NBC saw mixed ratings for the start of the Stanley Cup Finals, but the series as a whole is off to a good start.
Penguins/Red Wings Game 2 drew a 3.4/6 overnight rating on NBC Sunday night, up 31% from a 2.6 overnight for NBC’s second game of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals (Game 4). If the 3.4 holds, it would mark the highest rating for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals since 1999, the last time a Game 2 aired on broadcast.
Meanwhile, Saturday night’s Game 1 drew a 2.6/5 overnight rating on NBC, down 7% from a 2.8 for NBC’s first Stanley Cup Finals telecast last year (Game 3).
Overnight ratings for last year’s Games 1 and 2 on Versus were unavailable.
The first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals averaged a 3.0 overnight rating on NBC over the weekend, up 11% from a 2.7 for NBC’s first two Stanley Cup Finals telecasts last year (Games 3 and 4).
Both games should finish with substantially higher ratings than last year’s Games 1 and 2, which drew ratings of 1.2 and 1.3, respectively, on Versus.
