60 Million Tune Into Round One

NEW YORK (April 30, 2012) – The 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs have benefited from the new broadcast format making every game available to a national audience in the U.S. for the first time. More than 60 million individual viewers tuned in for all or part of the first round on national and regional sports network telecasts. In the United States alone, more than 39 million individuals watched all or part of the first round either on NBC, NBC Sports Network, CNBC, NHL Network or an RSN, and 21.2 million watched across Canada on CBC, TSN, TSN2, RDS, RDS2 and RDSI.

 

“Having every game nationally broadcast is allowing our fans to get engaged with the story lines from the very beginning,” said NHL Chief Operating Officer John Collins. “With so many great match-ups, one-goal games, overtimes and the unpredictability that comes with the Stanley Cup Playoffs, fans are showing up in record numbers across multiple platforms. It shows us there is more room for growth as we make it easier for both avid and casual fans to follow the Stanley Cup Playoffs.”

 

NHL.com also showed impressive gains in traffic for the first round of the playoffs. The site attracted a record 15 million unique visitors, an increase of 11 percent over last year’s Conference Quarterfinals and averaged 1.8M U.V.s per day, up 13 percent year-over-year. NHL.com page views (13 percent), visits (23 percent) and video starts (29 percent) also were up significantly.

 

Fans logged on through their mobile phones in record numbers as well, with mobile web page views up 46 percent for the first round. Average daily mobile app visits were up a remarkable 105 percent compared to the regular season, demonstrating the significance of Stanley Cup Playoffs content available through hand-held devices.

 

The Top 5 Most-Watched Games from the 2012 Conference Quarterfinals:

*Total gross viewership US National, US RSN, and Canada National

 

1. Boston @ Washington Game 6 April 22

2. Washington @ Boston Game 7 April 25

3. Pittsburgh @ Philadelphia Game 3 April 15

4. Ottawa @ New York Rangers Game 7 April 26

5. Los Angeles @ Vancouver Game 5 April 17

 

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Your Announcers and Open Thread for Night 20 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Washington vs. NY Rangers, Game 2 (NYR Leads 1-0), 7:30 p.m. ET

US National TV: NBC Sports Network
Play by Play: Rick Peckham
Inside the Glass: Eddie Olczyk

Canada National TV: CBC
Play by Play: Jim Hughson
Color: Craig Simpson
Inside the Glass: Glenn Healy
Reporter: Elliotte Friedman

Los Angeles vs. St. Louis, Game 2 (LA Leads 1-0), 9:00 p.m. ET

US National TV: CNBC
Play by Play: Dave Strader
Color: Brian Engblom and Brian Hayward

Canada National TV: TSN

Play by Play: Chris Cuthbert
Inside the Glass: Ray Ferraro

Philadelphia, New York All Post Ratings Gains on NBC Over the Weekend

The Flyers may be has popular as they have ever been in the city of brotherly love.

Game 1 between the Flyers and Devils drew a massive 14.6 rating in the Philadelphia market. That’s up a whopping 121% from last year’s Flyers/Bruins Game 1 on NBC, which drew a 6.6. The game out-rated NBC’s telecast of Pens/Flyers Game 3 from two weeks ago, and easily out-did the Winter Classic in Philadelphia earlier this year.

Meanwhile, in New York, both the Rangers and Devils performed quite well. The Rangers game against the Capitals on Saturday drew a 3.5 rating in New York, despite facing competition from the Knicks in the post-season, and the Yankees in the regular season. That number was up 17% from the last early Rangers semi-final game on NBC, against Pittsburgh in 2008.

The Devils numbers may prove more impressive. The New York market drew a 2.5 for the overtime loss. That was the highest number for a Devils game in the New York market since 2006, when the Devils and Rangers cross-pollinated and drew a 2.8. It was also up 92% from the last Devils playoff game on NBC, against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2007.

The only semi-negative figures came out Washington, where the nation’s capital drew a 5.2 overnight for Rangers/Caps, down a tick from Game 1 of the semifinal between the Penguins and Capitals in 2009.

Over on NBC Sports Network, the network was #1 in St. Louis on Saturday with an 8.3 local rating for the Blues Game 1 loss to Los Angeles, a record in the market. Los Angeles drew an 0.8 rating for the game. Meanwhile, Nashville (4.7) and Phoenix (3.8) had NBCSN at #1 on cable in their respective markets for Game 2 between the Predators and Coyotes.

(Source: NBC Sports)

Devils/Flyers Tops Weekend, Up 16% from 2011

NBC’s Sunday telecast of Devils/Flyers drew the best numbers for a second-round game since 2004.

New Jersey’s overtime loss to Philadelphia drew a 1.9 overnight rating, up 16% from comparable coverage last year of Game 2 between the Red Wings and Sharks. It was the best overnight since regional coverage of Flames/Red Wings and Sharks/Avalanche in 2004 on ABC.

NBC is currently averaging a 1.8 overnight through three weeks of playoff coverage, amassing eight telecasts. This is up 12% from the average at this point last year (1.4).

Stanley Cup Playoff Ratings on NBC Since 2006

2012
April 14 – Washington vs. Boston, Game 2: 1.5
April 15 – Nashville vs. Detroit, Game 3: 1.5
April 15 – Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia, Game 3: 2.3
April 21 – Washington vs. Boston, Game 5: 1.5
April 22 – Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia, Game 6: 2.4
April 23 – Boston vs. Washington, Game 6: 2.5
April 29 – Washington vs. NY Rangers, Game 1: 1.5
April 30 – New Jersey vs. Philadelphia, Game 1: 1.9
Average: 1.8

2011
Apr. 16 – Phoenix vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.1 
Apr. 17 – Washington vs. NY Rangers, Game 3: 1.3
Apr. 23 – NY Rangers vs. Washington, Game 5: 1.3
Apr. 24 – Philadelphia vs. Buffalo, Game 6: 1.6
Apr. 30 – Boston vs. Philadelphia, Game 1: 1.5
May 1 – Detroit vs. San Jose, Game 2: 1.6
May 21 – Boston vs. Tampa Bay, Game 4: 1.5
May 22 – Vancouver vs. San Jose, Game 4: 1.3
Average: 1.4

2010
Apr. 17 – Boston vs. Buffalo, Game 2: 1.2
Apr. 18 – Phoenix vs. Detroit, Game 3: 1.5
Apr. 24 – Nashville vs. Chicago, Game 5: 1.3
Apr. 25 – Phoenix vs. Detroit, Game 6: 1.3
May 1 – Philadelphia vs. Boston, Game 1: 1.6
May 2 – Montreal vs. Pittsburgh, Game 2: 1.6
May 16 – Chicago vs. San Jose, Game 1: 1.7
May 22 – Philadelphia vs. Montreal, Game 4: 1.6
May 23 – San Jose vs. Chicago, Game 4: 2.0
Average: 1.5

2009

Apr. 18 – NY Rangers vs. Washington, Game 2: 1.0
Apr. 19 – Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia, Game 3: 1.7
Apr. 25 – Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia, Game 6: 1.2
Apr. 26 – Washington vs. NY Rangers, Game 6: 1.0
May 2 – Pittsburgh vs. Washington, Game 1: 1.4
May 3 – Anaheim vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.3
May 17 – Chicago vs. Detroit, Game 1: 2.0
May 24 – Detroit vs. Chicago, Game 4: 1.5
Average: 1.3

2008
April 12 – Nashville vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.0
April 13 – Philadelphia vs. Washington, Game 2: 1.0
April 19 – Philadelphia vs. Washington, Game 5: 1.2
April 20 – Detroit vs. Nashville, Game 6: 1.3
April 26 – Colorado vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.0
April 27 – NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh, Game 2: 1.2 
May 4 – NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh, Game 5: 1.5
May 17 – Dallas vs. Detroit, Game 5: 1.5
May 18 – Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh, Game 5: 1.7
Average: 1.2

2007
April 14 – Regional Coverage (PIT vs. OTT, NYR vs. ATL): 1.2
April 15 – Calgary vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.4
April 21 – Calgary vs. Detroit, Game 5: 0.9
April 22 – New Jersey vs. Tampa Bay, Game 6: 1.1
April 28 – San Jose vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.0
April 29 – Buffalo vs. NY Rangers, Game 3: 1.3
May 5 – San Jose vs. Detroit, Game 5: 1.4
May 6 – Buffalo vs. NY Rangers, Game 6: 1.4
May 19 – Ottawa vs. Buffalo, Game 5: 0.9
May 20 – Anaheim vs. Detroit, Game 5: 1.4
Average: 1.2

2006
April 22 – Regional Coverage (NYR vs. NJ, COL vs. DAL): 1.3
April 23 – Regional Coverage (EDM vs. DET, SJ vs. NSH): 1.5
April 29 – Regional Coverage (NJ vs. NYR, EDM vs. DET): 1.2
April 30 – Regional Coverage (PHI vs. BUF, COL vs. DAL): 1.5
May 6 – New Jersey vs. Carolina, Game 1: 1.1
May 7 – Colorado vs. Anaheim, Game 2: 0.9
May 13 – Carolina vs. New Jersey, Game 4: 1.0
May 20 – Buffalo vs. Carolina, Game 1: 1.2

(Source: SportsBusiness Daily, NBC Sports)
Average: 1.2

Rangers/Capitals Down from Round One Blockbusters, Even with 2011

The Stanley Cup Playoffs came back to earth on Saturday, but didn’t drop from what we’d usually seen on the first half of the weekend this year.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal between the Rangers and Capitals drew a 1.5 overnight rating, even with 2011’s Game 1 between the Bruins and Flyers, but down a tick from the 1.6 for Game 1 between Boston and Philadelphia in 2010.

The numbers are even with what two games between the Capitals and Bruins drew on the prior two Saturdays in round one. It’s also worth noting that the Rangers were up against the Knicks in the postseason, as well as a Yankees regular season game in the same timeslot, likely diluting one of the two key local markets. That will not happen when NBC televises Game 4 next week.

We’ll know if this is a negative trend a little bit better when we see the numbers for the overtime thriller between Philadelphia and New Jersey around mid-day. Stay tuned.

(Source: @RichSandomir)

Stanley Cup Playoff Ratings on NBC Since 2006

2012
April 14 – Washington vs. Boston, Game 2: 1.5
April 15 – Nashville vs. Detroit, Game 3: 1.5
April 15 – Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia, Game 3: 2.3
April 21 – Washington vs. Boston, Game 5: 1.5
April 22 – Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia, Game 6: 2.4
April 23 – Boston vs. Washington, Game 6: 2.5
April 29 – Washington vs. NY Rangers, Game 1: 1.5

2011
Apr. 16 – Phoenix vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.1 
Apr. 17 – Washington vs. NY Rangers, Game 3: 1.3
Apr. 23 – NY Rangers vs. Washington, Game 5: 1.3
Apr. 24 – Philadelphia vs. Buffalo, Game 6: 1.6
Apr. 30 – Boston vs. Philadelphia, Game 1: 1.5
May 1 – Detroit vs. San Jose, Game 2: 1.6
May 21 – Boston vs. Tampa Bay, Game 4: 1.5
May 22 – Vancouver vs. San Jose, Game 4: 1.3
Average: 1.4

2010
Apr. 17 – Boston vs. Buffalo, Game 2: 1.2
Apr. 18 – Phoenix vs. Detroit, Game 3: 1.5
Apr. 24 – Nashville vs. Chicago, Game 5: 1.3
Apr. 25 – Phoenix vs. Detroit, Game 6: 1.3
May 1 – Philadelphia vs. Boston, Game 1: 1.6
May 2 – Montreal vs. Pittsburgh, Game 2: 1.6
May 16 – Chicago vs. San Jose, Game 1: 1.7
May 22 – Philadelphia vs. Montreal, Game 4: 1.6
May 23 – San Jose vs. Chicago, Game 4: 2.0
Playoff Average: 1.5

2009

Apr. 18 – NY Rangers vs. Washington, Game 2: 1.0
Apr. 19 – Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia, Game 3: 1.7
Apr. 25 – Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia, Game 6: 1.2
Apr. 26 – Washington vs. NY Rangers, Game 6: 1.0
May 2 – Pittsburgh vs. Washington, Game 1: 1.4
May 3 – Anaheim vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.3
May 17 – Chicago vs. Detroit, Game 1: 2.0
May 24 – Detroit vs. Chicago, Game 4: 1.5
Playoff Average: 1.3

2008
April 12 – Nashville vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.0
April 13 – Philadelphia vs. Washington, Game 2: 1.0
April 19 – Philadelphia vs. Washington, Game 5: 1.2
April 20 – Detroit vs. Nashville, Game 6: 1.3
April 26 – Colorado vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.0
April 27 – NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh, Game 2: 1.2 
May 4 – NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh, Game 5: 1.5
May 17 – Dallas vs. Detroit, Game 5: 1.5
May 18 – Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh, Game 5: 1.7

2007
April 14 – Regional Coverage (PIT vs. OTT, NYR vs. ATL): 1.2
April 15 – Calgary vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.4
April 21 – Calgary vs. Detroit, Game 5: 0.9
April 22 – New Jersey vs. Tampa Bay, Game 6: 1.1
April 28 – San Jose vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.0
April 29 – Buffalo vs. NY Rangers, Game 3: 1.3
May 5 – San Jose vs. Detroit, Game 5: 1.4
May 6 – Buffalo vs. NY Rangers, Game 6: 1.4
May 19 – Ottawa vs. Buffalo, Game 5: 0.9
May 20 – Anaheim vs. Detroit, Game 5: 1.4

2006
April 22 – Regional Coverage (NYR vs. NJ, COL vs. DAL): 1.3
April 23 – Regional Coverage (EDM vs. DET, SJ vs. NSH): 1.5
April 29 – Regional Coverage (NJ vs. NYR, EDM vs. DET): 1.2
April 30 – Regional Coverage (PHI vs. BUF, COL vs. DAL): 1.5
May 6 – New Jersey vs. Carolina, Game 1: 1.1
May 7 – Colorado vs. Anaheim, Game 2: 0.9
May 13 – Carolina vs. New Jersey, Game 4: 1.0
May 20 – Buffalo vs. Carolina, Game 1: 1.2

Your Announcers and Open Thread for Day 19 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs

New Jersey vs. Philadelphia, Game 1, 3:00 p.m. ET

US National TV: NBC
Play by Play: Mike Emrick
Color: Eddie Olczyk
Inside the Glass: Pierre McGuire

Canada National TV: CBC
Play by Play: Bob Cole
Color: Gary Galley
Reporter: Scott Oake

Nashville vs. Phoenix, Game 2 (NSH Leads 1-0), 8:00 p.m. ET

US National TV: NBC Sports Network
Play by Play: John Forslund
Inside the Glass: Joe Micheletti

Canada National TV: TSN
Play by Play: Chris Cuthbert
Inside the Glass: Ray Ferraro

Your Announcers and Open Thread for Day 18 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Washington vs. NY Rangers, Game 1, 3:00 p.m. ET

US National TV: NBC
Play by Play: Mike Emrick
Color: Eddie Olczyk
Inside the Glass: Pierre McGuire

Canada National TV: CBC
Play by Play: Jim Hughson
Color: Craig Simpson
Inside the Glass: Glenn Healy
Reporter: Elliotte Friedman

Los Angeles vs. St. Louis, Game 1, 7:30 p.m. ET

US National TV: NBC Sports Network
Play by Play: Dave Strader
Inside the Glass: Brian Engblom

Canada National TV: TSN
Play by Play: Chris Cuthbert
Inside the Glass: Ray Ferraro

Rangers and Devils Draw Big Local Numbers For Game 7

Both the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils emerged victorious in tense Game 7’s of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series on Thursday, and the MSG people were there to reap the benefits.

The Rangers Game 7 win over the Ottawa Senators drew a 5.4 overnight in the New York market, marking the best rating for a Rangers game on MSG since Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final, the last time the Rangers won a championship. The game peaked with an 8.5 in the area at 9:30.

While the Devils are obviously lower on the totem pole in the area, New Jersey’s team also posted stellar numbers for their double overtime Game 7 victory over the Florida Panthers. The game drew a 1.7 overnight in the New York market (which includes parts of Connecticut, NYC and the Devils base in North and Central Jersey). That marks the best rating for a Devils game on MSG Plus since Game 6 of the team’s 2001 Eastern Semifinal against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The game peaked with a 3.4 at 11:30, 45 minutes before Adam Henrique’s game-winner.

(Sources: John Ourand, Richard Sandomir, Fire & Ice)

Your Announcers and Open Thread for Night 17 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Nashville vs. Phoenix, Game 1, 9:00 p.m. ET

US National TV: NBC Sports Network
Play by Play: John Forslund
Inside the Glass: Joe Micheletti

Canada National TV: TSN
Play by Play: Gord Miller
Inside the Glass: Darren Pang

NBC Has the Most-Watched First Round Ever on Broadcast and Cable

NEW YORK – April 27, 2012 – On the strength of a record 16 overtime games, 32 one-goal games, and a new television format that televised every first-round game nationally for the first time, the Conference Quarterfinals of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs delivered record-setting viewership. According to Fast National data released today by The Nielsen Company, the 2012 Conference Quarterfinals:

Averaged 929,000 viewers across NBC, NBC Sports Network and CNBC, making them the most-watched first round on record (cable data not available prior to 1994);

Averaged 744,000 viewers on NBC Sports Network, making them the most-watched in NBC Sports Network history (formerly VERSUS), up 16% from last year (642,000), and the highest on a cable channel in 11 years (ESPN, 745,000 in 2001);

Averaged 2.57 million viewers on NBC for six broadcasts, up 39 percent compared to last year (1.85 million, four games), and making them the most-watched on a broadcast network in 14 years, since Fox averaged 2.76 million viewers in 1998 (two games);

Reached 30.9 million total viewers across NBC, NBC Sports Network and CNBC, (excluding last night’s two Game 7s), up 29% vs. last year (23.9 million).

In addition to the success of the Conference Quarterfinals as a whole, a number of single games also broke records or set milestones. Following are the top-performing games on each channel:

NBC: Capitals-Bruins Game 6 on Sunday, April 22, averaged 3.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched Conference Quarterfinal game since the advent of Nielsen People Meters (1987).

NBC Sports Network: The 1.32 million viewers for Wednesday night’s Capitals-Bruins Game 7 made it the most-watched first-round game on cable in 12 years, since 1.51 million viewers watched San Jose-St. Louis Game 7 in 2000 (ESPN). It was also up 43 percent vs. last year’s comparable game (926,000; Was-Mon, Game 7) and was the most-watched first-round game in NBC Sports Network (formerly VERSUS) history.

CNBC: Coverage of the Conference Quarterfinals on CNBC peaked with 621,000 viewers for Coyotes-Blackhawks Game 6 on Monday, April 23. There is no comparison to last year as this is the first year that all NHL playoff games are being televised nationally.

Game 7s: Last night’s two Game 7s delivered strong viewership for NBC Sports Network. The Senators-Rangers game, in which the Rangers won, 2-1, in regulation, went head-to-head with the NFL Draft on two networks and was watched by 984,000 viewers on the NBC Sports Network, up 6% vs. last year’s comparable game (926,000, Bos-Was, Game 7).

The Devils-Panthers contest that saw the Devils advance, 3-2, in double overtime, began on NHL Network and then was simulcast on NBC Sports Network once the Senators-Rangers game had concluded. Devils-Panthers averaged 867,000 viewers for the portions of the game that aired on NBC Sports Network with no joined-in-progress comparison to last year.

NBCSports.com: NHL Extra, which live streams games broadcast on NBC, is up 233% in visits, 208% in unique users, and 276% in live starts over last year. Visitors are also staying on the site 288% longer than last year. During the Conference Quarterfinals, ProHockeyTalk experienced record traffic with 445,000 unique viewers, 526,000 visits, and 1.5 million views.