NBC Sets A Record for Hockey Viewership

Was there a post-Olympics bump? Most likely. Is hockey a hot sport? For this year, yes. Will this trend continue? Your guess is as good as mine, but for this year, the NHL was the “In” sport. Very good numbers for NBC across the board and whether it was the compelling hockey or the market sizes of Chicago and Philadelphia, it didn’t matter. People were watching hockey in record numbers. We have the figures to prove it.

2010 STANLEY CUP FINAL ON NBC SPORTS SETS MULTIPLE VIEWERSHIP RECORDS

Series-Clinching Game 6 Is Most-Watched & Highest-Rated NHL Game in 36 Years

Average Viewership For Series Is Best in 13 Years 

NEW YORK – June 10, 2010 – The 2010 Stanley Cup Final Game 6 between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers on NBC Sports was the most-watched and highest-rated NHL game in 36 years. 

Last night’s game – which saw the Blackhawks defeated the Flyers, 4-3, on a goal by Patrick Kane 4:06 into overtime to give Chicago its first Stanley Cup since 1961 and end the NHL’s longest championship drought – was watched by 8.28 million viewers, the most since 1974 (8.29 million viewers, Boston-Philadelphia, Game 3 on NBC), 43 percent higher than last year’s Game 6 (5.8 million viewers) and four percent higher than last year’s Game 7 (8.0 million). 

Game 6 posted a national household rating of 4.7 and an 8 share, making it the highest-rated NHL game in 36 years (7.6/27, Boston-Philadelphia, Game 6, 1974 on NBC), 38 percent higher than last year’s Game 6 (3.4/6) and nine percent higher than last year’s Game 7 (4.3/8). 

NBC SPORTS PRESIDENT KEN SCHANZER: “This has been a special year for hockey beginning with the Winter Classic continuing through the Olympics and ending with this incredibly exciting Stanley Cup Final. NBC Sports is honored to have been a part of it. The players of these two proud franchises in these major markets brought an intensity to the series that contributed to this record viewership.” 

Additional Ratings Notes: 

• Game 6 peaked at a 6.2/11 from 11-11:20 p.m. ET when Kane scored the game-winner and the Blackhawks celebrated their victory.  

• NBC Sports broadcast four of the series’ six games (1-2, 5-6). Those four games averaged 6.1 million viewers, the best network-TV series average in 13 years (6.4 million, Detroit-Philadelphia, one game on Fox in 1997) and up nine percent vs. last year (5.6 million viewers). 

• The average-series rating was a 3.4/6, the best on network TV in eight years (2002, 3.6/7, Carolina-Detroit on ABC) and up 10 percent vs. 2009 (3.1/6). 

• Chicago averaged a 25.2/41 rating for the four network-TV games. Philadelphia averaged a 19.6/30.

Very impressive.