I thought it was a bad move for the NHL to schedule Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday night against Game 2 of the NBA Finals, but as it turned out, the ratings ended up rather decently for NBC. While Saturday is hockey night in Canada, the rating would have been lower in the U.S. And while ABC received a 10.9 rating for Game 2, NBC got a 4.0 which isn’t that bad considering the competition. Here’s NBC’s press release.
SUNDAY NIGHT’S STANLEY CUP FINAL ON NBC POSTS BEST OVERNIGHT RATING FOR NON-OT GAME 5 IN 8 YEARS
Overnight Up 54 Percent Vs. 2009
NEW YORK – June 7, 2010 — Last night’s Stanley Cup Final posted the best overnight rating for a non-overtime Game 5 in eight years. The game generated a 4.0 overnight rating and 7 share, the best for a non-OT Game 5 since 2002 (4.5 on ABC, Carolina-Detroit).
Game 5 featured Chicago defeating Philadelphia, 7-4, with the largest winning margin of the series. The 4.0 overnight is up 54 percent vs. last year’s Game 5 (2.6) between the then-defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins, featuring Sidney Crosby. In 2008, Detroit and Pittsburgh played a three-overtime Game 5, which generated a 4.3 overnight rating.
Best Non-OT Game 5s Since 2002
2010 Chi-Phi 4.0
2003 Ana-NJ 3.5
2006 Car-Edm 2.9
2009 Det-Pit 2.6
2007 Ana-Ott 2.4
Last night’s game peaked at a 4.7/7 in the 9:30-10 p.m. ET half-hour. Chicago led all markets with a 26.0 rating and 41 share. Philadelphia followed with a 19.7 rating and 28 share. It was the highest rating for each local market so far.
Top 10 Markets
1. Chicago 26.0/41
2. Philadelphia 19.7/28
3. Buffalo 10.6/15
4. Pittsburgh 5.8/9
5. Detroit 4.2/6
6. Las Vegas 3.9/6
7. Minneapolis 3.8/7
8. Fort Myers 3.7/6
9. &n
bsp; Milwaukee 3.6/6
bsp; Milwaukee 3.6/6
T10. Denver 3.3/6
T10. Columbus 3.3/5
T10. West Palm 3.3/5
That’s it.
