Opposite the NBA Finals, Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final saw a double-digit drop in the ratings on Tuesday night.
The Penguins’ win over the Red Wings drew a 3.4/6 final rating and 5.8 million viewers on NBC Tuesday night, down 15% in ratings and 14% in viewers from a 4.0/7 and 6.8 million for last year’s Game 6, which aired on a Wednesday night.
Game 6 also finished with a lower rating and fewer viewers than last year’s Game 5.
Ratings peaked at a 5.1/9 from 10:30-10:38 PM. The highest rated full quarter-hour of the game was a 4.4/7 from 10:15-10:30 PM.
Despite the decline, Game 6 ranks as NBC’s third highest-rated and third most-viewed NHL telecast ever, behind only Games 5 and 6 of last year’s series.
Additionally, the 3.4 rating is up 79% over a 1.9 for Hurricanes/Oilers Game 6 in ’06, and marks the second-highest rating for a Game 6 in the Stanley Cup Finals since ’01.
Entering Friday’s Game 7, NBC is averaging a 2.8 rating and 5 million viewers for its four-game coverage of the Stanley Cup Final, down 10% and 6%, respectively, from a 3.1 and 5.3 million for the net’s four games last year.
Overall, the 2009 Stanley Cup Final is averaging 4.4 million viewers on NBC and Versus, up 2% from 4.3 million last year.
