2018-19 NHL TV ratings

[jkrdevil]

should be noted Jets/Panthers was one of the Finland games. I’m sure there was some requirement on NBCSN to air one of them.

But given the teams and it being an afternoon game during the week, I’m sure the ratings suck

 

[NextBigThing]

On Saturday night - Bruins/Montreal started with a 4.0 rating in the 7 to 8 PM slot but by 8 PM with Montreal leading 2-0 and the World Series starting at 8:09 PM it dropped to a 0.6.

I am sure many fans checked in on the Bruins game between innings but unless they watched for more than 5 minutes it would not show. Remember the World Series outcome was in doubt on Saturday after the Game 3 marathon on Friday.

Nobody bleeds Bruins black and gold more than I but the Red Sox in the World Series will take center stage in this market even with hardcore hockey fans.

Source on the Bruins numbers?

 

[Fenway]

Source on the Bruins numbers?

WEEI Boston

 

[BKIslandersFan]

On Saturday night - Bruins/Montreal started with a 4.0 rating in the 7 to 8 PM slot but by 8 PM with Montreal leading 2-0 and the World Series starting at 8:09 PM it dropped to a 0.6.

I am sure many fans checked in on the Bruins game between innings but unless they watched for more than 5 minutes it would not show. Remember the World Series outcome was in doubt on Saturday after the Game 3 marathon on Friday.

Nobody bleeds Bruins black and gold more than I but the Red Sox in the World Series will take center stage in this market even with hardcore hockey fans.

I mean, its a no brainer. Title game or regular season game early in the season?

 

[eddygee]

should be noted Jets/Panthers was one of the Finland games. I’m sure there was some requirement on NBCSN to air one of them.

But given the teams and it being an afternoon game during the week, I’m sure the ratings suck

Yeah NBCSN aired it 2pm EST. It seems like NBC are trying to sabotage things. I mean Helsinki is 6-7 hours ahead of East Coast and Central times zones. It seems like it wouldn't have been too hard to start the game at 10 pm Helsinki time. At least that's a 3pm Central and more importantly a 4pm East Coast start, where you may have some people who can watch it. Starting at 2pm in the middle of a work day basically ensured no one could watch it.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Yeah NBCSN aired it 2pm EST. It seems like NBC are trying to sabotage things. I mean Helsinki is 6-7 hours ahead of East Coast and Central times zones. It seems like it wouldn't have been too hard to start the game as 10 pm Helsinki time. At least that's a 3pm Central and more importantly a 4pm East Coast start, where you may have some people who can watch it. Starting at 2pm in the middle of a work day basically ensured no one could watch it.

10 PM start time would work if they were playing in Spain.... I mean granted I do not know how Fins live. Do they stay out really late like Spaniards?

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Yeah NBCSN aired it 2pm EST. It seems like NBC are trying to sabotage things. I mean Helsinki is 6-7 hours ahead of East Coast and Central times zones. It seems like it wouldn't have been too hard to start the game at 10 pm Helsinki time. At least that's a 3pm Central and more importantly a 4pm East Coast start, where you may have some people who can watch it. Starting at 2pm in the middle of a work day basically ensured no one could watch it.

What are you talking about? You think NBC got to dictate the start time of a game overseas?

That game was about the fans in attendance, not ratings on this side of the planet...

 

[S E P H]

What are you talking about? You think NBC got to dictate the start time of a game overseas?

That game was about the fans in attendance, not ratings on this side of the planet...

I've stopped viewing this thread very much anymore because it has officially turned from the "ratings thread" to a pure conspiracy-nut thread. Then you have people who say statements about how terrible the NHL ratings are and don't have simple facts behind it like two Canadian teams playing in October on a World Series game (Stanley Cup games destroy regular season baseball in spring as well). Then people will mention how terrible the NBCSN ratings are for a Thursday 13:00 ET between two clubs playing in Europe. It's so nonsensical.

 

[Coinneach]

Last season Bruins averaged 2.9, Celtics 3.2.

 

[eddygee]

What are you talking about? You think NBC got to dictate the start time of a game overseas?

That game was about the fans in attendance, not ratings on this side of the planet...

I've stopped viewing this thread very much anymore because it has officially turned from the "ratings thread" to a pure conspiracy-nut thread. Then you have people who say statements about how terrible the NHL ratings are and don't have simple facts behind it like two Canadian teams playing in October on a World Series game (Stanley Cup games destroy regular season baseball in spring as well). Then people will mention how terrible the NBCSN ratings are for a Thursday 13:00 ET between two clubs playing in Europe. It's so nonsensical.

Ummm yes, it's fair to presume that NBC ratings for a game televised on an American Channel NBCSN would have considerations for the ummm American Audience. If this was strictly about the Finnish audience for an NHL game overseas the NHL Network could have just carried the game the fact they showed it on NBCSN says they wanted the American viewing audience to watch it. Look all I'm saying is even if they tweaked the start time a hour and had the game start at 9 or 930 Helsinki time it would have made for a more favorable viewing time instead of the 2pm est. It wouldn't be better for all but for some it would. Maybe I'm reading into it too much though.

We all want the ratings to be better so NHL gets bigger US TV money to really grow the game in the US like we think it can be. I think honest discussion is good sorry it gets you down but it can be productive. Maybe I'm naive but I think the league listens to it's fans. They made changes in the schedule this year after fan uproar about stale TV scheduling, besides that's why we have boards like these for fans to group think and put ideas and thoughts out there. Back to TV Ratings I think a longtime poster on these boards was honest about the TV situation and said it best during the NBC/NHL Stanley Cup Spat.

https://hfboards.mandatory.com/thre...nbc-or-is-nbc-avoiding-bettman.2497817/page-3

...

Indeed so. Do you recall when they started rolling it out early for the cameras' & crowds & who was responsible for that? Requested by the Producers at network level, something maybe former Marketing guy Collins came up with taking after the NFL or?.... Also.....

What do you think is behind a possible rift between the NHL & NBC? If a rift does exist why would Bettman exacerbate matters further & shoot himself & the League in the foot in denying NBC access to the SC during their showcase event, the Finals? If a rift does exist youd just grin & bear it as is the norm in show biz & make the best of it, no holds barred, you keep things like that, dysfunction or disagreement off the stage. Give it your all, act like no problem, deal with it behind closed doors after everythings done.

Man that is totally Bush as you well know being in the industry. Petty. Absolute stupidity given that this is the Marquee event of the season. Why would you be pulling back on the bells & whistles?. Bury the hatchet temporarily & put your best foot forward..... But then, this is a GD Labor Lawyer who once again is out of his depth. Using whatever he can to gain leverage, ticked off about something, holding back, thinking he's somehow punishing a partner or service provider, sponsor or whomever, that they dont deserve any respect until they comply with his demands, what he thinks is right & just, whatever outrageous price he thinks he can get away with over-charging or demanding others lower. Arrogance. Entitlement.

What d'ya think the NHL's going to wind up with come 2020/21 Fenway? New contract. I could go on & on about the ratings, totally unimpressive but for the obvious, way too much inventory, ratings beyond anemic in any number of markets. This stunt & God only knows what else. I'm seeing problems here. The outdoor games tied into the buys with NBC & with League wide sponsorships & those events, that cash cow pretty much milked dry. The WC of Hockey thus far faceplanting. Theyve got to reinvent themselves again & I'm not seeing any real creativity. Collins is gone. He authored much of the Central & Broadcast Revenue increases of the past decade. Playing Bon Cop to Bettmans Bad Cop in working out sponsorships, broadcast deals & so on. Now youve just got a Bad Cop running amok on NBC & others I'm sure. Nuts. Look. Bettmans very effective in all kinds of ways but they have to keep him the Hell away from marketing, dealing with sponsors & broadcasters. Its not like they cant afford to hire some real pro's. Let them do their jobs properly.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Ummm yes, it's fair to presume that NBC ratings for a game televised on an American Channel NBCSN would have considerations for the ummm American Audience. If this was strictly about the Finish audience for an NHL game overseas the NHL Network could have just carried the game the fact they showed it on NBCSN says they wanted the American viewing audience to watch it. Look all I'm saying is even if they tweaked the start time a hour and had the game start at 9 or 930 Helsinki time it would have made for a more favorable viewing time instead of the 2pm est. It wouldn't be better for all but for some it would. Maybe I'm reading into it too much though.

We all want the ratings to be better so NHL gets bigger US TV money to really grow the game in the US like we think it can be. I think honest discussion is good sorry it gets you down but it can be productive. Maybe I'm naive but I think the league listens to it's fans. They made changes in the schedule this year after fan uproar about stale TV scheduling, besides that's why we have boards like these for fans to group think and put ideas and thoughts out there. Back to TV Ratings I think a longtime poster on these boards was honest about the TV situation and said it best during the NBC/NHL Stanley Cup Spat.

https://hfboards.mandatory.com/thre...nbc-or-is-nbc-avoiding-bettman.2497817/page-3

You've clearly never heard the team "filler programming".

 

[Coinneach]

For comparsion MLS play-off local TV rating in "soccertown", its very hard to even find them:

 

[eddygee]

For comparsion MLS play-off local TV rating in "soccertown", its very hard to even find them:

Hmmm not bad MLS. I know in MLS circles there was fear of a very low rating and people were upset as ESPN decided to air the Seattle Sounders up against the Seattle Seahawks game splitting local interest. MLS is still niche you're never gonna win that battle though

 

[Coinneach]

An older Sabres number from late October:

The Buffalo Sabres’ 2-1 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames Tuesday night had an 8.2 rating on MSG, which is strong for this time of the year and indicative of increased fan interest as the team has gotten off to a decent start.

'60 Minutes' interview with Buffalo Diocese whistleblower is a big local ratings draw

 

[eddygee]

Oilers vs Lightning Tues 11/6/18 NBCSN 730pm didn't make the Top 150 TV Ratings but it was Election night.

Nice set of games tonight

Penguins vs Caps NBCSN 730pm
Predators vs Avalanche NBCSN 10pm

 

[eddygee]

44

NHL REGULAR SEASON L: PITTSBURGH/WASHINGTON

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

7:31 PM

165

0.25

642

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

116

NHL REGULAR SEASON L: NASHVILLE/COLORADO

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

10:16 PM

170

0.09

222

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

The Caps/Penguins boosting ratings solid rating for that game!

 

[Coinneach]

NHL 2018/2019 TV ratings

NBCSN:

10/3/2018 Boston/Washington 633k
10/3/2018 Anaheim/San Jose 338k
10/4/2018 Nashville/NY Rangers 194k (non-exclusive)
10/4/2018 Philadelphia/Vegas 227k (non-exclusive)
10/9/2018 San Jose/Philadelphia 249k
10/10/2018 Vegas/Washington 543k
10/16/2018 Arizona/Minnesota 197k
10/17/2018 NY Rangers/Washington 329k
10/17/2018 Boston/Calgary 162k
10/19/2018 Minnesota/Dallas 196k
10/23/2018 San Jose/Nashville N/A
10/24/2018 Toronto/Winnipeg 167k
10/24/2018 Tampa Bay/Colorado 177k
10/30/2018 Vegas/Nashville 227k

11/01/2018 Winnipeg/Florida N/A
11/06/2018 Edmonton/Tampa Bay N/A
11/07/2018 Pittsburgh/Washington 642k
11/07/2018 Nashville/Colorado 222k

Average: 300k

 

[Coinneach]

Washington didn't become another HawkeyTown...

Solid rating for early game season in Pittsburgh.

 

[ForumNamePending]

Fans (understandably) don't like NBC/NBCSN showing the same teams all the time, but I think it is pretty obvious why they do. Only a handful of teams/markets can deliver decent national regular season ratings, and when those teams suck, the other markets, at this point at least, can't pick up the slack.

The good news is that the past couple of SC Playoffs has seen significant TV viewership growth despite a lack of "flagship" teams.

 

[Coinneach]

Fans (understandably) don't like NBC/NBCSN showing the same teams all the time, but I think it is pretty obvious why they do. Only a handful of teams/markets can deliver decent national regular season ratings, and when those teams suck, the other markets, at this point at least, can't pick up the slack.

The good news is that the past couple of SC Playoffs has seen significant TV viewership growth despite a lack of "flagship" teams.

Point.

10/3/2018 Boston/Washington 633k
10/3/2018 Anaheim/San Jose 338k

10/10/2018 Vegas/Washington 543k
10/16/2018 Arizona/Minnesota 197k

11/07/2018 Pittsburgh/Washington 642k
11/07/2018 Nashville/Colorado 222k

 

[AmericanDream]

NHL is praying the Hawks do not bottom out here, losing this market would be a killer with all the damn games they have on NBC this season...

 

[Coinneach]

OT: Comparsion with MLS cable numbers in regular season 2018:

ESPN: 241k
FS1: 148k

MLS Regular-Season Viewership Up For Fox Sports, Down On ESPN

 

[eddygee]

MLS Regular-Season Viewership Up For Fox Sports, Down On ESPN

There were 99 Regular Season MLS games aired on TV. I want to add I track Ratings Data for both leagues NHL & MLS in my spare time. I used to track MLB but that is so time consuming.
Important to add the ESPN numbers was up 13% when you add in Out of home viewers. Not a coincidence with the launch of OTT streaming service ESPN+. Normally it's become a custom for most leagues to add in the Out of Home streaming/viewing numbers into the liner tv total so you get one bigger number.

Couple of cliff notes from Article on ESPN/FOX number and some Canadian numbers.

Data does show that ESPN/ESPN are seeing nearly a 13% uptick to regular viewership when out-of-home numbers are factored in.


The Fox broadcast channel averaged 988,000 viewers for its games, up 59% with a major boost from Sounders-Atlanta United on July 15. The broadcast immediately followed the FIFA World Cup final and averaged 1.59 million viewers, the best figure for any MLS game ever on Fox Sports and best for any MLS match since ’04. That helped lift FS1, as the cable net saw viewership on its own decline 15% (148,000 vs. 175,000). Meanwhile, MLS viewership across Univision, UniMas and Univision Deportes was at its best levels yet, aided by a record 14 games alone on Univision. The nets combined to average 289,000 viewers, up from 244,000 last year and marking four straight seasons of growth.

MLS regular-season games delivered 27.8 million gross viewers, up 6% from ’17. North of the border, TSN saw a 27% increase in MLS viewership, while French-language partner TVA was up 11%.

 

[ForumNamePending]

So a mixed bag...

Spanish viewership up a bunch.

ESPN and FS1 down a bunch.

FOX (main network) up a bunch, but given those numbers were thoroughly goosed by World Cup lead-ins it's almost pointless to compare it to 2017.

 

[eddygee]

So a mixed bag...

Spanish viewership up a bunch.

ESPN and FS1 down a bunch.

FOX (main network) up a bunch, but given those numbers were thoroughly goosed by World Cup lead-ins it's almost pointless to compare it to 2017.

Yup pretty much, but it looks like the ESPN viewership isn't really down just down on liner TV, some ESPN viewers just shifted to streaming ESPN+ as the article says the average is up 13% from last years 261k average. Once the out of home streaming is averaged in ESPN average would be about 290k once its factored in. They didn't count the streaming numbers in the average, I know NHL and other leagues do that. FS1 is a poor channel in general. I wouldn't want NHL to go to FS1 for that reason, but for MLS having the deal with FOX gives them important access to Big FOX.