There was not much of a bump, if any, from the Olympics, but NBC still did relatively well with NHL coverage last week.
Sunday’s Red Wings/Blackhawks game drew a 1.0 final rating and 1.4 million viewers on NBC, up 25% in ratings and 28% in viewership from both Bruins/Rangers last year (0.8, 1.1 mil) and Penguins/Capitals in ’08 (0.8, 1.1 mil).
Compared to Penguins/Capitals on February 7, NBC’s last NHL telecast before the Olympic break, Sunday’s telecast was down 9% and 16%, respectively, from a 1.1 and 1.7 million viewers.
NBC’s last four NHL telecasts have drawn at least a 1.0 rating. For perspective, NBC drew a 1.0 rating or higher just once over the previous two seasons (excluding the Winter Classic).
(Nielsen)
