Western Conference Final Finishes Up, But Below A Million

VERSUS’ coverage of the 2011 Western Conference Final ultimately ended up averaging under a million viewers, but the network got a slight boost from the deciding Game 5.

The network’s broadcast of the classic, double overtime Canucks clincher drew 879,000 viewers. This ended up being VERSUS’ second most-watched broadcast of the series, behind only Game 1, which drew 1 million viewers and was the only game on VERSUS to air in an earlier timeslot than 9 p.m. ET. This was up 19% from the series low Game 3 drew for VERSUS (714,000 viewers on 5/20/11).

Overall, VERSUS averaged 862,250 viewers for their four broadcasts from the Western Conference Final. None of the broadcasts will crack the top 10 in viewership for VERSUS during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and will likely be more than doubled by the numbers from the Eastern Conference Final.

VERSUS viewership numbers for the 2011 Western Conference Final, San Jose vs. Vancouver

Game 1 (5/15/11): 1,009,000 viewers
Game 2 (5/18/11): 847,000 viewers
Game 3 (5/20/11): 714,000 viewers
Game 5 (5/24/11): 879,000 viewers
Average: 862,250 viewers