Local Ratings This Weekend. Yeah, they’re huge.

Soure: Brian Walker of NBCU

Game 1
Pittsburgh – 26.5/43
Detroit – 19.3/34

Game 2
Pittsburgh – 31.7/43
Detroit –  28.1/43

Your Official Ratings For Game 2

According to Marc Berman’s Programming Insider, Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals drew a 3.5/6 overnight rating, 5.3 Million viewers, and a 2.2 in the key demo of Adults 18-49.  These are all positive gains from Game 1, which drew a 2.6/5 overnight, 4.5 Million viewers and a 1.7 in the 18-49 demo.

The game gave NBC a 2nd place finish for the night among total viewers, and a 1st place finish in the 18-49 demo.  The game won the 10-10:30 PM half-hour among total viewers, and won every half-hour among adults 18-49 except for two (8-8:30 PM: The Simpsons, and 9-9:30 PM: Family Guy).

The game peaked during the 9:30-10PM half hour once again, with 5.77 Million viewers and a 2.7 among Adults 18-49.  The 8-8:30 PM half-hour lagged yet again, with only 4.6 Million viewers (Still higher than NBC’s average last night) and a 1.8 among Adults 18-49 (ditto). 

This shows that, contrary to what the AP wants you to think, the NHL is clearly on the right track with this series, ratings-wise.  If the Penguins would ever care to wake up and make it a series, we might be in business for a smash here.  Half-hour breakdowns post-jump.

BREAKING: Game 2 Draws 3.5/6 Overnight

We’ll know the viewership totals at around Noon, but that’s what Marc Berman’s Programming Insider is reporting.  A 3.5/6 rating for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals was good enough for a 2nd-place finish for NBC.  CBS did better in the ratings all night, while the only other program that topped it was a rerun of Family Guy (3.6/6).  

Again, some pretty good news for hockey, but we’ll know more at mid-day, so stay tuned.

Thoughts On What Could Be NBC’s Last Two Hockey Telecasts of the Year

We didn’t feel like doing two separate posts for both games, we’ll just jumble the two telecasts into one.  Ratings post between 12:30 and 1:30.

• So, I know a lot of you aren’t happy with the pre-game.  You’ve got to understand that NBC isn’t 100% playing into the hands of the converted diehards with these games.  They do have to hammer it away a little bit with why the games mean so much, why the storylines mean so much, and for some people just what the Hell is going on down there.  So for that, most of the NBC crew – actually, just Doc Emrick and Darren Pang, who are the only understated members of that team – have done a good job with that.
• More on Darren Pang: If he can ease up a little and calm down just a skitch, he may have himself a job with this studio host thing.  He’s the anti-Pierre McGuire: He’s non-confrontational, analytical to the point where you understand what he’s saying, and sets up Milbury fairly nicely.  It is shaky every now and then, but overall Pang and Milbury are better than McGuire and Milbury.  While NBC could just as easily call in a favor to Al Michaels, Bob Costas, Keith Olbermann, Dan Patrick, Jimmy Roberts, Dan Hicks, Tom Hammond, Bob Neumeier, Chris Collinsworth, Peter King, Andrea Joyce or freakin’ Rachel Maddow to do this job, Panger gets credit for pulling the ultimate hockey duty: go where the coach tells you and do your job fairly well.  And dare we say: Darren Pang > Bill Patrick?
• As for the other two members of the NBC team, Edzo and Pierre were all over the audience with their “I-me-me” brand of yelling.  Pierre needs to understand that NBC has audio mixers and the people at home will hear you.  We have the technology.  Olczyk was all over the place with his commentary, very often the wrong side.  He complained far too much about the refs in game 2 particularly.  Edzo needs to calm down for Games 3 & 4 on VERSUS.
• Speaking of VERSUS, how stoked do they have to be about the possibility of the Cup being raised on their network.  While I do think the Penguins will win at least one game on their home ice, the potential is certainly there for a Red Wing sweep.
• One last note.  Wrap is here Tuesday and Thursday this week.  I’ll be locking it down today, Wednesday and Friday.  Open threads will still be around.

How The AP Irresponsibly Slagged Hockey Ratings

VERSUS is a cable network that airs hockey games.  NBC is a national broadcast station that airs hockey games.  VERSUS is in 75 Million homes, while NBC is in 110 so we as hockey fans are aware of the network’s limitations.

Games 1 & 2 of the Stanley Cup Final did a 1.8 national rating on VERSUS last year.  Game 1 of this year’s final did a 2.6/5 rating on NBC.  While it didn’t match the ratings of NBC’s Game 3-7 telecasts last year, it is to be expected as it is earlier in the series.  Besides, the NHL will take the up number and the good press that goes with it.

Or so we thought.  Until some ridiculous hack from the Associated Press wrote this:

DETROIT (AP) — Television ratings for Game 1 of the Red Wings-Penguins Stanley Cup finals rematch were down from last year’s levels.

The NBC telecast drew a 2.6 rating and a 5 share. That’s compared with a four-game NBC average of a 3.2 rating and a 6 share one year ago.

 

Detroit beat Pittsburgh 3-1 in Saturday night’s Game 1 and won the Cup over the Pens in six games in 2008.

The first Cup finals game on NBC last year — a Pittsburgh win in Game 3 — earned a 2.8 national rating.

The rating is the percentage watching a program among homes with televisions, and the share is the percentage tuned into the broadcast among those households with TVs on at the time.

 

It’s a miracle this jag-off got the score of the game right.  If you can find out his or her name.  Please comment or E-mail, because I’d like to meet the kind of mind the reports such inane, anti-hockey stuff like this please.  Should have to hand in whatever credentials the NHL has given him.  How can you be so incredibly stupid and negative is beyond me.