Ok, let’s do this.
NEWS
The 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Final ended up being the second most-watched series on record just below the most-watched 2013 SCF between Boston and Chicago. This year’s series averaged 5.551 million viewers which is just off from 2013 which averaged 5.753 million.
For Game 6 on Monday, the series-clincher for Chicago averaged a 4.4 rating and reached just over 8 million viewers. It ranks 3rd among all Games 6 in U.S. TV history and it’s the fourth most-watched SCF game on record. In the last quarter-hour, the viewership peaked at an impressive 10.9 million viewers.
Locally, Chicago averaged its highest-ever rating for a Blackhawks game with a 41 rating and a 57 share. And the Windy City number is the highest rating for a non-Game 7 on NBC.
Tampa averaged a very good 15.2 rating.
Here’s the 1,400-word press release from NBC.
CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 15: The Chicago Blackhawks pose with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 2-0 in Game Six to win the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the United Center on June 15, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
2015 STANLEY CUP FINAL IS SECOND-MOST WATCHED ON RECORD
GAME 6 AVERAGES MORE THAN 8 MILLION VIEWERS, THIRD-MOST FOR A GAME 6 ON RECORD
2015 Stanley Cup Final Averages 5.551 Million Viewers, Up 11% vs. 2014 Final
Game 6 Wins Night for NBC in Primetime
Chicago Delivers Best-Ever 41.0 HH Rating for Game 6; Tampa Posts Second-Best 15.2
2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs Are Third-Most Watched in 18 Years
Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Tampa & Washington D.C. Set Playoff Viewership Milestones
Game 6 Ranks No. 1 in Uniques All-Time Among Authenticated NHL Games on NBC Sports Live ExtraSTAMFORD, Conn. – June 16, 2015 – The 2015 Stanley Cup Final averaged 5.551 million viewers and a 3.19 HH rating across NBC and NBCSN, making it the second-most watched Final on record (since 1994), according to The Nielsen Company. In addition, Monday night’s deciding game on NBC (8:08-11:16 p.m. ET), in which the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 to claim their third Stanley Cup in six years, averaged 8.005 million viewers and delivered a 4.44 HH rating, making it the third-most watched Stanley Cup Final Game 6 on record.
Game 6 was the culmination of one of the most competitive Stanley Cup Finals in history. It was the first time in 64 years that each of the first five games were decided by one goal, and until late in the third period last night, when Chicago went ahead 2-0, no team had had more than a one-goal lead throughout the series.
Overall, the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs (88 games) averaged 1.430 million viewers across NBC, NBCSN, CNBC and USA Network, making it the third-most watched post-season in 18 years.
NBC Sports Live Extra and numerous local markets also scored record metrics throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
STANLEY CUP FINAL
The 5.551 million viewers for the six-game 2015 Stanley Cup Final makes it the second-most watched on record, trailing only the 2013 Final, which featured the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins and averaged 5.753 million viewers through six games. This year’s Final is up 11% vs. last year, which featured the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings and ended in five games (5.009).
Among the six Stanley Cup Finals on record to average at least 5.0 million viewers since 1994, NBC/NBCSN has televised four of them, including each of the past three years.
Following are the most-watched Stanley Cup Finals on record and the only ones to average more than 5.0 million viewers:
Rank Series Network Games Avg. Viewers 1 2013 Chicago-Boston NBC/NBCSN 6 Games 5.753 million 2 2015 Tampa Bay-Chicago NBC/NBCSN 6 Games 5.551 million 3 1997 Detroit-Philadelphia FOX/ESPN 4 Games 5.289 million 4 2010 Chicago-Philadelphia NBC/NBCSN 6 Games 5.167 million 5 2002 Detroit-Carolina ABC/ESPN 5 Games 5.112 million 6 2014 New York-Los Angeles NBC/NBCSN 5 Games 5.009 million Stanley Cup Final Local
Chicago led all local markets during the Final, averaging a 27.3 HH rating, which is up 24% vs. the Blackhawks two most-recent Final appearances in 2013 and 2010 (22.0 for both). Tampa delivered a 14.9 HH rating for the six games. Buffalo (7.1) was the top market among cities with no team in the game.
Following are the Top 10 local markets for the entire 2015 Stanley Cup Final series:
Rank Market HH Rtg 1 Chicago 27.3 2 Tampa 14.9 3 Buffalo 7.1 4 Boston 5.2 5 Milwaukee 5.2 6 Minn-St. Paul 5.1 7 Denver 4.9 8 Ft. Myers 4.4 9 St. Louis 4.3 10 Providence 4.1 GAME 6
The 8.005 million viewers for Monday night’s deciding game rank third among Stanley Cup Final Game 6s and fourth overall for any NHL game on record. The game peaked with nearly 10.9 million viewers in the 10:45-11 p.m. ET quarter-hour.
Following are the most-watched NHL Games on record:
Rank Program Series Network Date Rtg Viewers (000) 1 Game 7 Boston at Vancouver NBC 6/15/2011 4.8 8,537 2 Game 6 Chicago at Philadelphia NBC 6/9/2010 4.7 8,279 3 Game 6 Boston at Chicago NBC 6/24/2013 4.7 8,160 4 Game 6 Tampa Bay at Chicago NBC 6/15/2015 4.4 8,005 5 Game 7 Pittsburgh at Detroit NBC 6/12/2009 4.3 7,992 Game 6 Local
The Chicago market delivered a 41.0 HH rating, its highest ever for a Blackhawks game, and a 57 share. The Chicago rating is the highest local rating for any market for a non-Game 7 on NBC. Tampa posted a 15.2 HH rating, its second-best ever on NBC.
Following are the Top 10 markets for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final:
Rank Local Market HH Rtg 1 Chicago 41.0 2 Tampa 15.2 3 Buffalo 10.5 4 Milwaukee 7.9 5 Denver 7.6 6 Minneapolis-St. Paul 7.5 7 Boston 6.7 8 Providence 5.8 8 St. Louis 5.8 10 Las Vegas 5.1 In addition, CSN Chicago, part of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, delivered a 2.1 HH rating for its Game 6 post-game coverage, up 75% compared to post-game coverage in 2013 (1.2).
Network Primetime
As a result of Game 6, NBC won the night in primetime (8-11 p.m. ET) across all key demographics, including a 2.7 rating in the advertiser-coveted A18-49 demo. Game 6 ranked as the most-watched show in primetime, ahead of all broadcast and cable competition.
Game 6 Post-Game
NBCSN’s post-game coverage (11 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. ET) averaged 609,000 viewers and a 0.33 HH rating, up 191% and 120%, respectively, vs. its coverage of the most-recent series-clinching Game 6 in 2013. It is NBCSN’s most-watched post-game show following an NBC playoff game. Viewership peaked at 1.254 million during the (11:15-11:30 p.m. ET) quarter-hour.
POST-SEASON
The 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs (88 games) averaged 1.430 million viewers and a 0.87 HH rating across NBC, NBCSN, CNBC and USA Network, making it the third-most watched post-season in 18 years (1997, FOX/ESPN, 1.523 million, 57 games), and barely trailing NBC Sports Group’s 2013 (1.466) and 2014 (1.446) coverage.
Post-Season Local
Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Tampa and Washington D.C. all posted record ratings on NBC and/or NBCSN in their respective markets throughout the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
On NBC:
- Chicago: Best game ever on NBC with a 41.0 rating vs. Tampa on 6/15 (Monday night’s Game 6)
- Los Angeles: Best non-Stanley Cup Final Ducks game ever on NBC with a 3.9 vs. Chicago on 5/30
- Minneapolis: Best game ever on NBC with a 17.3 rating vs. St Louis on 4/26
- New York: Best non-Stanley Cup Final game ever on NBC with a 5.7 rating vs. Tampa on 5/16
- Tampa: Best game ever on NBC with a 17.9 rating vs. Chicago on 6/3. Second best on record with a 15.2 to Monday night’s Game 6.
On NBCSN:
- Chicago: Best game ever on NBCSN with a 24.0 vs. Tampa on 6/8
- Minneapolis: Best game ever on NBCSN with a 14.9 rating vs. Chicago on 5/3
- New York: Best game ever on NBCSN with a 10.3 vs. Tampa on 5/29
- Tampa: Best game ever on NBCSN with a 13.9 vs. Chicago on 6/10
- Washington D.C.: Best game ever on NBCSN with a 7.9 vs. NY Rangers on 5/13
Tampa’s Stanley Cup Final appearance also led to local market records in other Florida markets on NBCSN:
- Ft. Myers: Best game on NBCSN ever (Tampa vs. Chicago) with a 3.3 on 6/8
- Miami: Best Stanley Cup Final game on NBCSN ever with a 1.6 (Tampa vs. Chicago) on 6/10
- West Palm Beach: Best game ever on NBCSN (Tampa vs. Chicago) with a 3.3 on 6/10
DIGITAL
Game 6 ranked No. 1 in uniques (223,000) among all authenticated NHL games on NBC Sports Live Extra ever. The game peaked at 136,500 uniques in the 10 p.m. ET hour. Ending in regulation, the game ranked No. 3 all-time for NHL games on Live Extra, delivering 11.1 million minutes. Uniques and minutes were up 43% and 76%, respectively, vs. the previous Game 6 in 2013 between the Blackhawks and Bruins (156,000 & 6.3 million).
For the entire series, the 2015 Stanley Cup Final delivered 700,000 uniques and nearly 55 million minutes, up 15% and 68%, respectively, vs. the 2014 Final, which featured the Rangers and Kings (606,000 & 32.5 million).
For the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs (88 games), the post-season delivered 1.833 million uniques and 252.4 million minutes, up 13% and 42%, respectively, vs. 2014 (91 games; 1.624 million & 178.0 million).
By the way, bad job by NBC dumping out of the traditional Cup skate after three skaters and then sending it to NBCSN. I know that the NBC affiliates especially in the East and Central time zones want to go to local news and then the Tonight Show, but with a good lead-in from the game, just a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt.
Now to another announcement and that’s from the NBA. In the wake of the NHL settling a lawsuit and announcing it would offer single game and individual team packages in its Center Ice package, the NBA will do the same in its League Pass out-of-market package. This will start with the 2015-16 season.
This allows fans to buy just one game on a given night or just one team for the season. Here’s the announcement:
NBA League Pass to Include Single Game & Individual Team Offerings
New Live Game Options Available for 2015-16 NBA Season
NBA LEAGUE PASS, the out-of-market live game service, will tip off the 2015-16 NBA season by providing fans with the opportunity to purchase single games and individual team packages.
The single game offering will allow fans to select individual NBA LEAGUE PASS live games on a given day during the regular season. The individual team package, available for all 30 NBA teams, will give fans the option to follow one team through the regular season.
Along with the new packages, NBA LEAGUE PASS will continue to offer its traditional, comprehensive full season package, which provides access to nearly 1,000 live out-of-market games and a rich archive of NBA content.
These new offerings will be made available during the 2015-16 season by NBA Digital to broadband and mobile subscribers on iOS and Android devices. Details on where else these new offerings may be purchased, and information regarding 2015-16 pricing for all NBA LEAGUE PASS packages, will be announced in mid-July.
NBA LEAGUE PASS is available through cable, satellite, and telco distributors and includes NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband.
NBA LEAGUE PASS is a part of NBA Digital, the NBA’s extensive cross-platform portfolio of digital assets jointly managed by the NBA and Turner Sports, which includes NBA TV, NBA Mobile, NBA.com, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.
LINKAGE
Classic TV Sports looks back at the 1985 U.S. Open with some interesting footage from the original ABC broadcast.
Sports TV Ratings reports that in a rare harmonic convergence both NBCSN and Fox Sports 1 beat ESPN in last week’s primetime ratings.
John Eggerton at Multichannel News writes that over the top video provider FilmOn has struck a deal to stream Arena Football games to its subscribers outside the U.S.
Mike Farrell of Multichannel says a Discovery Networks unit has purchased Setanta Sports Asia.
Louisa Ada Seltzer of Media Life Magazine says this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup viewership is overwhelmingly up from the 2011 edition.
Justin Peters of Slate’s soccer blog, The Spot looks at the silly comments of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith on not just women’s soccer, but over his entire career.
Paulsen at Sports Media Watch notes that the PGA Tour on CBS didn’t do as well as in past weeks.
Jeff Pearlman speaks with the always awesome Linda Cohn of ESPN.
Pop Hockey Culture looks at how OneRepublic’s “I Lived” became NBC’s NHL anthem for the 2015 postseason.
Newsday’s Neil Best has Fox’s Joe Buck discussing his upcoming U.S. Open gig.
Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette talks with new Dallas Stars voice Dave Strader.
Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times has Fox Sports U.S. Open director Mark Loomis talking about what we’ll see at Chambers Bay this week.
And wrapping up the linkage, we head north to Canada and Chris Zelkovich of Yahoo! who tells us that the NHL Playoffs on Sportsnet and CBC did not do as well as hoped in the first season under Rogers as the main NHL rightsholder in the Great White North.
NEWS YOU CAN USE
And let’s conclude this extra-long edition of the notebook with something for Chromecast users. CBS Sports Digital has announced that Chromecast users now have access to the CBS Sports app and programming that is usually available on CBSSports.com. Eventually, there will be live streaming content, but that will be announced at a later date.
CBS Sports Digital Content Now Available Through Chromecast
Sports fans and fantasy players now have the ability to cast exclusive on-demand content from the CBS Sports app and CBSSports.com to televisions using Google’s Chromecast.
Beginning today, CBS Sports Digital offers free access to a wide range of sports programming as well as daily, quick-hitting fantasy advice from the popular shows Fantasy Baseball Today, Fantasy Football Today, and Daily Fantasy Live through Chromecast. Using the Chromecast device, fans can cast video content from the CBS Sports app for iOS and Android devices and from CBSSports.com to their televisions.
The launch on Chromecast expands the reach of CBS Sports Digital to even more OTT devices. CBS Sports Digital content is also available on the Roku platform, Apple TV and Android TV.
The schedule of live streaming events available through Chromecast will be announced at a later date.
And that will wrap up this edition of the notebook.
