Game 1 of the Final Draws 4.5 Million, Up 5% From 2010
June 2, 2011 1 Comment
The opening game of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final moved to Wednesdays and got a boost on NBC.
The network’s broadcast of Game 1 between Boston and Vancouver drew 4.53 million viewers in primetime, up 5% from Game 1 in 2010, between Philadelphia and Chicago, which drew 4.34 mullion viewers on a Saturday night. It’s also up a tick from Game 1 in 2009, which drew 4.51 million viewers on a Saturday night. Prior to that, every Stanley Cup Final opener since 1999 had aired on cable’s ESPN or VERSUS. The game drew a 1.8 in the coveted Adults 18-49 demo, up 6% from last year’s Game 1. The game won the 10 p.m. ET hour in Adults 18-49.
A note from Sports Media Watch regarding the overnights: Game 1 drew a 25.5 in Boston. Game 1 of last year’s Lakers/Celtics NBA Finals drew a 19.1. NHL hockey’s back in Boston, for sure.
What follows are the half-hour breakdowns in total viewers and Adults 18-49 for Game 1 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final:
8:00 p.m. – 4.07 million viewers (#4 in it’s timeslot), 1.4 18-49 (#2)
8:30 p.m. – 4.32 million viewers (#4), 1.6 18-49 (t#2)
9:00 p.m. – 4.20 million viewers (#4), 1.7 18-49 (#3)
9:30 p.m. – 4.88 million viewers (#4), 2.0 18-49 (#3)
10:00 p.m. – 4.32 million viewers (#2), 1.8 18-49 (#1)
10:30 p.m. – 5.40 million viewers (#2), 2.3 18-49 (#1)
Puck The Media 
It appears as though the intermissions just kill the half-hour viewership numbers. The drop at 9:00 and 10:00 indicates that quite clearly.