From Sports Media Watch, a one-stop page for all sports ratings news.
Jon Lewis
Coverage of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs was averaging 1.15 million viewers through the first five days, up 76% from last year and the highest average on record at that point of the postseason. This year’s average is up 30% from the previous high of 887,000 in 2012, and up 39% from the previous high during the current media rights deal — 832,000 in 2024.
Jon Lewis
TNT Sports averaged 372,000 for its season-opening NHL doubleheader on Wednesday, specifically 516,000 for Bruins-Capitals and 240,000 for Kings-Golden Knights — up 10% and down 24% respectively from last year. The Kings game overlapped with the competing Dodgers game on TBS (3.7M).
Source: TNT Sports
Jon Lewis
Tuesday’s Oilers-Panthers NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 6 averaged a 1.4 rating and 2.76 million viewers across TNT and truTV, down 34% and 35% respectively from the same matchup on ABC last year (2.1, 4.24M) and the least-watched Game 6 of a Cup Final since 1994.
Game 5 last Saturday drew a 1.2 (-44%) and 2.70 million (-35%).
For more on Game 6 and the full series, see this article.
Source: Programming Insider, Programming Insider, TNT Sports
Jon Lewis
Thursday’s Oilers-Panthers NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 4 averaged a 1.3 rating and series-high 2.61 million viewers across TNT and truTV, down a tick in ratings and 15% in viewership from the same matchup last year, which aired on ABC (1.4, 3.09M), but up a tick and 2% respectively from the previous Cup Final Game 4 on TNT Sports — Golden Knights-Panthers two years ago (1.2, 2.56M). Keep in mind both of those games aired on Saturday nights.
Source: Programming Insider
Jon Lewis
The first three games of the Stanley Cup Final averaged ratings of 3.2, 3.0 and 3.2 respectively in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Source: Miami Herald
Jon Lewis
Friday’s Game 2 and Monday’s Game 3 of the Panthers-Oilers NHL Stanley Cup Final averaged 2.5 and 2.3 million viewers respectively across TNT and truTV, down north of 30 percent from last year’s equivalent games featuring the same two teams, which aired on ABC (3.6 and 3.4 million respectively).
For more, see this article.
Source: TNT Sports
Jon Lewis
Wednesday’s Panthers-Oilers NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 1 averaged a 1.2 rating and 2.42 million viewers across TNT and truTV, marking the lowest rated and least-watched Game 1 of the Cup Final since the COVID-delayed Canadiens-Lightning on NBCSN in 2021 (0.8, 1.61M). Ratings declined 21% and viewership 22% from last year’s Game 1 between the same two teams, which aired in a Saturday night window on ABC and averaged a 1.6 and 3.1 million.
For more, see this article.
Source: Programming Insider
Jon Lewis
The five-game Panthers-Hurricanes NHL Eastern Conference Final averaged 1.4 million viewers on TNT Sports, down nearly 40 percent from last year’s six-game Panthers-Rangers series on ESPN/ABC (2.3M), and also down from the four-game Panthers-Hurricanes series on TNT two years ago (1.6M).
Even though Carolina won a token game this time around, Florida dominated the series even more so than two years ago.
The clinching Game 5 Wednesday night averaged 1.6 million, down more than 20 percent from Panthers-Rangers on ESPN last year (2.1M). Compared to last year’s Game 5 on TNT, viewership was about even with Stars-Oilers.
Game 4 on Monday drew 1.58 million and Game 3 last Saturday 1.30 million — down 24 and 47 percent from last year’s equivalent Panthers-Hurricanes games (2.07 and 2.46 million).
Source: TNT Sports, Programming Insider, Programming Insider
Jon Lewis
Wednesday’s Oilers-Stars NHL Western Conference Finals Game 1 averaged a 0.75 rating and 1.46 million viewers on ESPN, down 8 and 5 percent respectively from the same matchup on TNT and truTV last year (0.8, 1.54M). Compared to last year’s ESPN conference final, Panthers-Rangers in the East, viewership fell 26% from 1.98 million.
As for this year’s Eastern Conference Final, Thursday’s Panthers-Hurricanes Game 2 averaged a 0.6 rating and 1.26 million on TNT and truTV — down 34 and 41 percent respectively from Panthers-Rangers on ESPN last year (1.0, 2.12M). Compared to Game 2 of Oilers-Stars on TNT Sports last year, viewership fell 18% from 1.54 million.
Source: ESPN, TNT Sports, Programming Insider, Programming Insider
Jon Lewis
Tuesday’s Panthers-Hurricanes NHL Eastern Conference Final Game 1 averaged a 0.7 rating and 1.30 million viewers on TNT, down 33% and 35% respectively from Panthers-Rangers on ESPN last year (1.0, 1.98M).
Compared to last year’s conference final Game 1 on the TNT Sports networks, ratings and viewership fell 15 and 16 percent respectively from a 0.8 and 1.54 million for Oilers-Stars. Unlike last year, there was no truTV simulcast.
The Panthers’ easy win, which peaked with 1.6 million viewers, was the least-watched conference final* opener since the COVID-delayed year of 2021. (* The 2021 ‘conference finals’ matched four division winners regardless of conference affiliation under an altered season format.)
Source: TNT Sports, Programming Insider
Jon Lewis
Saturday’s Jets-Stars second round Stanley Cup playoff Game 6 averaged 2.27 million viewers, more-than-doubling the all-Canadian Canucks-Oilers Game 6 on ESPN last year (1.01M). Excluding Game 7s, the Stars’ series-clinching win delivered the largest second round playoff audience since the current NHL media rights deal began in 2021.
On Sunday, Panthers-Maple Leafs Game 7 averaged 1.9 million across TNT and truTV — up from last year’s lone Game 7, which was also from the Oilers-Canucks series (1.66M). It was the first second round Game 7 on the TNT Sports networks.
Source: ESPN, TNT Sports
Jon Lewis
Games 3, 4 and 5 of the Hurricanes’ second round Stanley Cup series victory over the Capitals averaged 1.33, 1.25 and 1.50 million viewers respectively on TNT Sports — down 24, 32 and 21 percent respectively from last year’s equivalent windows, Games 4-6 of Hurricanes-Rangers (1.76, 1.83 and 1.91 million).
In the other Eastern series, Games 3, 4 and 5 of Panthers-Maple Leafs averaged 1.16, 1.53 and 1.09 million — down 25, 30 and 30 percent respectively from last year’s equivalent windows, Games 3 and 4 of Panthers-Bruins (1.54 and 2.18 million) and Game 5 of Avalanche-Stars (1.56M). Games 3 and 4 aired on TNT Sports and Game 5 on ESPN.
Complete figures for the Western series were not immediately available. The Oilers’ series-clinching Game 5 win over the Golden Knights drew 1.05 million on ESPN Wednesday, with Game 3 at 1.02 million on TNT and truTV last Saturday (-34%).
Games 2-4 of Jets-Stars drew 911,000, 1.01 million and 1.15 million. Compared to the all-Canadian Canucks-Oilers series on the same nights last year, viewership increased 18, 9 and 16 percent respectively.
Source: ESPN, Programming Insider, Programming Insider, Programming Insider, Programming Insider
Jon Lewis
Saturday’s Maple Leafs-Senators first round Stanley Cup playoff Game 4 averaged 996,000 viewers on TBS and truTV, marking the largest audience for an all-Canadian first round game since 1994, but unsurprisingly down from Bruins-Maple Leafs last year (1.39M).
Stars-Avalanche followed with 976,000, up 20% from Stars-Golden Knights a year ago (812K). Additional weekend figures were not immediately available.
TNT Sports is averaging 648,000 viewers for first round Stanley Cup coverage thus far, down 17% from 2024. With traditional big market teams absent, this number of TV homes represented in this year’s playoff field is down 22% from a year ago.
Source: TNT Sports, Programming Insider
Jon Lewis
Sunday’s first round Stanley Cup playoff tripleheader averaged 806,000 viewers on the ESPN networks, down 22% from last year’s quadrupleheader (1.04M). That is despite the games taking place on Easter Sunday, when there is greater out-of-home viewing.
Devils-Hurricanes led the way with 880,000 viewers on ESPN, down 34% from Capitals-Rangers in the same window last season (1.34M). Senators-Maple Leafs followed with 794,000 on ESPN2, down 27% from the year-ago pairing of Colorado and Winnipeg (1.09M).
Rounding out the tripleheader, Wild-Golden Knights averaged 735,000 — down 8% from Predators-Canucks a year ago.
On Saturday, TNT and truTV averaged 981,000 for Avalanche-Stars and 810,000 for Blues-Jets, down 7 and 14 percent respectively from last year’s pairing of Maple Leafs-Bruins (1.14M) and Islanders-Hurricanes (873K).
Source: ESPN, TNT Sports
Jon Lewis
With no playoff implications in either game, TNT averaged 172,000 viewers for Golden Knights-Canucks and 158,000 for Red Wings-Devils in its NHL regular season finale Wednesday night — down 48 and 54 percent respectively from last year’s pairing of Blues-Stars (331K) and Maple Leafs-Lightning (344K).
Source: TNT Sports
Jon Lewis
Facing the final round of the Masters, TNT’s Sunday NHL doubleheader averaged 183,000 viewers, down 19% from last year. With both teams officially out of the playoff picture and TNT coverage blacked out in Boston, Bruins-Penguins averaged 196,000 — down 35% from Avalanche-Golden Knights last year.
Islanders-Devils led in with 172,000, up 13% from last year’s Kraken-Blues game.
Going back to last Wednesday, Flyers-Rangers averaged 349,000 — up 65% from Golden Knights-Oilers last year — and Blues-Oilers followed with 285,000 (+28%).
Source: TNT Sports
Jon Lewis
TNT and truTV combined to average 188,000 viewers for an NHL doubleheader on Wednesday, down 58% from last year. Capitals-Hurricanes averaged just 186,000, down 67% from Devils-Rangers last year, with the caveat that TNT coverage was blacked out in both home markets. (An “OviCast” on truTV averaged 43,000, surpassing previous “Spittin’ Chiclets” and “MultiVersus” altcasts.)
In the nightcap, Avalanche-Blackhawks averaged 191,000, down 43% from last year’s Oilers-Stars.
Source: TNT Sports
Jon Lewis
TNT Sports averaged 242,000 viewers for an NHL doubleheader on Wednesday, down sharply from both last year’s single game (Bruins-Lightning) and the equivalent 2023 doubleheader. In particular, Devils-Blackhawks drew 265,000 (-44%) and Stars-Oilers 221,000 (-36%). For the latter game, both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were absent.
Jon Lewis
TNT averaged 258,000 for a Wednesday NHL doubleheader, up 2% from last year, with Avalanche-Maple Leafs at 319,000 (-4%) and Kraken-Wild at 190,000 (+6%). Going back to the weekend, TNT and truTV combined to average 353,000 for a Sunday doubleheader (-2%), with Golden Knights-Red Wings at 405,000 (-1%) and Stars-Avalanche at 301,000 (-2%).
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