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Second Round NHL Ratings Continue To Break Records

by Jim Biringer

June 2, 2022

in Featured, Metropolitan Division, New York Rangers, News, NHL

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So what if the NHL does not have a network television broadcast until the Stanley Cup Final, their national cable has continued to rise through the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The NHL has a lot to be thankful for with its partnership with ESPN and Turner. Again regardless of what you of their broadcasters and studio, hockey fans are continuing to watch more playoff hockey this year, than they have in years past.

The first round was helped by having five Game 7s in the first round. The second round saw the superstars of the game take over. For years, fans wanted to see their favourite players advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Well coming out of the second round, the Conference Finals feature some fun matchups. But back to the second round when you have the largest market in the country watching, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, the Battle of Alberta, and the reigning champions… people are going to want to watch.

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Let’s take a look at how the NHL ratings did through the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

NHL Ratings Bonzaza Continues Into the Second Round

The following numbers are from Showbuzzdaily.com

New York Market Leads the Way

The New York Rangers continue to be the most-watched series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In addition, the Rangers are the highest-rated series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It is good for business when an original six-team does well. Especially a team like the Rangers. Having a Game 7 with the Rangers in it also helps the ratings. Not to mention there was no competition on Monday night besides wrestling.

The Rangers versus Carolina Hurricanes Game 7 was viewed by 2.8 million people and did .90 in the 18-49 demo. It was number one on cable for the night. Think about that for a minute. When was the last time a hockey game almost did a 1.0 in the 18-49 demo. It has been a long time. The game peaked at 3.4 million viewers at one point.

Game 7 was the most-watched game of any in the second round across any network. In addition, the Rangers-Hurricanes Game 7 was the most-watched second-round game since 2013. Only the Detroit-Chicago Game 7 from 2013 did better views as 3.35 million people watched that game.

The team’s Game 6 matchup was viewed by 2.038 million people and did a .62 in the 18-49 demo. This was also number one on cable.

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Round 2 Sees Growth Across Networks

If you do not think having the right teams and stars playing deep in the playoffs matter just look at the numbers. The NHL has seen growth in viewership, especially in the United States, as this has been the most-watched Stanley Cup Playoffs through two rounds in league history. Through Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, an average of 2.91 million have tuned in across all the networks (TNT, ESPN, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports). This is a jump of nine percent over last year.

The average audience to watch the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs was around 1.44 million. This is a 40 percent growth over the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs second round. This was the second most-watched Round 2 ever trailing only 2014 which averaged 1.46 million viewers.

Turner Sports has seen a significant increase on the cable side of things. Through two rounds of the playoffs, viewership is up 44 percent compared to last year and 17 percent compared to 2019. Second-round games on ESPN and ESPN 2 have averaged 1.52 million viewers up 44 percent versus 2021 Second Round playoff coverage and up 12 percent versus 2019 second-round playoff cable coverage. With ESPN averaging around 1 million viewers through two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The NHL is in good hands with their cable deals especially with the Rangers into Eastern Conference Final.