NHL/hockey TV ratings 2024-25

Bostonzamboni

Registered User
Jan 26, 2019
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Incredibly disappointing numbers. Just brutal.
And it's likely a permanent ratings disadvantage versus WNBA...as WNBA playoffs will probably just get even better and better ratings in future years. And just think if Caitlin were still playing!

AND, despite all the U.S. expansion /relocation and "growing the game," look how relatively little it's accomplished: the WNBA has only 12 (?) teams AND decades younger but adding more teams and the NHL has 32 teams... but the WNBA is hot and trendy, and the NHL is hardly either here in all-important America. Plus the NHL has a great iconic Stanley Cup trophy vs. what (?) for the WNBA...but it doesn't even seem to matter much in most of America.

It's almost laughable that the NHL is considered a "big 4 league" by some. But what a compliment, huh?

And the NBA is set to further widen the gap vs. the NHL in the all-important NY, Boston and Philadelphia markets this season as all have a chance at a championship!

And...Mets, Yankees, maybe Dodgers, Detroit or Cleveland, traditional and appealing markets, in the baseball league championships won't help upcoming October NHL ratings, unlike the NBA which always starts later in the baseball playoffs and avoids that tv competition.


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DaBadGuy7

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Dec 28, 2004
2,629
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MLB's playoff ratings are up and i wonder if the fan cross over is more focused on the playoffs than the NHL right now causing such a drop off to start the NHL season.

This is why owners like the Stars have been pushing to start the season even later in October because of the overlap with the baseball postseason in addition to college and pro football. I know people like LeBrun want the season to start earlier, but from a TV perspective, that makes little sense in the US.
 
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S E P H

Cloud IX
Mar 5, 2010
32,245
17,670
Toruń, PL
Down quite a bit again.
I think what we're seeing is that baseball has an interesting final four (the first time in a long time) where all the teams are competitive and that is severely impacting the NHL's ratings. Not sure about WNBA, seems like a different type of viewer than baseball. Nonetheless, I would have liked to see a bump considering how strong the ratings were for the Stanley Cup Finals in June.
 

Bostonzamboni

Registered User
Jan 26, 2019
430
205
And I just read the WNBA Final will be a best of 7 starting next year. It's best of 5 now.

So...even further competition in October from now on.
 

Kirk Van Houten

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May 7, 2019
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I know the NHL won't due it but moving foward they should put the SCF close to the end of may/start of june thus having the start of the regular season in september.
 

varsaku

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Feb 14, 2014
2,654
896
United States
I know the NHL won't due it but moving foward they should put the SCF close to the end of may/start of june thus having the start of the regular season in september.
NHL is pretty much stuck in no man's land. If you move it up, the overlap with the NFL/CFB season increases. If you push it back, the season could extend into the summer.

The only option is to push it back and decrease the NHL regular season which would never happen.
 

Kirk Van Houten

Registered User
May 7, 2019
1,453
1,623
NHL is pretty much stuck in no man's land. If you move it up, the overlap with the NFL/CFB season increases. If you push it back, the season could extend into the summer.

The only option is to push it back and decrease the NHL regular season which would never happen.
You could start the regular season on a tuesday night in september and the worst you have to face is a CFB game from the MAC conference and a MLB regular season game on TBS which are never exclusive so it's not terrible hell it's not even the WNBA Playoffs first round that could have Caitlin Clark every year. That's my argument.
 
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joelef

Registered User
Nov 22, 2011
2,067
860
NHL is pretty much stuck in no man's land. If you move it up, the overlap with the NFL/CFB season increases. If you push it back, the season could extend into the summer.

The only option is to push it back and decrease the NHL regular season which would never happen.
It Dosent matter what days the nhl puts in on. It’s embarrassing that nhl opening gets beat out by the nhl. Hell the wnba beat out a playoff game last year
 
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DaBadGuy7

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Dec 28, 2004
2,629
1,373
Newark,NJ
I know the NHL won't due it but moving foward they should put the SCF close to the end of may/start of june thus having the start of the regular season in september.

Won’t happen, US TV networks want the SCF in June after fall/spring network programming is over. There is a reason why they moved it there in 1993 and subsequently they got the FOX deal.
 
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ItsFineImFine

Registered User
Aug 11, 2019
3,713
2,381
How are the numbers in Canada, the game doesn't seem to be in a great state at the anecdotal level from what I see in terms of growth.

Huge population growth in the country but not capturing new fans. I'm always disheartened going to junior games and stuff and being usually the only visible minority I can spot and this isn't in some small town, this was in the GTA and then a city near the GTA now.

People talk about F1, NBA, Premier League, UFC, etc, very few new come to hockey, shame.
 
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Reaser

Registered User
May 19, 2021
1,213
2,350
How are the numbers in Canada, the game doesn't seem to be in a great state at the anecdotal level from what I see in terms of growth.

Huge population growth in the country but not capturing new fans. I'm always disheartened going to junior games and stuff and being usually the only visible minority I can spot and this isn't in some small town, this was in the GTA and then a city near the GTA now.

People talk about F1, NBA, Premier League, UFC, etc, very few new come to hockey, shame.

When the Canadian GP set the record as the most-viewed F1 race in Canada in June it had an average audience of 1.4 million across all networks and language broadcasts. Or put another way, the same AMA as the NHL Skills Competition had on SN last season in Canada ...

Majority of the 2024 NBA Finals games had an average minute audience of 300k or less in Canada. You'll find numerous regional NHL broadcasts that easily beat that number every season.
 

ORRFForever

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Oct 29, 2018
19,612
10,914

Report: NHL viewership is in a “sharp decline”​



According to a report from Drew Lerner of the sports broadcasting blog ‘Awful Announcing’, the NHL saw a ‘sharp decline’ in its viewership to start the season, with its major games ranking well behind the likes of the MLB and… the WNBA.

The NHL’s opening night three game slate averaged just 559,000 viewers, a 39% decline from 2023’s season opening night.
 
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Bostonzamboni

Registered User
Jan 26, 2019
430
205

Report: NHL viewership is in a “sharp decline”​



According to a report from Drew Lerner of the sports broadcasting blog ‘Awful Announcing’, the NHL saw a ‘sharp decline’ in its viewership to start the season, with its major games ranking well behind the likes of the MLB and… the WNBA.

The NHL’s opening night three game slate averaged just 559,000 viewers, a 39% decline from 2023’s season opening night.
 

Bostonzamboni

Registered User
Jan 26, 2019
430
205
Don't forget last year had a rare bump due to Bedard and big-market Chicago playing Boston in prime time.

Even the same matchup this year would have drawn fewer, as curiosity over Bedford naturally waned after his first game.

But that Rangers vs. Devils TNT pre-season game rating weeks ago was indeed scary; sure, Yankees and Mets doing well, but still... maybe that game was a bad omen for this year and maybe beyond?

How dare U. S. hockey fans demand more tv coverage and games at this point, especially with WNBA mania permanent.
 

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