I just thought it was worth noting that last season WNBA games on ESPN2 got higher ratings than NHL games on Versus. Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals got a 3.3 rating on NBC in prime time. As a comparison, the worst primetime playoff national telecast of an NBA game was a 4.1 for Pacers/Pistons in 2005 (aired on ABC). CORRECTION: the worst rating for a primetime network NBA telecast was a 3.0 for Heat/Wizards on a Saturday night in 2005. I don’t know the numbers precisely for baseball, but I do know that Tigers/A’s on a Friday afternoon in the ALCS got a 3.7 rating on FOX.
That’s a game on a weekday afternoon, on the lowest-rated weekday of them all, and featuring two small market teams. Not only that, but it was Game 3 of what would turn out to be a sweep. That still got higher ratings than Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals didn’t even average 1 million viewers (those games were on Versus).
I will say this: NBC’s coverage of the NHL has been superb. They treat the games with respect, and don’t cover every single telecast like it’s the first one ever televised. Important for NBC: get Bob Costas involved. Bill Clement is a serviceable studio host, but Costas adds instant credibility. Al Michaels was the studio host for some Stanley Cup Final games earlier this decade on ABC. Granted, he was bad at it (nearly as bad as he was at doing play-by-play for the NBA), but it gave the event legitimacy.
