News Article: Playoff Viewership tanking

[Summer Rose]

My hot take on this is always that it kind of is what it is.

I get why hockey is niche, to be completely honest.

I enjoy it, but I completely understand the reasons why most viewers would look at it and go "eh, this is a bit stupid."

People tune in to watch the same players and teams that they hate over and over again. They like to watch the best players and teams go to work and win with skill. Hockey is very chaotic. It's fast, it's bouncy, and anybody can beat anybody.

People say they want that but then they turn around and watch the Yankees, the Lakers, and the Chiefs. People 'like' underdogs and randomness...but they don't f***ing watch it.

It's like, I listen to death metal. I enjoy it. I 100% understand why people wouldn't want to hear it. It's fine. The thing you like doesn't have to be overwhelmingly popular. It's bad for your ticket prices. That's the way I look at it.

I also think one factor is that for a newcomer to the sport, watching a game on television when you're new to the sport, it's kind of hard to follow the action. As for myself, while it's often the case that I can't actually see the puck, I know the ins and outs of the game pretty well so I can usually tell where it is and anticipate where it's going (though sometimes my anticipation for where it's going to end up turns out to be incorrect). When I first started watching, it was on TV and a little hard to follow because I was new, but I actually went to a game pretty soon after starting to watch the Coyotes, and it was a very different (and much better) experience than watching on TV. That's probably what got me really hooked on the sport.

I don't think it's much of a stretch of the imagination that there are people who try watching hockey on TV at first, find it difficult to follow the action, never make it to a game in person, then write it off because they can't get into it.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

No O6 teams in the USA made the playoffs, and neither did Vancouver.

There’s your explanation.

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

I don’t think it’s hockey as much as playoff intensity is not what it used to be. Some of those old playoff series were insane. I think we saw some of that in the 4 nations cup with Canada and the US. As hockey becomes a more pure skill sport, oddly enough, I think it hurts viewership.

 

[Machinehead]

I also think one factor is that for a newcomer to the sport, watching a game on television when you're new to the sport, it's kind of hard to follow the action. As for myself, while it's often the case that I can't actually see the puck, I know the ins and outs of the game pretty well so I can usually tell where it is and anticipate where it's going (though sometimes my anticipation for where it's going to end up turns out to be incorrect). When I first started watching, it was on TV and a little hard to follow because I was new, but I actually went to a game pretty soon after starting to watch the Coyotes, and it was a very different (and much better) experience than watching on TV. That's probably what got me really hooked on the sport.

I don't think it's much of a stretch of the imagination that there are people who try watching hockey on TV at first, find it difficult to follow the action, never make it to a game in person, then write it off because they can't get into it.

That does factor in as well because at that speed it becomes hard to really perceive the finer points of the sport that people enjoy.

It's not the easiest sell in the world.

Lack to ease to play the sport is also a unique hindrance to hockey.

 

[atlanticobserver]

My theory is that the viewership among hockey fans is really what makes the difference. It's hard to expect a ton of extra attention on the games from non-hockey fans one year to the next unless a big market team is doing really well.

I'm not saying that idealized matchups would make the NHL bigger than the NFL, but when you are basically trotting out matchups that people have already seen a ton, the quality of the games can be excellent but people aren't going to be chomping at the bit to see LA-EDM or TB-FLA for the zillionth time even though those are great series. I'm not a big basketball fan, but I think the NBA gets it right with 1-8 seeding. There is still plenty of room for rivalries but good teams get a better reward for their season in their round 1 matchup and helps balance out the fact that some divisions are just flat out better in certain years, and makes it a bit less likely that you are going to have repeats of the same series all the time.

I also think that casual fans aren't as interested in the first round since there's not all that much at stake yet in their eyes. For that reason it also doesn't help the league to have such strong matchups in the first round, they should be doing everything in their power to have the best teams meet later on.

Also, this isn't the case in every series, but new fans might not appreciate games that are basically puck battles for 40 minutes of the game as is the case with the Battle of Florida this year.

 

[Summer Rose]

That does factor in as well because at that speed it becomes hard to really perceive the finer points of the sport that people enjoy.

It's not the easiest sell in the world.

Lack to ease to play the sport is also a unique hindrance to hockey.

Definitely. Since I'm from Arizona, where all we really know about ice is that it's perhaps something you put in your drinks to keep them cold and that's about it, if you want to get into playing hockey, the only way in is to spend a lot of money on equipment and go to one of the few indoor ice rinks in the state. At the time I started, which was in 2002, it took something like $800 to get a set of equipment, all pretty low-end stuff (including a pair of sticks that were made out of an archaic substance called wood), and at the time there were 8 indoor rinks in the whole state (6 in the Phoenix area and one each in Tucson and Flagstaff). There's no such thing as just going out on a frozen pond for some pickup shinny with friends where you only need a pair of skates, a stick, and a puck.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Large numbers of fans in the U.S. in particular only really follow the playoffs if their own team is in them. Given that most of the big fanbase teams in the U.S. aren't in it this time, it's not surprising the numbers are down.

One of the least surprising things ever actually.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

This is probably just a direct result of all of the Original Six clubs (in the US) stinking up the joint this year.

 

[Team_Spirit]

NHL is redacted

 

[nightonthesun]

I really don’t think the sport itself is the problem. People love it when it’s on. Four nations was massive.

Give it a steady streaming home
Stop fining people for being humans
(Then sell your stars once they’re allowed to be interesting)
Fix the playoff format

 

[TrillMike]

Here's to yet another Monday night, 9:00 PM CT start for a home playoff game.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

I don’t think it’s hockey as much as playoff intensity is not what it used to be. Some of those old playoff series were insane. I think we saw some of that in the 4 nations cup with Canada and the US. As hockey becomes a more pure skill sport, oddly enough, I think it hurts viewership.

Funnily the "glorified friendly" 4 nations cup higher intensity than the playoffs.

 

[EXTRAS]

We see this same thing every year. I don't care. Maybe live game prices will go down if hockey is becoming less popular/nobody has cable anymore.

 

[AvroArrow]

Probably because they make it impossible to watch games. Only game I can watch other than the Leafs is the Habs/Caps series.

 

[Edmonton East]

I just wanna know why streaming legally via the approved network apps on my TVs consistently produces a worse picture than standard def when I was a kid. Slight exaggeration, but the picture quality is a complete joke. Streams on my laptop/monitor ALWAYS look better quality wise vs the NHL approved broadcasts on my TVs....

From picture quality to sound mixing to overall quality, it's 2025 yet watching hockey on TV is worse than 2010. How the hell is that possible? Rhetorical question....streaming quality is dogshit for a variety of reasons vs legacy cable. Some improvement would be nice.

 

[AvroArrow]

I personally know about 50-60 people (families) that cancelled cable and use only iptv to stream games and they get every channel, it isn't viewership tanking.

It's the league making it impossible for people to watch games without charging them up the ass for it, then people ditch their services and use a significantly cheaper alternative, like 5% of the cost.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

I mean, who wants to watch LA lose to McDrai four years in a row?

 

[Canadienna]

Large numbers of fans in the U.S. in particular only really follow the playoffs if their own team is in them. Given that most of the big fanbase teams in the U.S. aren't in it this time, it's not surprising the numbers are down.

One of the least surprising things ever actually.

Agreed. And Canada is watching.

 

[Fatass]

No O6 teams in the USA made the playoffs, and neither did Vancouver.

There’s your explanation.

Yup. If the Rangers, Bruins, Hawks and Wings all make the playoffs, the US viewership will be huge. North of the border is a big market but having the Habs and Leafs in together will drive big numbers. Add Van to those two and numbers would huge.

 

[Ray Mercer]

I mean, who wants to watch LA lose to McDrai four years in a row?

That series has been great so far this year. The Kings weren't that far off from actually sweeping the Oilers. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Kings win in 7. I think the only series that most people could care less about is Carolina New Jersey.

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

Maybe people are just busier now than they used to be. Work/school is generally more demanding than it was in the past, and there are many more forms of entertainment now.

I will check the scores on NHL.com occasionally, but that's just about the extent of my desire to pay attention to this year's playoffs. The only team i would have sat down and watched on live TV would have been my own team.

I can think about 1,000 more fun and interesting things to do than watch the Devils-Hurricanes for example.

 

[GMR]

Yup. If the Rangers, Bruins, Hawks and Wings all make the playoffs, the US viewership will be huge. North of the border is a big market but having the Habs and Leafs in together will drive big numbers. Add Van to those two and numbers would huge.

The Original 6 should get a BYE into the playoffs every season. That would improve the ratings.

 

[Ducks DVM]

I think it’s been showed before that most NHL fans aren’t hockey fans, they are fans of THEIR team. Viewership in the major markets tanks as soon as the major market team disappears.

 

[Ducks DVM]

I mean, who wants to watch LA lose to McDrai four years in a row?

I enjoy watching a series where I can find significant enjoyment whichever team loses

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

It's a combination of a handful of big markets (Boston, New York, Philly, Vancouver) all missing the playoffs, repetitive matchups and horrible distribution rates as @AvroArrow outlined.

No matter how good you advertise Edmonton/LA, the more casual audience is going to get sick of the same two teams playing each other every season. Hell, most of us are tired of it and we're the fanatics.

I also think it's a huge mistake the NHL hasn't tried to move into streaming services yet. Amazon is absolutely perfect for them given its popularity, but nope, let's stick with Sportsnet and their highway robbery.