Not only did NBC get good ratings for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between Boston and Vancouver, CBC saw record viewership in Canada for Hockey Night in Canada, making it the most watched NHL in the network’s history. The only other game that had a higher viewership on the network was the Gold Medal Game between the USA and Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. So let’s take a look at the press release from CBC.
CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA SHATTERS NHL PLAYOFF VIEWERSHIP RECORD
5.6 million Canadians watched opening game of Stanley Cup Final between Vancouver and Boston
Game One of the Stanley Cup Final between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins was the highest-rated NHL game in the history of CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA with average audience of 5.6 million and a peak of 7.8 million.
It is the single highest audience for an NHL playoff and regular season game on CBC, shattering the previous record of 4.96 million set in 1994 with the Game 7 Stanley Cup final match-up between the Vancouver Canucks and the New York Rangers.
It was also the second most-watched sports program on CBC, behind only the 2002 Olympic Men’s Hockey Final between Canada and the USA in Salt Lake City which drew an audience of 8.96 million viewers.
(Sources: 2011 – BBM Canada; 2002, 1994 – Nielsen Media)
And that’s all here.
