(UPDATE 10/21/09: The October 1 NHL doubleheader on Versus averaged 417,000 viewers, not the 833,000 that was previously reported. Capitals/Bruins drew 501,000 viewers, while Sharks/Avalanche drew 332,000.)
Despite getting bodychecked by DirecTV, Versus still scored with coverage of the NHL’s opening night.
Thursday night’s NHL doubleheader on Versus, featuring Capitals/Bruins and Sharks/Avalanche, averaged 833,000 viewers — giving the net its most-viewed NHL opening night ever.
In particular, the early Capitals/Bruins game drew a 0.55 fast national rating, up 12% from a 0.49 for Maple Leafs/Red Wings last year. Meanwhile, the Sharks/Avalanche nightcap drew a 0.37, up 37% from a 0.27 for last year’s Bruins/Avalanche game.
To put the 833,000 viewers in perspective, Versus averaged 879,000 for the ’09 Stanley Cup Playoffs and 530,000 for the ’09 Tour de France. Meanwhile, regular season MLS telecasts averaged 292,000 viewers through 20 games on ESPN2, and regular season WNBA games averaged 269,000, also on ESPN2.
