Baseball can be dying, but still get good viewership. The difference between this postseason compared to others is that the Dodgers and Yankees are making World Series Final pushes, which is contributing to the increased ratings. Those two teams are two of the biggest markets when it comes to baseball. With that said, baseball does have a serious attendance problem in places, and that has continued for at least the last half-decade. I write this not hating it by any means, if it survives then good on them considering I've read articles saying it has been dying for the last decade. Nonetheless, youth participation has been slowly declining from the reports I've read.
NHL/hockey TV ratings 2024-25
- Thread starter LadyStanley
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Anisimovs AK
Registered User
Idk if you noticed this, but with the lack of an actual salary cap, the World Series is usually between two large markets. A CS game without those teams still gets 4.5-5.5 million viewers anyway. Their contribution is overblown. No sport is as market dependent as hockey is
That probably comes down to the grassroots level. More Americans simply play basketball, baseball, and throwball more than hockey growing up. It makes perfect sense why they would get more viewers, but I know a ton of casual fans in my life who only watch the World Series. With that said, that doesn't mean the sport doesn't have problems. Again, attendance has been a concern for the past five or so years, but they might be making up for it concerning their telly contract.
Kirk Van Houten
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- May 7, 2019
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Not sure it should be a surprise. The WNBA Finals atm are going for pretty much their best numbers ever under the best of five format even with the NY team having their games going at the same time than Mets, Yankees and some times even both postseason games. Also game 5 will be at the same time than the Jets on SNF so the point is clear their audience is way different than the other leagues thus the numbers they can reach is harder for the other leagues to catch them.
Jets4Life
Registered User
True for n ow...however, you have to admit that back in the 1980s, the idea of the NBA ever overtaking the MLB was thought to be ludicrous. 10 years later, it was within striking distance from the MLB, and has surpassed it. Obviously the NHL has a ways to go before catching the MLB, but never say never.
Last year, the MLB did an average of 4.7, a drop of over 80% from their peak years (1970s-1986).
We are 4 games into the season. I wouldn't read too much into ratings until at least the end of the year.
Jets4Life
Registered User
I would actually like to see a Dodgers-Yankees World Series, just for the sake of comparison. In 1978, peak viewership for World Series, the teams did a 33.2 average, with over 44 million Americans tuning in. Today, the same series would be lucky to attract 1/3 of that number.
Since some of you are interested in the just the facts. The NHL playoffs averaged 1.54 million viewers for over 80 games in the US last year (half were none exclusive to the numbers are actually a little higher). The WNBA finals are averaging much less than that with just over 1 million. NHL Stanley Cup Finals averaged 4.2 million in the US (about 400% higher). The WNBA premier event can't match just an average NHL playoff game. In fairness the WNBA did have some very good regular season numbers. Example: NBA TV has a WNBA game with Indianapolis that beat ALL NBA games on NBA TV for the entire regular season. Didn't seem to affect the NBA new contact and no one on this forum is accusing the NBA of falling behind the WNBA or being less popular. These are some facts without to much spin.
Jets4Life
Registered User
I really hope CBC reclaims the rights to most NHL games in 2026. The Rogers telecasts are far inferior to what the CBC used to do.
Coinneach
Registered User
NHL TV ratings 2024/25
October:
Blues-Kraken: 348k (ESPN)
Bruins-Panthers: 790k (ESPN, non-exclusive)
Blackhawks-Utah: 522k (ESPN)
Rangers-Penguins: 467k (TNT+truTV)
Avalanche-Golden Knights 315k (TNT+truTV)
Wild-Blues: 417k (ESPN)
Flyers-Oilers: 333k (ESPN)
Sabres-Penguins: 512k (TNT+truTV)
Bruins-Avalanche: 340k (TNT+truTV)
October:
Blues-Kraken: 348k (ESPN)
Bruins-Panthers: 790k (ESPN, non-exclusive)
Blackhawks-Utah: 522k (ESPN)
Rangers-Penguins: 467k (TNT+truTV)
Avalanche-Golden Knights 315k (TNT+truTV)
Wild-Blues: 417k (ESPN)
Flyers-Oilers: 333k (ESPN)
Sabres-Penguins: 512k (TNT+truTV)
Bruins-Avalanche: 340k (TNT+truTV)
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NHL , a league supposedly part of the major 4, having there opening games get beaten out by the wnba is absolutely embarrassing no matter how you spin it.
Golden_Jet
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- Sep 21, 2005
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Kirk Van Houten
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- May 7, 2019
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You could say the same thing for a couple of NBA Playoffs games hell even for at least one MLB Playoffs game this year...
Anisimovs AK
Registered User
We know. You bring it up on basically every page of the thread
Major League Miscellaneous Year-by-Year Averages and Totals | Baseball-Reference.com
League year-by-year totals for pitching, fielding, batting and team win totals.
www.baseball-reference.com
MLB attendance appears stable for past 30 years. I find comments about baseball popularity online to be motivated by other biases. Truth isn't one of them.
About 40 million different Americans watch NHLers play the NHL last season at least. NHL third or second biggest sport in USA last season. NBA second or third. NFL first.
I don't watch nor care about baseball (I simply have no opinion about it, just neutral). However, UT explains it here.Major League Miscellaneous Year-by-Year Averages and Totals | Baseball-Reference.com
League year-by-year totals for pitching, fielding, batting and team win totals.
MLB attendance appears stable for past 30 years. I find comments about baseball popularity online to be motivated by other biases. Truth isn't one of them.
But...the championship series and/or deciding game for MLB has often been near or more than the NBA in recent years.
After slow start opposite MNF, ALCS rebounds in Game 2
After a slow start for the opener opposite Monday Night Football, ratings for the Yankees-Guardians ALCS rebounded in Game 2.www.sportsmediawatch.com
How about we use verifiable facts instead of feelings. The whole "baseball is dying" thing was moreso about how it used to be just as if not more popular than football, but is now a solid 3rd behind the NFL and NBA. There is still a massive gap from the MLB to anything else though
The World Series tv ratings, though declining in past decades, is still a relative major U.S. tv ratings jewel, despite the NBA demolishing MLB in X followers.
Kirk Van Houten
Registered User
- May 7, 2019
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Good for the NHL they won't face MLB on tuesday with the ESPN tripleheader.
varsaku
Registered User
Hockey is third maybe in the northern states. Outside of those states college sports and baseball draw more interest than hockey.
No chance hockey is third. NFL, NBA, MLB, college football, college basketball, golf, WNBA are all ahead of NHL.
