Despite rare primetime exposure, the NHL on NBC was not much of a draw.
The Rangers/Flyers NHL regular season game drew a 1.0 overnight rating on NBC Saturday night, down 52% from a Penguins/Blackhawks outdoor game last year (2.1) and tied as the network’s second-lowest overnight of the season — matching Rangers/Flyers in November and Blackhawks/Blues in February, and ahead of only Capitals/Flyers the previous week (0.8).
The Flyers’ win marked the third primetime regular season NHL game on broadcast since the 1970s, and the first such indoor game over that span.
The 1.0 is one of the lowest overnights ever for a primetime sporting event on broadcast television, even falling below a primetime IndyCar race on ABC in 2013 (1.1). FOX earned a 0.9 overnight for two primetime college football games last year — Fresno State/USC and Baylor/Iowa State — with the caveat that those telecasts aired opposite games on other networks.
(Sat. overnight from NBC Sports via The Futon Critic; additional info from Newsday)
