The Stanley Cup Final got off to its third-best start in 18 years.
Monday’s Predators-Penguins Stanley Cup Final Game 1 earned a 2.8 final rating and 4.9 million viewers, up 22% in ratings and 19% in viewership from Sharks-Penguins opposite an NBA Game 7 last year (2.3, 4.1M) but down 15% and 12% respectively from Blackhawks-Lightning in 2015 (3.3, 5.5M).
In a rarity, final viewership declined 2% from the fast-nationals (from 4.97M to 4.85M).
Pittsburgh’s win, which peaked with 5.5 million viewers in the fast-nationals, delivered the third-largest Game 1 audience in the Stanley Cup Final since Sabres-Stars on FOX in 1999 (5.1M). Blackhawks-Lightning in ’15 and Bruins-Blackhawks in 2013 (6.4M) hold the top spots over that span. Keep in mind Game 1 aired on cable and/or on a Saturday night from 1999-10.
Figures do not include the 71,000 who streamed coverage on NBC Sports digital platforms, a 39% increase over last year’s Game 1 (51K). With those viewers added to the mix, Game 1 viewership rose from 4.85 to 4.93 million.
Game 1 had a 1.7 rating in adults 18-49, up 21% from last year (1.4) but down 11% from 2015 (1.9). It was the day’s top program in the demo, topping ABC’s The Bachelorette (1.5). The game had a 1.4 in adults 18-34 (+27%).
(Mon. numbers from NBC Sports, with additional data from Programming Insider 6.1)
