A historically competitive first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs delivered in the ratings for new broadcast partners Turner Sports and ESPN.
The opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs averaged 768,000 viewers across ESPN, ESPN2, TNT and TBS, up 26% from last year (619K), up 3% from 2019 (745K) and the highest since 2018 (785K).
Keep in mind zero game aired on broadcast television, compared to the NHL’s previous media rights deal with NBC, which included regular games on the NBC broadcast network. This year’s average is the highest ever for the first round on cable, up 58% from last year’s cable-only average and up 20% from 2019.
TNT and TBS averaged 812,000 viewers for 25 games and ESPN and ESPN2 725,000 for 26.
First round coverage concluded with a weekend of five Game 7s, four of which rank among the most-watched first round games ever on cable. Penguins-Rangers topped the charts with a 1.2 rating and 2.33 million on TBS Sunday, easily the most-watched first round game in cable history (records date back to 1994).
The Rangers’ overtime win also ranks as the most-watched playoff game on cable — excluding the Stanley Cup Final — since Capitals-Lightning Game 7 in the 2018 Eastern Conference Final (2.6M).
Six of the seven Rangers-Penguins games averaged more than one million viewers; Game 6 on TNT Friday drew a 0.55 and 1.16 million and Game 5 on ESPN last Wednesday a 0.55 and 1.05 million.
The previous night’s Lightning-Maple Leafs Game 7 drew a 0.8 and 1.68 million on TNT, ranking second all-time among first round games on cable. Prior to this year, the high-water mark was 1.64 million for Hurricanes-Capitals Game 7 on NBCSN in 2019.
Ranking just shy of the previous record, Saturday’s Bruins-Hurricanes Game 7 drew a 0.75 and 1.63 million on ESPN — ranking fourth all-time.
The two Western Conference game sevens ranked further back, with Stars-Flames at a 0.51 and 1.02 million on ESPN2 Sunday night and Kings-Oilers a 0.57 and 1.06 million on ESPN Saturday.
All five Game 7s comfortably outdrew last year’s lone first round Game 7 (507K*), but that comes with a number of caveats — last year’s game was an all-Canadian matchup (Canadiens-Maple Leafs) that aired on CNBC opposite a strong-performing Islanders-Bruins game on NBCSN (1.50M*).
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily, league and network PR]
