ORLANDO, FLA – For all the positives that came out of the large television audience for Wednesday’s game one of the Stanley Cup finals, the NHL apparently couldn’t hold on to any of it.
Early ratings numbers for Saturday’s game two between Vancouver and Boston dropped to the lowest levels for a broadcast network showing in four season, leaving the league and its television partners in a quandary. 
They were looking for answers as the scene for games three and four shifts to Boston Monday and Wednesday nights and the broadcasts head over to Versus in the U.S. Should games five, six or seven be needed, they will be back on NBC.
Game two, which was played after two off days because of concert commitments at the Rogers Arena, drew a U.S. audience of 3.37 million viewers on the peacock network. That number was down some 27 percent from Wednesday’s 4.56 million who tuned in for the series opener. Compared to game two of the 2010 finals between Chicago and Philadelphia, Saturday’s viewership was down 43 percent (last year’s second game drew 5.91 million viewers on a Monday night).
The number of viewers was the lowest since game five of the 2007 finals which featured the Anaheim Ducks and the Ottawa Senators. That game attracted 2.87 million viewers across the U.S.
In the key adult 18-49 demographic slot – the one most coveted by advertisers – Saturday’s game drew a 1.2 rating. While being good enough to conquer its competition that evening, it was down 34 percent from game one. Compared to the 2010 finals’ second game, the rating was down 50 percent from a year ago.
Unlike many other forms of entertainment, television seems to be a victim of apathy on weekends. With an 8 p.m. eastern start and the “summer season” upon most of North America, many people will go out on Friday and Saturday nights, causing a huge drop-off in television viewing. Those who attend watch parties or go to friends homes do not count as individuals.
NBC’s broadcast also had a heavy helping of “BiteGate” – the alleged biting of Boston forward Patrice Bergeron by Vancouver’s Alex Burrows and his acquittal by the NHL based on “lack of concrete evidence”. Analyst Mike Milbury, a former Boston player and coach who grew up in the metro-Boston area, continually lambasted the league for its handling of the incident and Burrow’s subsequent game-winning performance in game two (he scored two goals – including the overtime winner – and added an assist in the contest). Milbury’s rants became tiresome after the first intermission and could have turned off viewers.
Another factor could have been the lack of casual fans returning for the weekend tilt. Although purists surely loved the 1-0 opener with the winning goal scored in the final 19 seconds of regulation, many others could have been turned off by the defensive struggle.
Through two games this season, the Stanley Cup finals have averaged 3.96 million viewers per game on NBC. That is in contrast to last year’s first two games which averaged 5.12 million – a full 23 percent more than this year. The 2009 finals were averaging 4.92 million viewers per game, once again more than the 2011 version by 20 percent.
The league is waiting to get the numbers from the local markets. Game one did well in the Northeast because of heavy interest in the Bruins but it remains to be seen what game two’s viewership and ratings hold. Numbers for the Hockey Night In Canada telecast on CBC are also still pending although the U.S. ratings do not take into account Canadian viewers or ratings.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
Early ratings numbers for Saturday’s game two between Vancouver and Boston dropped to the lowest levels for a broadcast network showing in four season, leaving the league and its television partners in a quandary. They were looking for answers as the scene for games three and four shifts to Boston Monday and Wednesday nights and the broadcasts head over to Versus in the U.S. Should games five, six or seven be needed, they will be back on NBC.
Game two, which was played after two off days because of concert commitments at the Rogers Arena, drew a U.S. audience of 3.37 million viewers on the peacock network. That number was down some 27 percent from Wednesday’s 4.56 million who tuned in for the series opener. Compared to game two of the 2010 finals between Chicago and Philadelphia, Saturday’s viewership was down 43 percent (last year’s second game drew 5.91 million viewers on a Monday night).
The number of viewers was the lowest since game five of the 2007 finals which featured the Anaheim Ducks and the Ottawa Senators. That game attracted 2.87 million viewers across the U.S.
In the key adult 18-49 demographic slot – the one most coveted by advertisers – Saturday’s game drew a 1.2 rating. While being good enough to conquer its competition that evening, it was down 34 percent from game one. Compared to the 2010 finals’ second game, the rating was down 50 percent from a year ago.
Unlike many other forms of entertainment, television seems to be a victim of apathy on weekends. With an 8 p.m. eastern start and the “summer season” upon most of North America, many people will go out on Friday and Saturday nights, causing a huge drop-off in television viewing. Those who attend watch parties or go to friends homes do not count as individuals.
NBC’s broadcast also had a heavy helping of “BiteGate” – the alleged biting of Boston forward Patrice Bergeron by Vancouver’s Alex Burrows and his acquittal by the NHL based on “lack of concrete evidence”. Analyst Mike Milbury, a former Boston player and coach who grew up in the metro-Boston area, continually lambasted the league for its handling of the incident and Burrow’s subsequent game-winning performance in game two (he scored two goals – including the overtime winner – and added an assist in the contest). Milbury’s rants became tiresome after the first intermission and could have turned off viewers.
Another factor could have been the lack of casual fans returning for the weekend tilt. Although purists surely loved the 1-0 opener with the winning goal scored in the final 19 seconds of regulation, many others could have been turned off by the defensive struggle.
Through two games this season, the Stanley Cup finals have averaged 3.96 million viewers per game on NBC. That is in contrast to last year’s first two games which averaged 5.12 million – a full 23 percent more than this year. The 2009 finals were averaging 4.92 million viewers per game, once again more than the 2011 version by 20 percent.
The league is waiting to get the numbers from the local markets. Game one did well in the Northeast because of heavy interest in the Bruins but it remains to be seen what game two’s viewership and ratings hold. Numbers for the Hockey Night In Canada telecast on CBC are also still pending although the U.S. ratings do not take into account Canadian viewers or ratings.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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