This from NBC Sports Group, the cable networks carrying NHL Stanley Cup Playoff games, CNBC and NBCSN are seeing significant increases from the year before. For the 2014 postseason, CNBC and NBCSN have had viewership increase by 63% from 2013 to an average audience of 521,000 people for the first five days of the 2014 postszeason.
In addition, NBCSN is averaging 621,000 for 10 games which is up 61% from last year’s 386,000. CNBC is seeing an average of 295,000 viewers for four games, up 25% from last year’s 236,000 for seven games.
What has helped is the new format stressing divisional rivalries like Philadelphia vs. New York Rangers and having Boston and Detroit play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 1957.
Overall, a very good NHL postseason thus far.
2014 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS UP 63% ON CABLE THROUGH FIRST 5 DAYS
Viewership for NBCSN Games Up 61%; CNBC Games Up 25%
Saturday’s Blackhawks-Blues Viewership on NBC Up 52% vs. Comparable 2013 Game
Nearly 19 Million Minutes of Stanley Cup Playoffs Consumed on NBC Sports Live Extra Through First 5 Days, Up 532%STAMFORD, Conn. – April 22, 2014 – On the strength of a new playoff format that has emphasized divisional rivalries in the first round, NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the first five days of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs has generated significant viewership and consumption increases for its coverage across NBC, NBCSN, CNBC and NBC Sports Live Extra, the live streaming product for NBC Sports Group.
Interest in this year’s postseason has been bolstered by:
- Six two-goal comebacks so far this postseason, just two fewer than the total of eight for the entire 2013 playoffs.
- Twelve one-goal games;
- The Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings meeting in the postseason for the first time since 1957;
- The New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers matching up in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years;
- The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues meeting for the first time in 12 years
Following are viewership highlights through the first five days of the playoffs (April 16-20):
CABLE COVERAGE
NBCSN is averaging 621,000 viewers (10 games), up 61% vs. 2013 (386,000 for 10 games). In its third year of televising Stanley Cup Playoff games, CNBC is averaging 295,000 viewers (four games), its best ever through five days and up 25% vs. 2013 (236,000 for seven games).
Overall cable coverage (NBCSN and CNBC), which is blacked out in the home markets during the first round, is averaging 521,000 viewers (14 games), up 63% compared to the first five days of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs (320,000 for 17 games).
With 850,000 viewers, Saturday’s Columbus-Pittsburgh Game 2 ranks as NBCSN’s most-watched game in the first week of the playoffs on record. The contest peaked at 1.2 million viewers from 10:15-10:30 p.m. ET.
NBC COVERAGE
NBC aired three 2014 Stanley Cup Playoff games this past weekend, however, final viewership figures are only available for Saturday’s matchup. Game 2 of the Blackhawks-Blues (3-6:30 p.m. ET, OT) averaged 1.855 million viewers, up 52% from the comparable game in 2013 (NYR-Was, 1.217 viewers, 5/4/13).
Overnight ratings for Sunday’s playoff doubleheader were both up vs. the comparable games in 2013. In the early contest, Game 2 of Flyers-Rangers (12-3 p.m. ET) delivered a 1.6 overnight, up 14% vs. Penguins-Islanders Game 3 (1.4, 5/5/13). In the late window (3-6 p.m. ET), Red Wings-Bruins Game 2 produced a 1.8 rating in the metered markets, up 20% vs. Blackhawks-Wild Game 3 (1.5, 5/5/13).
LIVE STREAMING
Through the first five days, NBC Sports Live Extra’s live streaming coverage of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs has delivered 18.8 million minutes, 206,000 unique viewers, 508,000 visits and 1.22 million live starts. Those figures are up 532% (2.98 million minutes), 482% (36,000 uniques), 469% (89,000 visits), and 739% (145,000 live starts), respectively, vs. the first five days of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Games are averaging 1.11 million minutes consumed, 26,000 unique viewers, 30,000 visits and 72,000 live starts in 2014. Game 1 of Blackhawks-Blues, which went into triple overtime, has generated the most consumption with 2.7 million minutes.
All games airing on NBCSN and CNBC were streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to authenticated customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.
Following are the top five games in minutes consumed (*Required authentication):
April 17 Game 1 Blackhawks-Blues 2.70 million* April 19 Game 2 Blackhawks-Blues 2.40 million April 20 Game 2 Red Wings-Bruins 1.85 million April 20 Game 2 Flyers-Rangers 1.57 million April 19 Game 2 Blue Jackets-Penguins 1.54 million*
And we’re done here.
