NHL TV ratings 2022/2023

[JianYang]

OT:
Boom!

I wonder what those numbers would be in prime time.

This was an 8am start for me on the west coast.

 

[Coinneach]

NHL TV ratings 2022/23

10/11/2022 Rangers - Tampa Bay 744k (ESPN)
10/11/2022 Los Angeles - Vegas 556k (ESPN)
10/12/2022 Boston - Washington 629k (TNT)
10/12/2022 Chicago - Colorado 526k (TNT)
10/18/2022 Philadelphia - Tampa Bay 494 (ESPN)
10/18/2022 Los Angeles - Nashville 339 (ESPN)
10/19/2022 Philadelphia - Florida 338k (TNT)
10/19/2022 St. Louis - Seattle 300k (TNT)
10/23/2022 Anaheim - Detroit 187k (ESPN)
10/25/2022 Colorado - Rangers 750k (ESPN)
10/25/2022 Vegas - San Jose 319k (ESPN)
10/26/2022 Rangers - Islanders 550k (TNT)
10/26/2022 Tampa Bay - Anaheim 270k (TNT, non-exclusive)

1/11/2022 Boston - Pittsburgh 699k (ESPN)
1/11/2022 Anaheim - San Jose 234k (ESPN)
2/11/2022 Pittsburgh - Buffalo 236k (TNT, non-exclusive)
6/11/2022 Toronto - Carolina 213k (ESPN)
8/11/2022 Edmonton - Tampa Bay 374k (TNT)
8/11/2022 Nashville - Seattle 175k (TNT)
9/11/2022 Pittsburgh - Washington 408k (TNT)
9/11/2022 Minnesota - Anaheim 183k (TNT, non-exclusive)
10/11/2022 Chicago - St. Louis 264 (TNT, non-exclusive)
10/11/2022 Los Angeles - Edmonton Oilers 242k (TNT)
13/11/2022 Tampa Bay - Washington 236k (ESPN)
23/11/2022 Philadelphia - Washington 373k (TNT)
23/11/2022 Ottawa - Vegas 176k (TNT)
25/11/2022 Philadelphia - Pittsburgh 488k (TNT)
25/11/2022 St. Louis - Tampa Bay 332k (TNT)
30/11/2022 Detroit - Buffalo 314k (TNT)
30/11/2022 Edmonton - Chicago 239k (TNT)

6/12/2022 Buffalo - Columbus 219k (TNT)
6/12/2022 Rangers - Vegas 181k (TNT, non-exclusive)
11/12/2022 St. Louis - Colorado 240k (ESPN)
13/12/2022 Washington - Chicago 378k (ESPN)
14/12/2022 Detroit - Minnesota 259k (TNT, non-exclusive)
14/12/2022 Vancouver - Calgary 195k (TNT)

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

More changes to the TV schedule as the Stadium Series will now be broadcast on ABC instead of ESPN

 

[Reaser]

More changes to the TV schedule as the Stadium Series will now be broadcast on ABC instead of ESPN

That February 18 was originally an ESPN doubleheader with the Stadium Series followed by Tampa Bay-Vegas with a 11pm ET start. TB-VGK got moved off ESPN in the changes two weeks ago, while Dallas-LA on January 3rd got moved from espn+ to ESPN. And now trading ESPN for ABC for the Stadium Series. So essentially traded the ESPN doubleheader for ABC and a new ESPN date. Worked out.

Coinneach, you're missing the November 13 ESPN Washington-Tampa Bay game on your list. It got 236k.

 

[Reaser]

Wednesday's TNT viewership:

Sabres - Red Wings: 314k
Oilers - Blackhawks: 239k

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

0.07 in the demo

 

[OG6ix]

0.07 in the demo

Not good.

 

[joelef]

Not good.

Don’t worry the excuses will come in any minute now.

 

[jkrdevil]

Mentioned before that it would be and now it is a blow to the season-average that the NHL didn't have their 'normal' matinee Black Friday game this season. Last year 1.2M on ABC is now 488k and 332k on TNT this year. Obviously the World Cup this year. Hoping it's not "lost" since now there will be the NFL Black Friday game. Still think there would be room for the traditional 1pmET Bruins hosted Black Friday game, That traditional "event" game did and would do better than making Black Friday feel like just another normal NHL day with two random games at night which is how Friday's doubleheader felt.

The NHL has so few "event" games during the regular season (Opening Night, Black Friday, Winter Classic, Stadium Series, Heritage Classic sometimes) that not having THE Black Friday game/time slot would be a mistake. Almost wish they did have it at 1pmET this year just to see what it would have done, last hour and a half of the game would have gone against USA-England but I'm not fully convinced it would have been a horrible number. In the range of some of the lower rated ABC Saturday games last season seems realistic, to me.

An event like the Black Friday game is where a move from Broadcast to cable makes a big difference. A pre-January game on broadcast is a big deal. A game on cable is just Friday. Plus it being later and after a bunch of other games made it feel more routine, rather than it be a kickoff to a day full of games.

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

Ratings: Pac-12, NBA, college hoops, NHL

TNT averaged a 0.22 rating and 488,000 for Penguins-Flyers on Black Friday, the network’s largest NHL audience since October. The Blues-Lightning nightcap had a 0.14 and 332,000. Neither game came close to last year’s Black Friday game on ABC, which averaged more than 1.2 million.

The Black Friday games easily outpaced TNT’s usual Wednesday doubleheaders both this past week (Blackhawks-Blues: 0.17, 264K; Kings-Oilers: 242K) and the prior week (Sabres-Red Wings: 0.20, 314K; Oilers-Blackhawks: 0.14, 239K).

 

[Reaser]

As expected, worst TNT DH viewership of the season last night.

Buffalo-Columbus: 219k (0.07 demo)
*Rangers-VGK: 181k (0.06 demo)
*non-exclusive (MSG Network)

TNT pregame got 101k.

This is what I have for the season average(s):

National (ESPN & TNT)
362k (32 games)
-387k (27 exclusive)
--227k (5 non-exclusive)

ESPN
434k (11 games)

TNT
325k (21 games)
-355k (16 exclusive)
--227k (5 non-exclusive)

 

[NextBigThing]

It gets more embarrassing every week.

 

[Bostonzamboni]

Ratings: Pac-12, NBA, college hoops, NHL

TNT averaged a 0.22 rating and 488,000 for Penguins-Flyers on Black Friday, the network’s largest NHL audience since October. The Blues-Lightning nightcap had a 0.14 and 332,000. Neither game came close to last year’s Black Friday game on ABC, which averaged more than 1.2 million.

The Black Friday games easily outpaced TNT’s usual Wednesday doubleheaders both this past week (Blackhawks-Blues: 0.17, 264K; Kings-Oilers: 242K) and the prior week (Sabres-Red Wings: 0.20, 314K; Oilers-Blackhawks: 0.14, 239K).

Didn't NBC's Black Friday game start at noon EST -- or was it 1 pm EST?

Regardless, can't fairly compare it vs. TNT's two games starting much later. Not until next year. Or does it alternate to ESPN?

And if they ever aired the NBC game at 5pm EST like TNT this year, maybe NBC's ratings would have been even higher than at noon EST or 1 pm EST.

Likewise, if this year's TNT game started at noon EST, perhaps a less favorable slot, and not 5 pm EST...well, maybe, the rating would have been even lower, maybe by 100,000? Yikes.

 

[Bostonzamboni]

It gets more embarrassing every week.

And...just think if Vegas and Seattle weren't added? That should/could have bolstered ratings a bit. And as if a big-market in Houston will really add anything to national ratings, right?

And the success of many sunbelt teams in the standings, their Cups and fine attendance -- now or in the past at times -- has not really added anything. (Ok, team valuations continue to rise.)

Same with the Winter Classic and Stadium Series.

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

Didn't NBC's Black Friday game start at noon EST -- or was it 1 pm EST?

Regardless, can't fairly compare it vs. TNT's two games starting much later. Not until next year. Or does it alternate to ESPN?

And if they ever aired the NBC game at 5pm EST like TNT this year, maybe NBC's ratings would have been even higher than at noon EST or 1 pm EST.

Likewise, if this year's TNT game started at noon EST, perhaps a less favorable slot, and not 5 pm EST...well, maybe, the rating would have been even lower, maybe by 100,000? Yikes.

I think it will flip between ABC and TNT just like the finals

 

[Reaser]

Didn't NBC's Black Friday game start at noon EST -- or was it 1 pm EST?

Regardless, can't fairly compare it vs. TNT's two games starting much later. Not until next year. Or does it alternate to ESPN?

And if they ever aired the NBC game at 5pm EST like TNT this year, maybe NBC's ratings would have been even higher than at noon EST or 1 pm EST.

Likewise, if this year's TNT game started at noon EST, perhaps a less favorable slot, and not 5 pm EST...well, maybe, the rating would have been even lower, maybe by 100,000? Yikes.

Yes, 1pm ET, because it is/was really the Bruins matinee game the day after Thanksgiving. That's the tradition.

ESPN televised it twice in the 90s:
1992 ESPN Whalers-Bruins 1pm
1995 ESPN Kings-Bruins 1pm

It became the branded Black Friday "Thanksgiving Showdown" in 2011, which NBC eventually alternated Rangers-Flyers with the Bruins game.

2011 NBC Red Wings-Bruins 1pm ET
2012 lockout (was going to be Rangers-Bruins 1pm ET)
2013 NBC Rangers-Bruins 1pm ET
2014 NBC Rangers-Flyers 1pm ET
2015 NBC Rangers-Bruins 1pm ET
2016 NBC Rangers-Flyers 1pm ET
2017 NBC Penguins-Bruins 1pm ET
2018 NBC Rangers-Flyers 1pm ET
2019 NBC Rangers-Bruins 1pm ET
2020 covid

Note: Was some years, e.g. 2015 and 2018, where NBCSN had a game that same Friday night but -similar to how TNT "felt" this year- those were just games those nights and not THE' "Thanksgiving Showdown."

ABC took over the same game/slot for the "Thanksgiving Showdown", originally scheduled to show Blackhawks-Blues at 1pm ET but they changed it in-season to:
2021 ABC Rangers-Bruins 1pm ET

Then this season we got the "Thanksgiving Showdown" doubleheader on TNT:
2022 TNT Penguins-Flyers 5:30pm ET & Blues-Lightning 8pm ET

 

[joelef]

It gets more embarrassing every week.

Wonder what the excuses will this time

 

[Reaser]

It gets more embarrassing every week.

Next week isn't going to be great either, at least for 3 of the 4 U.S. National games.

Sunday on ESPN I'd estimate roughly 200k, Something low 200s, more just rooting for it to not fall below 200.

Tuesday on ESPN I'd estimate 450k (400 to 500) but this one at least has optimism, the possibility is there where you could see a 600k or something.

Then Wednesday, the next TNT DH could rival this past one that got disappointing viewership.

The early game is another non-exclusive which by default is a viewership killer, so instead of the 400k'ish I'd estimate, probably looking at around 220k. And the late game is an all-Canadian matchup, with the late start. I'd set the o/u at 150k.

 

[stealth1]

Next week isn't going to be great either, at least for 3 of the 4 U.S. National games.

Sunday on ESPN I'd estimate roughly 200k, Something low 200s, more just rooting for it to not fall below 200.

Tuesday on ESPN I'd estimate 450k (400 to 500) but this one at least has optimism, the possibility is there where you could see a 600k or something.

Then Wednesday, the next TNT DH could rival this past one that got disappointing viewership.

The early game is another non-exclusive which by default is a viewership killer, so instead of the 400k'ish I'd estimate, probably looking at around 220k. And the late game is an all-Canadian matchup, with the late start. I'd set the o/u at 150k.

I never understood why the NHL does that. National games should be just that national games not on local network. They do that in the playoffs too and shouldn't either. No wonder ratings are poor.

 

[Reaser]

I never understood why the NHL does that. National games should be just that national games not on local network. They do that in the playoffs too and shouldn't either. No wonder ratings are poor.

They didn't have any non-exclusive games last year in the regular season.

The issue is there's a maximum number of [exclusive] national appearances allowed, I never saw the number with the new deal, on NBC it was once a max of 11 exclusive games but I believe it's now 13 games. Which would mean local (RSN) broadcasts have the rights to 69 games. So, for example, to show the Rangers 15 times nationally, 2 would have to be non-exclusive.

Between Disney and TNT there's 165 regular season games this season (that includes espn+/Hulu exclusives.)

Not how it works but if they showed all 32 teams 13x that would be 208 games. If just showed every U.S. based team 13x that would be 162 games. Obviously there's teams that no one wants to see 13x nationally but even with those maxes you can see that there almost has to be non-exclusive games with how many games (165) they're showing 'nationally.' Though, also ways to not have them and put more effort into creating the national TV schedule which I don't think the league does a good job with.

So yup, I agree, should never have non-exclusive games, except for the obvious of if a record is going to be set (i.e. future Ovi goals) and ESPN/TNT wants to pick up the game(s) nationally as an add-on to their national schedule(s) so that the record is shown nationally, then obviously that makes sense. Otherwise, kind of ridiculous that TNT will have 13 non-exclusive games this season when they only have a 62-game schedule to start with. They only have 49 exclusive games!

 

[bellagiobob]

Are there weekly ratings numbers available for the Canadian networks? Can't seem to find anything relevant with a quick Google search.

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

Are there weekly ratings numbers available for the Canadian networks? Can't seem to find anything relevant with a quick Google search.

Last season Adam Seaborn on Twitter was posting them but this year he has not sadly so I have not been able to find them.

 

[Reaser]

240k (0.06 demo) for Avs-Blues on ESPN on Sunday.

Did a little better than I thought it would.

 

[Reaser]

378k (0.12 demo) for Caps-Hawks last night on ESPN.

 

[Anisimovs AK]

378k (0.12 demo) for Caps-Hawks last night on ESPN.

That demo rating tied The Ingraham Angle, the 10:00pm show on Fox News