The Lightning-Rangers series continues to deliver multi-year highs; a Sooner sweep dragged down the Women’s College World Series Final; ESPN had its most-watched May in years.
Multi-year highs for Lightning-Rangers Games 4 and 5
Thursday’s Lightning-Rangers NHL Eastern Conference Final Game 5 averaged a 1.3 rating and 2.48 million viewers on ESPN, up 93% from Islanders-Lightning on NBCSN last year and the largest audience for a conference final Game 5 since Capitals-Lightning in a post-Preakness window on NBC four years ago (2.91M). It was the day’s top television program on a single network in each of the key young adult demographics.
Game 4 two nights earlier pulled a 1.2 and 2.34 million (+73%), the most-watched conference final Game 4 since Ducks-Blackhawks on NBC in ’15 (2.80M).
Lightning-Rangers is now averaging 2.28 million viewers, up 75% from last year and up 27% from 2019. ESPN and ESPN2 are now averaging 1.1 million for the full postseason (+30%).
WCWS Final down double-digits with Sooners’ easy sweep
The two-game Oklahoma-Texas Women’s College World Series final averaged 1.6 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN2, down at least 14% from last year’s three-game Oklahoma-Florida State series (1.85M*) but on par with UCLA-Oklahoma three years ago (1.57M).
Thursday’s clinching Game 2 averaged a 0.9 rating and 1.74 million viewers on ESPN2, down 23% in ratings and at least 16% in viewership from last year (1.2, 2.08M*) and down 18% and 3% respectively from ’19 (1.1, 1.80M), both of which aired on ESPN. Viewership peaked at 2.1 million.
Wednesday’s series opener averaged a 0.75 and 1.41 million on ESPN, down 30% in ratings and as much as 24% in viewership from last year (0.9, 1.74M*). Compared to 2019, ratings fell 17% (from 0.9) but viewership increased 5% (from 1.34M). Keep in mind out-of-home viewing was not included in the 2019 numbers.
The full WCWS averaged 1.0 million, down from last year (1.2M*) and ’19 (1.05M).
ESPN has most-watched May in years
ESPN averaged 742,000 total-day viewers in the month of May (April 24-May 28) and 2.17 million in primetime, its highest averages for the month since 2015 and 2018 respectively. In addition to its usual NBA playoff schedule — back in its usual time of year for the first time since 2019 — ESPN was able to fill its non-NBA nights with Stanley Cup playoff coverage for the first time since 2004. In prior years, ESPN’s non-NBA nights in the month of May consisted largely of non-exclusive Major League Baseball games.
In particular, ESPN averaged 5.55 million for 13 NBA playoff games in May (up 204% from last year, when it primarily aired regular season games during the month) and 1.2 million for 27 NHL playoff games. Last year in May, not a single weeknight Major League Baseball game on ESPN cracked the million viewer mark.
[Nielsen estimates from Programming Insider 6.8, 6.9, 6.11; network PR]
