Perhaps this is a post-Olympics bump or perhaps it was Versus finally hashing out an agreement with DirecTV, a combination of the two or perhaps another factor, but the channel is seeing increased viewership for the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Granted, these aren’t NFL numbers or even NBA Playoff numbers, but for Versus, this is very good.
Versus says the viewership for the first round of the NHL postseason is the highest for cable in almost ten years and yes, that includes ESPN. Here’s Versus’ press release.
ON-AIR AND ONLINE VERSUS NETS ITS BEST START TO NHL PLAYOFFS EVER AND SCORES MOST-WATCHED FIRST ROUND ON CABLE IN NEARLY A DECADEWashington/Montreal Game 7 on Wednesday Night was Most-Watched Conference Quarterfinal Game on Cable Since 2003
NEW YORK, N.Y. (April 30, 2010)- VERSUS, the fastest growing sports cable network in the country, enters the Conference Semifinals on the heels of a record-breaking Conference Quarterfinal round. VERSUS' first-round coverage averaged a .7 HH rating and 595,000 viewers, making it the highest-rated and most-watched first round on cable since 2001. The HH rating and average viewership was up 75 percent and 35 percent, respectively, as compared to last year's Conference Quarterfinals, leading to VERSUS earning its most-watched April in primetime in network history.
Additionally, more than 50 percent of VERSUS' Conference Quarterfinal games delivered more than a half million viewers with nine of the network's top 10 most-watched first-round games all taking place over the past two weeks. This overall momentum is highlighted by Game 7 of the Washington/Montreal series on April 28, 2010, which garnered a 1.2 HH rating and averaged 1,151,000 viewers, making it VERSUS' highest-rated and most-watched first round game in network history and the most watched first-round game since 2003. The 2010 Conference Quarterfinals was also the most-watched among Men 25-54 on cable since 2000.VERSUS.com, the online destination for extensive information about the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, also experienced double-digit growth. n April 2010, to date, as compared to April 2009, visitor's average time on the site increased 40 percent, page views per visitor showed 20-percent growth and there has been a 10-percent spike in overall page views. Throughout the remainder of the postseason, fans will continue to have access to editorial coverage from some of the most knowledgeable hockey sources; exclusive videos and interviews as well as daily highlights from all of VERSUS' games; polls and quizzes; an interactive community section where fans can post videos and photos and join or start message boards; AccuScore game projections; and live gamecasts and scoreboards for every game. The network's recently launched hockey application on the iPhone, Android and Blackberry Storm is the ideal way for viewers to access up-to-date statistical information, expert editorial analysis and videos on the go for the Playoffs.
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