NHL/hockey TV ratings 2024-25

[Reaser]

The best stat from Sportsmediawatch (and he does a great job) is there were only five non-football sportscasts since the World Series with higher viewership than the USA/Canada game. They were all boosted by being on Christmas (NBA games) and one Thanksgiving college basketball game with a NFL lead in. That is impressive.

100%

It stood on its own. Similar to being the most-viewed non-SCF hockey game since 2019 -- which that 2019 game was aided by a massive lead-in.

That's the impressive part, the # is the #.

 

[Greatzsky 99]

Are we thinking Canada was around 6 million?

My Guess, 5.7

 

[Anisimovs AK]

That makes some sense along with it being hilarious that it was a Blue Jackets game

Yes. In the second round, against an Original 6 team....hilarious

Heated U.S.-Canada face-off delivers red hot 4.4 million on ABC

A heated matchup between the United States and Canada delivered a massive audience in the NHL Four Nations Face-Off.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

The best stat from Sportsmediawatch (and he does a great job) is there were only five non-football sportscasts since the World Series with higher viewership than the USA/Canada game. They were all boosted by being on Christmas (NBA games) and one Thanksgiving college basketball game with a NFL lead in. That is impressive.

The conspicuous lack of Joelef in this thread since good numbers started rolling is just *chef's kiss*

 

[LadyStanley]

And hit Google search

 

[Greatzsky 99]

Swedish Ratings Swe-Fin

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[ThirdPeriodTurtle]

Finland didn't shatter records but did well, not sure how these compare but local news reports that peak was 1.586 million and average 805k. "Big success" everybody says locally. Looks like we beat Sweden in this too? Says that this was the second-highest sporting event for the channel (which hasn't really done hockey, ever; beat by soccer qualifiers in 2019).

For hockey broadcasts in Finland, this is fairly average, but as a new product and on a "new" channel, that's a good result. Hockey world championships FIN-CZE first game of the tourney last year had 1.6M (peak I guess, not sure), and the record seems to be FIN-SWE last year quarter final with a 2.16M peak and 1.45M average.

Edit: Yeah these are all free channels (Finland games + medal games free, often other games are only for subscribers of whatever services the channels have).

 

[Greatzsky 99]

Finland didn't shatter records but did well, not sure how these compare but local news reports that peak was 1.586 million and average 805k. "Big success" everybody says locally. Looks like we beat Sweden in this too? Says that this was the second-highest sporting event for the channel (which hasn't really done hockey, ever; beat by soccer qualifiers in 2019).

For hockey broadcasts in Finland, this is fairly average, but as a new product and on a "new" channel, that's a good result. Hockey world championships FIN-CZE first game of the tourney last year had 1.6M (peak I guess, not sure), and the record seems to be FIN-SWE last year quarter final with a 2.16M peak and 1.45M average.

Thanks man for the info. Was it on a channel that was free for all? In sweden it could be a little bit higher counting Viasat, but it would be marginal i think.
Yeah Finns beat us in ratings, Sweden ca 5% Finland above 14%

 

[varsaku]

View attachment 978334

I am a bit biased. I would love if they just did a best of seven series between Canada and USA and scrapped the world cup idea. Maybe do a SWE vs FIN series in Europe. Those would draw insane ratings and should be able to go the distance with how evenly matched they are.

 

[Greatzsky 99]

 

[Greatzsky 99]

MISTAKE IN POST!

 

[S E P H]

Pretty close on this one

It's broken blud.

 

[Greatzsky 99]

View attachment 978454

Pretty close on this one

It's broken blud.

I made total mistake, thought it was ratings for Swe-Fin

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

Yes. In the second round, against an Original 6 team....hilarious


The conspicuous lack of Joelef in this thread since good numbers started rolling is just *chef's kiss*

We can safely say it's over for the All Star Game as we know it

 

[Nicky Santoro]

Ok, very happy. We needed a US/CAN for all the marbles. But i'm not happy for 1 thing only. I think Bettman made a big mistake for not looking at the NBA schedule. I wish it was WED night instead..

Wed night has only 1 late nba game on the schedule. But THURS night is the 1st night back from the break and ppl miss basketball. And the games don't help at all. All the biggest markets are playing during the US/CAN game. CHI/NYK, BOS/PHI and then Luka and the Lakers.

I don't like this one bit. I think this'll take a big chunk off the US/CAN game, and of course, not being on ABC will kill the rating IMO.

Too bad cuz if this game is WED night instead and on ABC, we get 10M+, and maybe even 15M. It'd be like a Gold Medal game in the Olympics.

oh well..

 

[joelef]

dose anyone know how 4 nations is doing in Finland and sweden

 

[Greatzsky 99]

dose anyone know how 4 nations is doing in Finland and sweden

Read the posts

 

[Chileiceman]

Anyone know why the final is on Thursday instead of Wednesday?

 

[Nicky Santoro]

Anyone know why the final is on Thursday instead of Wednesday?

makes no sense at all. why make us wait 3 days??

WED night is also a better night for TV ratings than Thurs, and no competition at all on WED, and thurs will be going head to head with every major US market in NBA.

I wish they can change it to WED and throw in a bonus and put it on ABC instead. They won't regret it. This game will beat ur avg World Series viewership. (If it's on ABC)

 

[Greatzsky 99]

Anyone know why the final is on Thursday instead of Wednesday?

I dont know, propbably a host of factors, resting players? I dont think it is possible to move it now,
i dont work in TV, but i guess schedules are done way in advance, and same with people who bought tickets, maybe hotel and flights. just my 50c

 

[Melrose Munch]

Yes. In the second round, against an Original 6 team....hilarious


The conspicuous lack of Joelef in this thread since good numbers started rolling is just *chef's kiss*

The recent games have been good. Let's see the rest of the regular season before the victory lap.
~~~~~
I am suprised the 4 nations format did so well. Maybe they could do this or a six nation format in years there is a summer olympics going forward. Good for the NHL to capitalize on this.

 

[Greatzsky 99]

The recent games have been good. Let's see the rest of the regular season before the victory lap.
~~~~~
I am suprised the 4 nations format did so well. Maybe they could do this or a six nation format in years there is a summer olympics going forward. Good for the NHL to capitalize on this.

World Cup of Hockey to return in February 2028 | NHL.com

Tournament jointly organized by NHL, NHLPA will expand calendar of international competition featuring League's players

www.nhl.com

 

[Reaser]

Anyone know why the final is on Thursday instead of Wednesday?

Almost surely because that's the date ESPN wanted and they were obviously going to have the championship.

The dates were announced over a year ago. Seemed then that Wednesday would make more sense (*other than argument of extra day of rest for players) plus Wednesday night is a traditional "NHL" national broadcast night, on both sides of the border -- but Wednesday is TNT down here and Thursday is a night ESPN uses for hockey so presumably that.

*I remember my response to this argument then was that it made more sense for a day off rather than two days off for the 4 Nations than one day off on the backend before the NHL season started back up -- presuming they wouldn't waste a Saturday which we found out they weren't when the schedule came out.

Seems two days off AFTER the 4 Nations Championship before players are playing games that count for their respective NHL teams makes more sense. At least, to me.

Which circling back, also led me to believe ESPN wanted Thursday so it's Thursday.

 

[Melrose Munch]

World Cup of Hockey to return in February 2028 | NHL.com

Tournament jointly organized by NHL, NHLPA will expand calendar of international competition featuring League's players

www.nhl.com

Great start! I mean besides this. Replace the all star game every other year or so.

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

World Cup of Hockey to return in February 2028 | NHL.com

Tournament jointly organized by NHL, NHLPA will expand calendar of international competition featuring League's players

www.nhl.com

Olympics: 2026, 2030, 2034
All Star: 2027, 2029, 2031, 2033
World Cup of Hockey: 2028, 2032

I think that's the next decade.

 

[varsaku]

Almost surely because that's the date ESPN wanted and they were obviously going to have the championship.

The dates were announced over a year ago. Seemed then that Wednesday would make more sense (*other than argument of extra day of rest for players) plus Wednesday night is a traditional "NHL" national broadcast night, on both sides of the border -- but Wednesday is TNT down here and Thursday is a night ESPN uses for hockey so presumably that.

*I remember my response to this argument then was that it made more sense for a day off rather than two days off for the 4 Nations than one day off on the backend before the NHL season started back up -- presuming they wouldn't waste a Saturday which we found out they weren't when the schedule came out.

Seems two days off AFTER the 4 Nations Championship before players are playing games that count for their respective NHL teams makes more sense. At least, to me.

Which circling back, also led me to believe ESPN wanted Thursday so it's Thursday.

Maybe it was to avoid college basketball.