A late addition to NBC’s NHL schedule rated as well as last year. In other news, Monday’s Penguins/Capitals thriller was not as big a draw as their previous matchup — though with a big caveat, and Blackhawks ratings are down on CSN Chicago.
Late Addition to NBC NHL Schedule on Par With Last Year
- Last Sunday’s Flyers/Capitals NHL regular season game, which NBC picked up at the last minute after its scheduled NFL playoff game was pushed back, had a 0.8 final rating and 1.2 million viewers. There were no comparable windows last year or in 2015. Compared to NBC’s first Sunday afternoon game last year, the same matchup but on Super Bowl Sunday, ratings were flat and viewership increased 1% (from 1.18M to 1.19M).
High-Scoring Caps/Penguins Down From Previous Meeting, With Big Caveat
- NBCSN scored 414,000 viewers for Capitals/Penguins Monday night, down from the rivals’ previous meeting on the network five nights earlier (598K). Keep in mind coverage was blacked out in Pittsburgh, while their previous meeting was an exclusive national broadcast. There was no game on the comparable night of last season. The previous night, Wild/Blackhawks had 442,000 — up 72% from Devils/Wild last year (257K) despite facing the NFL playoffs. In other action, Bruins/Red Wings had 447,000 (-11%) and Sharks/Kings 186,000 this past Wednesday night, Blackhawks/Avalanche had 172,000 on Tuesday (-6%) and Canadiens/Wild had 282,000 last Thursday (-6%).
Blackhawks Ratings Down on CSN Chicago
- Blackhawks NHL games have averaged a 3.15 rating on Comcast SportsNet Chicago through 29 telecasts, down 17% from the comparable point last year and on pace to rank as the team’s lowest average since 2011-12 (3.11). Three games faced competition from the Cubs in the World Series. (Crain’s Chicago Business 1/18)
(Numbers from ShowBuzz Daily, Sports TV Ratings, Crain’s Chicago Business)
