With the NHL season starting on time for a change, NBC Sports Network attracted near-record numbers on opening night.
Tuesday’s Capitals/Blackhawks NHL regular season game earned a 0.51 U.S. rating and 935,000 viewers on NBCSN, the network’s second largest audience ever for a regular season NHL game (dates back to 2005).
The only game to earn a larger audience was Rangers/Bruins in January of this year (956K).
Last year’s season opener aired on NBC due to the NHL owners’ lockout of players, earning a 1.6 rating and 2.8 million viewers.
The last opener to air on NBCSN (then Versus) was Flyers/Bruins in 2011, which drew 874,000 viewers.
Locally, Tuesday’s game drew a 7.3 rating in Chicago and a 2.3 in Washington (DC). Chicago’s local rating was the market’s highest ever for a regular season NHL game on NBCSN (previously VERSUS and OLN).
(Tue. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
