NHL TV Ratings and Revenue

[TheDanceOfMaternity]

Barney + Friends 2.0/10
NHL playoffs 1.1/10
...

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[Sandmachine]

Anyone now need proof about Americans getting dumber?

Nope.

Anyways, I too agree that a deal with ESPN is necessary for the NHL to grow in popularity. I feel like for many households (and bars), ESPN is constantly on, and people will watch regardless of what's on there and take an interest. I don't think the poker craze would have become what it is without the ESPN exposure. I think there's an underlying thought process that goes something like this: "Well, this is on ESPN, so it must be 'in', and I should try to get interested myself ". Also, I think older fans who may have drifted away from the game have a better chance of reaquainting themselves with it if it's thrust onto them on ESPN.

Once this is established, then I'd worry about the product and its appeal. I think the amount of scoring is fine. Despite its controversy, I still think a great portion of the fans crave animosity and violence. I feel bad for the guys on OLN sometimes trying to make pretty non-interesting games (especially for an outsider looking in) sound interesting. As in, trying to make mild body checks seem like bone crunching hits - or going overboard in praise of a particular player - or whatnot. Myself, and many fans on this site, probably appreciate the game on a higher level so whatever the commentators say don't really matter to us. But, in the shoes of a potential new fan, I really don't see much on these broadcasts to get that excited about sometimes (playoffs are different; I think the intensity is a lot more evident and appealing). But I think I may be off-topic, as I think this thread is more about statistics and ratings etc. sorry.

Here in Boston, I'd agree that if our team was good, fans would come (back). But another factor to consider is the other competition; i.e. the Patriots and Celtics. Attendance grows for the B's after the end of the football season. As both the Patriots and Red Sox have been successful for quite some time now, I feel as though Boston sports fan loyalty has drifted towards those teams, and taken away from the Bruins interest. Had the Patriots not won super bowls and the Sox been in the cellar for a few years, and had the Bruins made long runs into the playoffs (with a tough team especially), the TV ratings I'm sure would be very different. Even if the B's have successful runs, I'm not sure how much more interest would be generated, if the Sox and Celtics were also both winning. I guess in some markets it really depends on stuff like this. But in the same vien, judging by how much interest PJ Stock generated in his short time here, I think a tougher/meaner brand of hockey would also help, as hockey fans here I think are dying to associate themselves with another mean, "bad", blue-collar type team. Maybe not, I dunno.

 

[Bobby Orr]

Interesting Bobby Orr. Do you have a link?

Are those ratings for broadcast TV only or do they include cable? I think you'd also have to consider the number of broadcasts. A 2.2 rating on a cable channel for the NBA where many games are shown each week, for example, might indicate good numbers versus the NHL's 0.2 rating on cable channel Versus or 1.1 rating on NBC, which only broadcasts weekend games during the second half of the season. (Not considering Playoff ratings here.)

GHOST

The ratings were NHL on Fox/NBC, NBA on NBC/ABC, MLB on NBC/Fox.

If you go to wikipedia.org and search for "NHL on Fox" and the like, you should find lots of ratings. As someone else pointed out, there was an article on a similar type of decline in championship ratings.

 

[Randall Graves*]

Do the Versus ratings account for the fact they are in about 60 percent of homes?

 

[Jazz]

I will be curious about the 2 Buffalo-NY Rangers games coming up over the next 2 weekends on NBC.

Buffalo typically has high ratings and having the Rangers play will help that as well.

 

[Jazz]

Here in Boston, I'd agree that if our team was good, fans would come (back)......

The problem with the NHL this past decade has been that it's highest markets have not been good. These markets helps to drive the ratings.

Neither Chicago, the Rangers (until this year) or the Kings have done much since the mid-90s. These are the 3 signature markets in the US that are key for ratings.

You could say that that NHL has had some bad luck in that teams such in what some call 'shadow' markets (New Jersey and Anaheim - teams in big markets but with not much support due to an older well established franchise within that market) have done relatively well, whereas during the same time, other sports competing with the NHL have had signature markets do well (the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA and the New York Yankess in MLB). Imagine had the Clippers won 3 NBA titles in a row and not the Lakers.

It is imperative for the NHL that the New York Rangers, the Los Angeles Kings, and the Chicago Blackhawks field competitive teams year after year. The first 2 are on their way up, let's hope Wirtz does not continue to mess up the Hawks....

 

[SubCrid TC]

CBC Ratings from http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=739223ba-deb6-4cda-9abc-2c47edf717a4

The 2-0 win by Dallas [Game 6 Dallas-Vancouer, on Sat.] drew an audience of 1.545 million viewers, according to ratings released by the network Monday.

That beat out the 1.471 million people who tuned in to watch the Detroit Red Wings eliminate the Calgary Flames in double overtime Sunday night.

Game 5 between the Flames and Red Wings on Saturday afternoon was seen by an audience of 812,000.

The New Jersey Devils-Tampa Bay Lightning series had less appeal.

Only 506,000 people watched Game 5 Friday night while 529,000 viewers tuned in for Game 6

 

[xDerekRx]

NBC Continues To Draw Small Numbers For NHL Playoffs

NBC’s Overnight Rating For Devils-
Lightning Game Six Down 26.7%
NBC earned a 1.1/3 overnight Nielsen rating for its national coverage of Devils-Lightning Game Six yesterday, down 26.7% from a 1.5/3 for regional coverage during the comparable Sunday during last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. Sunday’s NHL coverage on NBC was sandwiched between the National Heads-Up Poker Tournament and the Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool, both of which earned a 1.3 overnight. The net’s national coverage of Flames-Red Wings Saturday earned a 0.9/2 overnight, down 25.0% from a 1.2/3 for comparable coverage last year (THE DAILY).

VERSUS: In West Palm Beach, Brian Biggane reported Versus’ 0.3 average rating through the first week of the playoffs is “flat compared to last year.†However, ratings were down 1% among men 18-34, 12% among men 18-49 and 14% among men 25-54. But Versus Exec Producer Mike Baker said he “couldn’t be happier†with the numbers, adding, “The games have just been incredible†(PALM BEACH POST, 4/22). In Philadelphia, Tim Panaccio reported Versus’ HD feed was not available in the area last Monday for Sabres-Islanders Game Three “because of technical problems,†and Comcast “lost the HD feed†for Sabres-Islanders Game Four on Wednesday. It was eventually replaced with the Kingsford Barbecue Championship Series. The net joined Predators-Sharks Game Four in progress Wednesday “after running a lame note across the bottom of the screen saying the game was ‘not available’ in this market†(PHILA. INQUIRER, 4/22).

LOCAL RATINGS: The three Thrashers playoff games broadcast on SportSouth and FSN South drew “less than one-seventh of the local television audience that tuned in to the Braves games on the same nights.†NBC’s local coverage of Rangers-Thrashers Game Two “was outdrawn among Atlanta viewers by a NASCAR Busch Series race and a taped figure-skating show†(ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 4/22)....Versus drew 81,000 HHs in the Dallas/Ft. Worth market for Stars-Canucks Game Five Thursday in which the Canucks could have won the series. In Dallas, Barry Horn wrote, “That’s 81,000 in a market with 2.38 million homes with teevisions. That translates to a 3.4 rating†(DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/21).

 

[MAROONSRoad]

Bettman Blind To Real Tv Issue

From the San Jose Mercury News:

"A Versus representative said 71 percent of the Bay Area gets the network. Yes, at the only time of year the NHL truly sells itself, its TV contract eliminates much of the potential audience.

Who knows how many of those people would actually watch a game, but here's one stark example: Game3 of the first-round series, on Fox Sports Net Bay Area, drew a 2.5 local rating (60,000 households). Game5, a 2.5 rating. Game4, on Versus, a 1.3, or 31,000 households."

Full article here:

http://www.mercurynews.com/columns/ci_5745510

GHOST

 

[MAROONSRoad]

NHL EXTRA: TV ratings thin on ice

From the Palm Beach Post:

"The games are compelling, the story lines superb. But the NHL's cable broadcast partner, Versus, continues to swim against the tide in generating decent ratings for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Through the first week, the average rating of 0.3 was flat compared to last year, while the key demographic numbers were down: 1 percent for men 18-34, 12 percent for men 18-49, and 14 percent for men 25-54.

Versus officials are quick to point out that their telecasts are non-exclusive for the first two rounds, meaning some of the markets that typically generate their best numbers — Buffalo and Pittsburgh, to name two — are still getting their home (and homer) announcers. Fans typically stick with them until they're done."

Full article here:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/panthers/content/sports/epaper/2007/04/22/a12b_nhlextra_0422.html

GHOST

 

[MAROONSRoad]

Hot air: A caveat to Stars' ratings

From the Dallas Morning News:

"The number of homes tuned in to the game [Game 5] steadily increased during game action, from 48,000 at the opening drop of the puck to 81,000 at the end.

The bad news is that 81,000 homes for the ultimate moment of a must-win playoff game is hardly a boffo audience. That's 81,000 in a market with 2.38 million homes with televisions. That translates to a 3.4 rating.

The national Stanley Cup ratings on Versus are down six percent from last season to 0.02, an average of 268,000 homes per game.

During the regular season, NBC averaged 1.34 million homes for its regionalized coverage of the post-lockout NHL. That's less than half the homes that Fox attracted for its NHL coverage a decade ago."

Full article here:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...ts/bhorn/stories/042107dnspohorn.364564b.html

GHOST

 

[Namso]

Honestly I think Americans are getting stupider.

I used to be a hardcore baseball fan up until the past few years and realized that baseball, is really a snoozer. There is no action, I think more people like it because it's engraved in them at childhood(IE: Watching the Yankees on Sunday afternoon with dad). Now that I don't play competitive baseball anymore I have no interest in it, it's just so...boring. Maybe some hardcore baseball fans here who don't play can explain the allure.

Nascar..just a bunch of cars going in circles, sometimes there are crashes but that's not action, that's sad.

The NBA is more tolerable to me than baseball, atleast there's not all this standing around, for hockey to grow I think you need to get the kids playing and watching and wait it out. The NHL for the most part doesn't have a problem drawing at the gate, perhaps more needs to be done on TV to make it feel like you are there. I would like hockey to find a way for the view to pick their own camera angles to watch the game. On Dishnetwork college football games on TBS have about 8 channels where you can watch at different angles. I wish we could figure a way to incorporate this.

or maybe they just have different taste then you? ever thought of that?

 

[MAROONSRoad]

Some info on regional regular season ratings

Reported by Sports Business Journal (subscription required):

"Regionally, the league saw ratings fall for 11 of the 24 U.S. teams and remain flat for nine others. Some of its biggest drops occurred in markets known as hockey havens. Detroit, which clinched the Western Conference, finished with a 3.5 regional television rating on FSN Detroit, down 25 percent from last season and 42 percent from 2003-04. The Boston Bruins, who finished six points out of the playoffs, averaged a 1.6 rating on NESN, a 24 percent drop from 2005-06 and a 33 percent drop from 2003-04. The league's best RSN results came in small markets, Buffalo and Pittsburgh, which averaged a 5.2 regional rating."

Local ratings flat or down for 20 of the 24 NHL teams in the USA!

Quoted here:

http://oregon-football.aolsportsblog.com/2007/04/17/mixed-bag-for-nhl-bean-counters/

GHOST

 

[MAROONSRoad]

Do the Versus ratings account for the fact they are in about 60 percent of homes?

Versus is in about 73 million households or about 73% of the total national households of just over 100 million. ESPN is in about 92% and ESPN2 in about 89%. This info is in one of the links posted above.

GHOST

 

[MAROONSRoad]

Detroit: America's number 1 NHL market?

From the Detroit News:

"On average, about 174,000 Metro Detroit households are watching the playoff games on FSN Detroit, a 150 percent gain from the regular season, according to Nielsen ratings released by the network.

But that's a far cry from the frenzy in 2004, when about 250,000 local households were watching the games."

This means the Red Wings averaged about 70,000 households for their regular season broadcasts (in the 11th largest city TV DMA of 1,938,320 TV households).

Full article here:

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070426/SPORTS0103/704260408/1128

GHOST

 

[Randall Graves*]

or maybe they just have different taste then you? ever thought of that?

Too me it's boring if people enjoy lots of standing around and cars in going in circles so be it.

 

[Fugu]

From the Detroit News:

"On average, about 174,000 Metro Detroit households are watching the playoff games on FSN Detroit, a 150 percent gain from the regular season, according to Nielsen ratings released by the network.

But that's a far cry from the frenzy in 2004, when about 250,000 local households were watching the games."

This means the Red Wings averaged about 70,000 households for their regular season broadcasts (in the 11th largest city TV DMA of 1,938,320 TV households).

Full article here:

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070426/SPORTS0103/704260408/1128

GHOST

Thanks for posting this, GHOST. I was wondering what the TV ratings in Detroit have been over the past year. I recall that the lockout was blamed for allowing the Pistons to surpass the Wings on FSN, at least for the 1st year after the lockout. Those are still very good numbers considering what most cities draw. People still like to watch the Wings, but more and more of them can't afford the playoff tickets. After 11 years, the sellout streak ended with the playoffs this year. Some thought it was the earlier round that was the issue. Well round 2 opened last night. Approximately 18K vs. 19.2 - 19.8 Kfor the series vs. the Flames..

 

[jsginsocal]

Anybody seen NBC's ratings from last week....wow. Abysmal, .7 for the Tampa Bay vs. Devils game and .8 for the Detroit vs. Calgary game. How are ratings getting WORSE in the playoffs then the regular season.

 

[voxel]

The share is therefore an interesting figure, but the rating lets you know the estimated number of households that are watching a program.

I'm used to the "share" being used as a maximum number of TVs watching a group of programs (soap opera, cartoons, etc.) that appeals to a certain demographic - not the raw Nielsen share number.

You're right - with the ratings number and a current estimate of the number of households you can determine if the actual number of people grew year over year.

 

[Stone87]

Last year there were all of those Quest for the Cup commercials. I'm not positive im right but it seems to me as though the nhl spent more advertising money last year because it was the year after the lockout and ran more commerials. The drop could be related to poorer marketing effort.

 

[jkrdevil]

Actually less of those might be a good sign. Those ads were pretty much used as filler for slots they couldn't sell ads for.

 

[bleed_oil]

Anybody seen NBC's ratings from last week....wow. Abysmal, .7 for the Tampa Bay vs. Devils game and .8 for the Detroit vs. Calgary game. How are ratings getting WORSE in the playoffs then the regular season.

Amazing, those numbers are'nt just bad. They are shockingly low.

 

[Fugu]

VS overnight ratings for SJ and Detroit markets per The Mercury News:

DETROIT - In touting its overnight ratings for Game 1 of Sharks-Red Wings, Versus cited a 7.3 in Detroit and a 1.9 in the Bay Area. Too bad ratings aren't available for the Canadian TV coverage in the province of Newfoundland, because percentage-wise it was probably a very healthy number.

 

[Fugu]

Buffalo Sets a New Record, I think!

The Buffalo News has some VS, FSN, and NBC figures.

• The rating for the Buffalo Sabres’ second- round opener with the New York Rangers on Versus Wednesday was more shocking than any comment made by the Rangers’ Sean Avery.

The game had a 25.2 rating, which is about 2 1/2 times what the Sabres’ first-round series with the New York Islanders averaged on MSG even though it was competing with a two-hour edition of “American Idol†(15.9).

The Versus rating appears to confirm what local researchers have suggested — that the Sabres ratings on MSG have been badly underreported. The ratings might increase slightly in the second round, but not by that much when the channel doesn’t carry Rick Jeanneret and Jim Lorentz.

The Sabres’ clinching victory over the Islanders on April 20 had only a 9.3 rating, which was lower than the average of the previous four games. The Sabres averaged a 7.0 rating during the regular season, up about 35 percent from the 5.2 they averaged a year ago.

...

• The Buffalo area greeted the NBA playoffs on ABC with a collective yawn last weekend. The game a week ago between Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal and the defending champion Miami Heat versus the Chicago Bulls had a lowly 1.3 rating on WKBW-TV. As bad as that was, it actually outdrew Sunday’s coverage of Steve Nash’s Phoenix Suns against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. That had a 1.1 rating.

Meanwhile, NBC’s coverage of NHL playoff games on Channel 2 last weekend did more than three times better than ABC’s coverage of the NBA playoffs on Channel 7 here.

Detroit’s victory over Calgary a week ago had a 3.3 rating on Channel 2, while New Jersey’s series victory over Tampa Bay had a 3.9 rating on Sunday.

Nationally, the results were almost the complete opposite with the NBA games getting overnight ratings of 3.9 and 2.8 and the NHL getting overnight ratings of 1.3 and .9.

 

[MLH]

The Buffalo News has some VS, FSN, and NBC figures.

As Pergament notes, that pretty much shows there's an error with MSG's ratings figures. Everyone was expecting playoff ratings to be iin the 20's and MSG only drew a 10.5 for the first round. I bet the real Sabres season average is closer to a 10.0 than the 7.0 that's reported.