Oh, By the Way, Caps Set a Local Ratings Record for PIT-WSH Game Last Night

Thank you, Nate Ewell:

Bethesda, Md. (Jan. 22, 2010) – Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic posted all-time record ratings for regular-season Washington Capitals coverage – earning a 3.3 household rating and a 6.5 rating in the key Men 25-54 demographic – during last night’s (Jan. 21) road game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The National Hockey League’s premier rivalry attracted an average of 88,000 combined households in the Washington (76,000) and Baltimore (12,000) markets during the Capitals 6-3 win over the Penguins. During the third period, the game earned peak ratings of 4.2 in Washington and 1.5 in Baltimore, which equates to 113,000 combined households.

In the key demographic categories of Adults 25-54 (4.3), Men 18-49 (5.9) and Men 25-54 (6.5), Comcast SportsNet was the highest-rated television network in the Washington market during last night’s game and ranked second among Adults 18-49.

Last night’s record viewership shattered the previous single-game high for a Capitals regular-season game on Comcast SportsNet, set on April 5, 2008 against the Florida Panthers. The overall household rating eclipsed the previous mark by 32% and the 6.5 rating registered in the Men 25-54 demo was an increase of more than 117% over the previous record. Among Men 18-49, last night’s 5.9 rating broke the previous high by 64%.

Through 46 games on Comcast SportsNet this season, the Capitals household ratings have seen a 15% increase compared to the same time-period last season and an increase of 149% versus 2007-08.

Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic – the official television partner of the Washington Redskins, Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, D.C. United, Atlantic Coast Conference and Colonial Athletic Association – delivers more than 500 live sporting events per year, along with Emmy Award-winning news, analysis and entertainment programming, to more than 4.6 million homes throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Comcast SportsNet’s digital portfolio, highlighted by CSNWashington.com, is the region’s leading source for online sports news and information.

Comcast Sports Group operates 10 sports networks that deliver 2,400 sporting events annually and sports news and analysis to 40 million cable and satellite homes. Comcast Sports Group’s networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, SNY, The Mtn. – Mountain West Sports Network, and CSS. Comcast Sports Group also manages New England Cable News (NECN), the nation’s largest regional news network, and The Comcast Network, based in Philadelphia and Washington, which delivers community-oriented programming. For more information, visit ComcastSportsNet.com.