Well, the final ratings for the NHL Stanley Cup Final are out and NBC is finding a way to celebrate the numbers. Game 1 of Chicago-Tampa Bay saw the Blackhawks come from behind to win 2-1 over the Lightning. The game drew a U.S. household rating of 3.34 which is up from last year’s opening game between the New York Rangers and L.A. Kings which registered a 3.0.
Chicago-Tampa Bay garnered a very respectable 5.5 million viewers and that’s also up from last year’s Game 1 which averaged 4.8 million.
NBC says this is the 2nd best Stanley Cup Final Game 1 since the 2013 series between Boston and Chicago which had over 6 million viewers. The Peacock quantifies this as the best non-overtime Game 1 in terms of viewership.
Locally, Chicago led all metered local markets registering an anazing 28.0. Naturally Tampa was second with a very good 17.9. The game was top-rated program in both markets. Hockey strongholds Buffalo, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Boston round out the top five local markets.
Here’s the NBC announcement:
BLACKHAWKS-LIGHTNING GAME 1 ON NBC IS MOST-WATCHED STANLEY CUP FINAL NON-OT GAME 1 IN 18 YEARS
Game 1 Averages 5.547 Million Viewers – Second-Most Watched Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Ever on NBC
Chicago Delivers 28.0 Local Rating – Third-Best Local Rating Ever Behind Stanley Cup-Clinching Game 6s in 2013 and 2010
NBC Wins Primetime
Tampa Produces 17.9 Local Rating – Best Ever For Lightning Game on Any NBC NetworkSTAMFORD, Conn. – June 4, 2015 – The first game of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay Lightning, in which the Blackhawks defeated the Lightning by a score of 2-1, produced a 3.34 HH rating and averaged 5.547 million viewers, making it the most-watched Game 1 that did not require overtime in 18 years and NBC’s second-most watched Stanley Cup Final Game 1 ever.
Viewership of last night’s Game 1 (8:10-11 p.m. ET), in which the Blackhawks came from behind with two third-period goals, was up 16% compared to last year’s Rangers-Kings Game 1 (4.785 million), which the Kings won by a score of 3-2 in overtime. The only Game 1 on NBC to surpass last night’s viewership was the triple-overtime thriller between the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks in 2013, which averaged 6.315 million viewers.
The game peaked at 6.433 million viewers from 10:30-10:45 p.m. ET.
PRIMETIME
Game 1 was a winner for NBC. The network won the night with a 1.8 rating in the A18-49 demo, up 38% over its nearest competitor (FOX, 1.3). NBC ranked No. 1 from 8-11 p.m. ET among all broadcast and cable networks in A18-34, A18-49 and A25-54.
LOCAL
Chicago delivered a 28.0 metered market rating, its third-highest ever for a Blackhawks game on NBC, trailing only the Stanley Cup Final-clinching Game 6 matchups in 2013 and 2010. Last night’s Game 1 rating was up 12% vs. Game 1 in 2013 (25.1), and up 66% vs. Game 1 in 2010 (16.9).
Tampa drew a 17.9 rating, the highest rating ever in the market for a Lightning game on any NBC network, up 50% vs. last Friday’s Eastern Conference Final Game 7 against the New York Rangers on NBCSN (11.9), and up 47% vs. Game 1 of the Lightning’s last SCF appearance in 2004 against Calgary (ESPN; 12.2).
NBC was the No. 1 network in both markets during the game.
Following are the Top 10 markets from last night’s Stanley Cup Final Game 1 on NBC:
Rank Market Household Rating 1 Chicago 28.0 2 Tampa 17.9 3 Buffalo 7.2 4 Minn.-St. Paul 6.4 5 Boston 6.1 6 Denver 5.4 7 Ft. Myers 5.3 8 St. Louis 4.7 9 Milwaukee 4.5 10 Pittsburgh 4.4
Game 2 will air Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET following NBC’s coverage of the Belmont Stakes.
