One of the strongest hockey markets in the country saw massive declines for coverage of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs last week.
The Buffalo News reports that Buffalo’s NBC affiliate drew a 1.6 rating for both Penguins/Flyers Game 6 and Capitals/Rangers Game 6 last weekend, “a drop-off of about 50 percent from the corresponding weekend a year ago.”
The 1.6 was still higher than the national ratings for both games (1.0 for Penguins/Flyers and 0.7 for Rangers/Capitals). Still, just last year, a nationally televised Capitals/Flyers playoff game drew a 5.0 in Buffalo, much higher than the 1.0 the game drew nationally.
Remarkably, NHL action was outdrawn by the NBA in Buffalo.
