Bruins-Rangers Draws NBC’s Second Best Numbers of the Season
April 3, 2012 3 Comments
Sunday nights continued to be a good innovation for the NHL On NBC Sports Network, as a Bruins-Rangers telecast this Sunday turned into big numbers.
After a game earlier in the day on NBC between the Pens and Flyers that tied for the highest overnight rating for an April regular season game since 2000, the Boston-New York showdown drew 664,000 viewers. This marked the best numbers for NBCSN/VERSUS since opening night, and the sixth-best number for an NHL regular season game since they began covering the sport as OLN in 2005.
The game scored a 4.9 in Boston, up 86% from the 2.6 average the Bruins have gotten for prior NBCSN telecasts this season. It hit a 1.4 rating in the New York market, up 82% from the season average for Rangers games (0.7). NBCSN was #1 on cable and #3 overall on Boston TV Sunday night. Eight of the 10 most-watched games on NBC Sports Network this season have occurred on either Sunday or Wednesday.
Other NBCSN numbers from last week:
- A double-dip of the Lightning provided mixed results. Monday’s Tampa-Philadelphia game drew 411,000 viewers, while Tuesday Bolts-Bruins match-up scored only 188,000. It should come as a surprise to no one that the former was available on NBCSN in Philly, while the latter was blacked out on NBCSN in Boston.
- A not terrible 337,000 viewers tuned into the dead in the water Columbus Blue Jackets beating the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night.
(Sources: NBC Sports, John Ourand)
October 6
7:00 Boston vs. Philadelphia – 874,000
10:00 Pittsburgh vs. Vancouver – 342,000
October 7
1:00 NY Rangers vs. Los Angeles – 101,000
October 8
1:00 NY Rangers vs. Anaheim – 124,000
October 10
7:00 Tampa Bay vs. Washington – 162,000
October 11
7:30 Florida vs. Pittsburgh – 216,000
October 12
7:30 Boston vs. Carolina – 312,000
October 17
7:30 Colorado vs. Toronto – 218,000
October 18
7:30 Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota – 286,000
October 25
7:30 Tampa Bay vs. Buffalo – 338,000
October 31
7:00 San Jose vs. NY Rangers – 169,000
November 1
7:30 Anaheim vs. Washington – 258,000
November 2
7:30 Philadelphia vs. Buffalo – 558,000
November 7
7:30 NY Islanders vs. Boston - 195,000
November 8
7:30 Carolina vs. New Jersey - 241,000
November 9
7:30 Philadelphia vs. Tampa Bay - 411,000
November 14
7:00 Buffalo vs. Montreal – 323,000
November 15
7:30 Colorado vs. Pittsburgh – 392,000
November 16
7:30 New Jersey vs. Buffalo - 285,000
November 21
7:30 NY Islanders vs. Pittsburgh – 198,000
November 22
7:30 Los Angeles vs. St. Louis – 245,000
November 28
7:30 Tampa Bay vs. Minnesota – 232,000
November 29
7:30 Pittsburgh vs. NY Rangers – 394,000
November 30
7:30 Tampa Bay vs. Detroit – 393,000
December 5
8:00 Phoenix vs. Chicago – 302,000 viewers
December 6
7:30 Detroit vs. St. Louis – 259,000
December 7
7:30 Philadelphia vs. Buffalo – 585,000
December 12
7:30 New Jersey vs. Tampa Bay – 201,000
December 13
9:00 San Jose vs. Colorado – 193,000
December 14
7:30 Chicago vs. Minnesota – 540,000
December 19
7:30 Anaheim vs. Dallas - 149,000
December 20
7:30 Chicago vs. Pittsburgh - 634,000
December 21
7:30 Philadelphia vs. Dallas - 462,000
December 26
7:30 Dallas vs. St. Louis - 270,000
December 27
7:30 St. Louis vs. Detroit - 195,000
December 28
7:30 NY Rangers vs. Washington - 327,000
January 2
8:00 San Jose vs. Vancouver – 267,000
January 3
8:00 Detroit vs. Dallas – 188,000
January 4
7:30 Boston vs. New Jersey – 435,000
January 8
7:30 Detroit vs. Chicago – 587,000
January 10
7:30 San Jose vs. Minnesota – 237,000
January 11
7:30 Pittsburgh vs. Washington – 526,000
January 15
7:30 NY Rangers vs. Montreal – 202,000
January 16
7:30 Dallas vs. St. Louis - 238,000
January 17
7:30 Nashville vs. NY Rangers - 224,000
January 18
7:30 Buffalo vs. Chicago - 466,000
January 23
7:30 St. Louis vs. Detroit – 429,000
January 24
9:00 Minnesota vs. Colorado - 190,000
January 25
7:30 Detroit vs. Montreal - 241,000
January 28
7:00 Super-Skills Competition - 1.1 million
January 29
4:00 All-Star Game - 1.3 million
January 31
7:30 Washington vs. Tampa Bay - 264,000
February 1
7:30 NY Rangers vs. Buffalo - 478,000
February 5
12:30 Boston vs. Washington - 455,000
February 6
8:00 Detroit vs. Phoenix - 263,000
February 7
7:30 Los Angeles vs. Tampa Bay - 155,000
February 8
7:30 Boston vs. Buffalo - 455,000
February 12
7:30 Philadelphia vs. Detroit - 600,000
February 13
7:30 San Jose vs. Washington - 351,000
February 14
7:30 Anaheim vs. Minnesota - 173,000
February 15
7:30 Boston vs. Montreal - 417,000
February 19
6:00 New Jersey vs. Montreal - 203,000
February 20
7:30 Washington vs. Carolina - 171,000
February 21
8:00 Detroit vs. Chicago - 228,000
February 22
9:00 Los Angeles vs. Colorado - 166,000
February 26
7:00 Chicago vs. Anaheim - 370,000
February 27
7:30 New Jersey vs. NY Rangers - 287,000
February 28
7:30 Los Angeles vs. Minnesota - 156,000
February 29
7:30 Pittsburgh vs. Dallas - 456,000
March 6
9:00 Minnesota vs. Colorado - 167,000
March 11
8:00 Los Angeles vs. Chicago – 397,000
March 12
9:00 Anaheim vs. Colorado - 180,000
March 13
7:30 Carolina vs. NY Rangers - 292,000
March 14
7:30 Colorado vs. Buffalo - 366,000
March 15
7:00 Pittsburgh vs. NY Rangers - 195,000
March 18
7:00 Washington vs. Chicago - 411,000
March 26
7:30 Tampa Bay vs. Philadelphia - 411,000
March 27
7:30 Tampa Bay vs. Boston - 188,000
March 28
7:30 Detroit vs. Columbus - 337,000
April 1
7:00 Boston vs. NY Rangers - 664,000
10 Most-watched Games on NBCSN This Season
1. Boston vs. Philadelphia (10/6/11) - 874,000
2. Boston vs. NY Rangers (4/1/12) - 664,000
3. Chicago vs. Pittsburgh (12/20/11) - 634,000
4. Philadelphia vs. Detroit (2/12/12) - 600,000
5. Detroit vs. Chicago (1/8/12) - 587,000
6. Philadelphia vs. Buffalo (12/7/11) - 585,000
7. Philadelphia vs. Buffalo (11/2/11) – 558,000
8. Chicago vs. Minnesota (12/14/11) – 540,000
9. Pittsburgh vs. Washington (1/11/12) – 526,000
10. NY Rangers vs. Buffalo (2/1/12) – 478,000
10 Least-watched Games on NBCSN this Season
1. NY Rangers vs. Los Angeles (10/7/11)* – 101,000
2. NY Rangers vs. Anaheim (10/8/11)* – 124,000
3. Anaheim vs. Dallas (12/19/11) – 149,000
4. Los Angeles vs. Tampa Bay (2/7/12) – 155,000
5. Los Angeles vs. Minnesota (2/28/12) - 156,000
6. Tampa Bay vs. Washington* (10/10/11) – 162,000
7. Los Angeles vs. Colorado (2/22/12) - 166,000
8. Minnesota vs. Colorado (3/6/12) - 167,000
9. San Jose vs. NY Rangers* (10/31/11) – 169,000
10. Washington vs. Carolina* (2/20/12) - 171,000
*-was blacked out in one or both of the home markets.
About stevelepore
This is the problem with local blackouts these day for Hockey, NBC should have structured the contract similar like ESPN’s NBA one, especially for the late season games that would be getting flexed in with no restrictions on viewers.
Of the 664,000 viewers how many were in boston.I have been to NYC many times and I have yet to meet a rangers fan.
Sunday nite is a no brainer. Everyone is home looking for something worthwhile to watch. Good matchups will get strong ratings.