Stanley Cup Final ratings continue to rise, but it is worth wondering how much the schedule has limited the numbers thus far.
Saturday’s Golden Knights-Capitals Stanley Cup Final Game 3 earned a 2.5 overnight rating on NBCSN, up 14% from Penguins-Predators last year (2.2), up 32% from Penguins-Sharks in 2016 (1.9), and the highest Game 3 overnight in three years (2015 Lightning-Blackhawks: 2.9).
Washington’s win was the third straight game in the series to hit a three-year high in the metered markets.
Even so, it is worth noting how much the schedule has limited viewership for the series. Game 1 aired on NBC, but opposite a Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference Finals. It had a 3.7 overnight. Game 2 dropped down to NBCSN, which corresponded with a 24% decline from the opener (to 2.8). Game 3 aired on NBCSN on a Saturday night — the lowest rated night of the week — and overnights sank another 11%.
All in all, overnights have declined from game-to-game, with the high water mark a few tenths lower than it otherwise could have been due to the competition.
Las Vegas led all markets with an 18.3 rating, down 8% from Game 2 (19.8) and down 35% from Game 1 on NBC (28.1). The game had a 15.2 in Washington D.C., up 14% from Game (13.3) and down just 5% from Game 1 on NBC (16.0). The 15.2 is the highest ever for an NHL game on cable in the market.
Baltimore ranked third with a 7.45 rating, with Buffalo (6.4) and Pittsburgh (5.1) rounding out the top five.
