/2/10 |
Blackhawks
|
Flyers
|
VS
|
2.0
|
3.6M
|
|
2009
|
Tue., 6/2/09 |
Red Wings
|
Penguins
|
VS
|
1.7
|
3.0M
|
|
2008
|
Wed., 5/28/08 |
Red Wings
|
Penguins
|
NBC
|
2.4
|
4.0M
|
|
2007
|
Sat., 6/2/07 |
Ducks
|
Senators
|
NBC
|
1.1
|
1.6M
|
|
2006
|
Sat., 6/10/06 |
Hurricanes
|
Oilers
|
NBC
|
1.6
|
2.5M
|
(Mon. numbers and playoff averages from NBC Sports Group Press Box; additional info from The Futon Critic [1], [2])
