Final Numbers For Game 5

From Sports Media Watch:

The Blackhawks’ Game 5 win over the Flyers drew a 3.3 final rating and 5.8 million viewers on NBC Sunday night, up 38% in ratings and 32% in viewership from Penguins/Red Wings Game 5 last year (2.4, 4.4 mil), down 11% and 6%, respectively, from Penguins/Red Wings Game 5 in ’08 (3.8, 6.2 mil), and up 83% and 102%, respectively, from Ducks/Senators Game 5 in ’07 (1.8, 2.9 mil).

Last year’s Game 5 aired on Saturday night, the lowest rated night of the week. Game 5 in 2008 aired on a Monday night and went triple-overtime. Game 5 in 2007 aired on a Wednesday night and was the final game of the series.

This marks the second-highest rated, second-most viewed Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final since Red Wings/Hurricanes Game 5 on ABC in 2002 (4.2, 6.8 mil).

It should be added that, through five games, the Stanley Cup Final is averaging 4.56 million viewers on NBC and VERSUS.  This is up 10% from the average through five games last year of 4.12 million.

NHL Hits TV Top 25

From TV By the Numbers, where you can get the full numbers here:

The two NHL Stanley Cup Finals games on NBC placed #14 and #16 for adults 18-49. The viewership for the two games on Versus will be in the cable weekly top 25 post.

Bettman Talks TV Deal

From Broadcasting & Cable:

Your broadcasting and cable deals are up after next season. Have you started negotiating with NBC, Comcast and any other parties?

No.

Why not?

First of all, we have contractually called-for negotiating periods, which are during next season, and my guess is at some point we may start chatting informally, but at this point it’s probably premature on all sides.

With NBC, you’ve got a revenue sharing deal. Are you looking to get something that’s more rights-fee-oriented?

I don’t think at this stage it would make sense for me to discuss publicly what it is I’m prepared to discuss with my partners.

In terms of revenue sharing, ratings are up a lot this year. Is the NHL making money from this year’s deal with NBC?

We’ve made money every year.

How much more this year?

We haven’t had this year’s accounting yet. I presume so.

VERSUS Slumps to 3.1 Million For Game 4

For the first time in this series, a Stanley Cup Final broadcast disappointed.

The NHL On VERSUS drew 3.1 million viewers for their broadcast of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Friday night.  This is down 9% from last year’s Game 4, which aired on a Thursday night and featured Detroit vs. Pittsburgh.  It is the first game of this year’s series to go down from the 2009 Final.  The game was also, as Darren Rovell of CNBC points out, beaten by the National Spelling Bee Championship on ABC.  Sigh.

Anyway, the NHL Stanley Cup Final averaged 4.25 million viewers through its’ first four games (1-2 on NBC, 3-4 on VERSUS) up 5% from 4.05 million after four games last year.  VERSUS’ two broadcasts of the Final averaged 3.369 million viewers, also up 5% from the 3.212 million average from last year’s Game 3-4, and the network’s best two-game average for the Final on record.