# VS 2010 NHL Ratings



## TANK

> *NHL On VERSUS Audience Levels For Opening Weekend 2010*
> 
> Thursday, October 7
> 12:00 Minnesota vs. Carolina - 80,000 (0.1)
> 7:00 Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh - 730,000 (0.4)
> 10:00 Chicago vs. Colorado - 430,000 (0.3)
> 
> Friday, October 8
> 12:00 Carolina vs. Minnesota - 95,000 (0.1)
> 3:00 Columbus vs. San Jose - 120,000 (0.1)
> 
> Saturday, October 9
> 12:00 Phoenix vs. Boston - 116,000 (0.1)
> 
> *2009 VERSUS Opening Weekend Numbers*
> 
> Thursday, October 1
> 7:00 Washington vs. Boston - 501,000
> 10:00 San Jose vs. Colorado - 332,000
> 
> Friday, October 2
> 12:00 Florida vs. Chicago - 100,000
> 3:00 St. Louis vs. Detroit - 278,000


Hard to imagine VS and ESPN or Fox getting into a bidding war for NHL rights with these low numbers. We will have to watch these ratings all season to see if they improve.

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...even-with-premiere-games-despite-competition/


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## n3ntj

I assume these also take into account time-shifted recordings (done with a DVR and watched later), especially since some were weekday games?

Versus ratings are sure low, but the season is just starting. If we see ratings for weeknight games in January like these, we know Versus is in for a hard ratings period.


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## la24philly

the NHL did a pour job opening its season with all the other sports going and its how they did it.

I'm sorry starting a season on a thursday? at noon with a game in europe? who the hell is watching that or will be home to see it? i could have told you that was loss cause before the game was even played.

Now philly Pittsburgh did look like a good matchup but can't compete with college football and playoffs in MLB.

the philly pens game should have ben on NBC where everyone in america could have a choice of watching it.


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## TANK

The ratings for the rest of the games this month on VS not any better



> Five Most-Watched VERSUS games, October 2010
> 
> 1. Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh, 10/7/10 - 730,000 viewers
> 2. Colorado vs. Detroit, 10/12/10 - 432,000
> 3. Chicago vs. Colorado, 10/7/10 - 430,000
> 4. Buffalo vs. Philadelphia, 10/26/10 - 347,000
> 5. NY Islanders vs. Washington*, 10/13/10 - 228,000
> 
> Five Least-Watched VERSUS games, October 2010
> 
> 1. Minnesota vs. Carolina*, 10/7/10 - 80,000 viewers
> 2. Carolina vs. Minnesota*, 10/8/10 - 95,000
> 3. Phoenix vs. Boston*, 10/9/10 - 116,000
> 4. Columbus vs. San Jose*, 10/8/10 - 120,000
> 5. Los Angeles vs. Minnesota, 10/25/10 - 154,000
> 
> * - either aired in daytime or did not air exclusively in both team markets.
> ^ - ratings for 10/26/09, Minnesota-Chicago, were not available, affecting the October 2009 average


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/extra-games-gives-versus-lower-numbers-in-october/


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## TANK

Two articles about the US tv rights which are up after this season.

Here is IMHO the pie in the sky view that the NHL is going to a 50% increase because of a 3 way bidding war.



> For the first time since Wayne Gretzky moved to Los Angeles, the league firmly believes it's ready to cash in on a big American TV contract.
> 
> The Sports Business Journal canvassed TV and cable executives and determined the NHL expects a big score, as much as a 50 per cent boost from its previous deal. That would increase the numbers to more than $115 million per year, or $3.87 million per team per year.


http://www.thestar.com/printarticle/887781

The other article I think hits the nail on the head .



> In a move that would serve to kneecap the ambitions of Comcast-NBC Universal, ESPN is poised to take a run at the rights for the National Hockey League.
> 
> And the battle for the NHL could function as a dry run for ESPN's pursuit of a far bigger prize: the Olympics.


I don't think ESPN has any room on either ESPN or ESPN for the NHL games.The NFL and NCAA football and basketball dominate the schedule and draw higher ratings than the NHL.

But if they get VS/NBC/Comcast in a bidding war for the NHL driving up the price helps them get their real prize the Oylmpics. Every extra dollar they cause VS/NBC/Comcast to spend on NHL rights is less money they have to bid against ESPN for the Olympics.

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/game-on-espn-to-bid-for-nhl-rights/


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## Hoosier205

I don't care who gets the rights...so long as we get 5.1 audio and quality PQ. Versus cannot be bothered to actually provide DD 5.1. I hate the NHL on Versus.


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## n3ntj

If the NHL went back to ESPN, then people would be complaining about their 720p..that so many people complain about during baseball season.


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## la24philly

the problem is the scheduling of the games. Why do they have there national tv game on monday night? nothing will defeat Monday night football. Saturday night might be huge in canada but in the us college football takes over. 

they need to do a better job of when to show the games


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## TANK

VS is adding a hour long daily hockey show. Will the next US tv rights deal now require a daily highlight show? It will be interesting to see how it stands up against the NHLN On the Fly.



> Versus is rolling out a new late-night TV hockey show called NHL Overtime .....
> 
> The one-hour show will premiere Nov. 15 and include game highlights, postgame player interviews, features and discussion. It will also delve into intercollegiate and international hockey.
> 
> NHL Overtime will take over the Monday-Thursday, 11 p.m. ET time slot previously occupied by TheDaily Line


http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/mccarthy/2010-11-09-versus-nhl-hockey_N.htmvv


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## wilbur_the_goose

Comcast... Wow.

If Comcast does this to the NHL today, what'll the NFL be like on NBComcast?


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## TANK

It's been tough to find any ratings for VS this month. Here are the ratings/number of viewers for Monday's game.



> St. Louis-Colorado drew a below-average 148,000 viewers from 8-10:30 PM ET.
> 
> NHL Overtime premiered on Monday night to just 31,000 viewers, below The Daily Line's average of about 50,000 viewers a night in the timeslot


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...-nhl-lead-in-debuts-at-low-viewership-levels/


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## TANK

> Flyers/Canadiens, scored 279,000 viewers
> 
> Bruins/Rangers game that did not air in local markets (138,000 viewers)
> 
> NHL Overtime Show -
> 
> Wednesday night's show, which aired at 11:00 PM ET, scored 59,000 viewers, above previous timeslot occupant The Daily Line's average of 53,000
> 
> The show's episode on Tuesday scored 33,000 viewers in a 12:30 AM ET timeslot, airing two and a half hours after Hockey Central l


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...s-have-gotten-progressively-better-this-week/


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## TANK

When you can't find VS ratings for awhile,it usually means they are very low .

Then when the ratings improve ,PR releases start to appear like this one-



> VERSUS averaged 750,000 viewers for the Pittsburgh Penguins/Philadelphia Flyers telecast on Tuesday, December 14, making it the most-watched regular-season game in network history and surpassing the previous high set by the same two teams in this year's season-opener on October 7, 2010 (730,000 viewers).
> 
> The telecast, which peaked at nearly one million viewers between 9:15-9:30 p.m. ET


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...atched-regular-season-game-in-versus-history/


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## TANK

> NOTE: The VERSUS broadcasts on December 8, 9 and 15 did not air in the home markets of the teams playing due to blackout rules. All numbers courtesy of Son of the Bronx.
> 
> December 6 - San Jose vs. Detroit: 280,000 viewers
> 
> December 7 - Buffalo vs. Boston: 438,000 viewers
> 
> December 8 - San Jose vs. Philadelphia: 169,000 viewers
> 
> December 9 - Florida vs. Washington: 154,000 viewers
> 
> December 13 - Los Angeles vs. Detroit: 264,000 viewers
> 
> December 14 - Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia: 750,000 viewers
> 
> December 15 - NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh: 157,000 viewers
> 
> December 20 - Anaheim vs. Boston: 234,000 viewers
> 
> December 21 - New Jersey vs. Washington: 307,000 viewers
> 
> December 27 - Minnesota vs. Columbus: 143,000 viewers
> 
> December 28 - Boston vs. Tampa Bay: 202,000 viewers
> 
> December 31 - Phoenix vs. St. Louis: 113,000 viewers


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/versus-nhl-viewership-totals-for-december/

*VERSUS' 10 Most and Least-Watched Games Through the End of 2010*

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...-least-watched-games-through-the-end-of-2010/


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## kikkenit2

I prefer to get my hockey from my local teams networks. I still watch lots of other stuff on Versus (like Dakar rally) even though they are a low budget corny graphics etc. channel. Hockey probably saved versus though so thanks for watching.


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## n3ntj

I was surprised at the low numbers of the Rangers-Pens game. I thought everyone in the USA and Canada was a CRosbY fan. In the home markets, MSG and FSN apparently carried the games.


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## TANK

> The VERSUS telecast of the Penguins Monday, January 10th game against the Boston Bruins scored *523,000 viewers*, the network's third highest number of the season so far, and well more than double the audience for VERSUS on Monday nights so far this season (approx. 205,000 viewers over 11 games).


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/penguins-bring-another-big-audience-to-versus/


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## TANK

Jan ratings in bold



> VERSUS 10 Most and Least Watched Games Through January 2011
> 
> Top 10 Most-Watched VERSUS Games Through 1/28/11
> 
> 1. Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia, 12/14/10 - 750,000 viewers
> 2. Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh, 10/7/10 - 730,000 viewers
> 3. *Boston vs. Pittsburgh, 1/10/11 - 523,000 viewers*
> 4. *NY Rangers vs. Washington, 1/24/11 - 458,000 viewers*
> 5. Buffalo vs. Boston, 12/7/10 - 438,000 viewers
> 6. Colorado vs. Detroit, 10/12/10 - 432,000 viewers
> 7. Chicago vs. Colorado, 10/7/10 - 430,000 viewers
> 8. *Montreal vs. Philadelphia, 1/25/11 - 414,000 viewers*
> 9. St. Louis vs. Chicago, 11/30/10 - 390,000 viewers
> 10. Buffalo vs. Philadelphia, 10/26/10 - 347,000 viewers
> 
> Top 10 Least-Watched VERSUS Games Through 1/28/11 (Not Counting Bonus/Premiere Games)
> 
> 1. Phoenix vs. St. Louis, 12/31/10 - 113,000 viewers
> 2. St. Louis vs. Colorado, 11/15/10 - 138,000 viewers
> 3. Minnesota vs. Columbus, 12/27/10 - 143,000 viewers
> 4. Los Angeles vs. Minnesota, 10/25/10 - 149,000 viewers
> 5. St. Louis vs. Nashville, 11/24/10 - 150,000 viewers
> 6. *Los Angeles vs. Dallas, 1/17/11 - 151,000 viewers*
> 7. Dallas vs. Carolina, 11/29/10 - 163,000 viewers
> 8. Boston vs. Tampa Bay, 11/22/10 - 167,000 viewers
> 9.* Minnesota vs. New Jersey, 1/4/11 - 199,000 viewers*
> 10. Boston vs. Tampa Bay, 12/2810 - 202,000 viewers


After 4 months of ratings for VS games, I see no reason for ESPN , FOX or any other network to get into a bidding war for these NHL tv rights.

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...and-least-watched-games-through-january-2011/


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## TANK

> From a Versus' press release:
> 
> The telecast on January 31 averaged close to 1.5 million viewers and peaked at nearly 2.0 million viewers from 6:45-7:00 p.m. ET.
> 
> Compared to the 2009 NHL All-Star Game, this year's telecast saw a 36-percent increase in viewership (*1,481,000 *vs. 1,087,000), while household ratings grew 33 percent (1.2 HH rating vs. 0.9 HH rating). The network also saw increases across all the key male demographics: Men 18-34 (up 35 percent), Men 18-49 (up 27 percent) and Men 25-54 (up 37 percent).
> 
> Meanwhile, in Canada, CBC reports that the game averaged 2.389 million viewers


http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2011/2/1/1968336/nhl-all-star-game-ratings-2011-versus-cbc


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## TANK

> The network's coverage of Pittsburgh/NY Rangers (2/1/11) and NY Rangers/Detroit (2/7/11) set a new high mark for VERSUS, becoming the first two back-to-back exclusive telecasts to draw more than 450,000 viewers. The *Penguins/Rangers game drew 460,000 viewers *two days after the break, and *Rangers/Red Wings scored even better 534,000 viewers*.
> 
> The New York/Detroit telecast marked the third-highest average viewers for a VERSUS telecast this season. This is also the first time two consecutive exclusive NHL telecasts on cable have drawn 450,000+ viewers since 2004, back in the ESPN/ESPN2 days.


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...of-the-all-star-break-on-a-roll-with-ratings/


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## TANK

> The three post All-Star Weekend telecasts - Pittsburgh/NY Rangers on Feb. 1; NY Rangers/Detroit on Feb. 7; and* Buffalo/Tampa Bay on Feb. 8* -averaged 437,000 viewers


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/versus-hypes-ratings-success/


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## TANK

Very impressive ratings for a Sunday Night VERSUS NHL game with NO American teams playing



> Despite featuring two Canadian teams, and facing potential burnout from hockey fans who had just watched six hours of the sport earlier in the afternoon on NBC, the Heritage Classic in Calgary turned out to be a fairly successful outing for VERSUS on Sunday evening.
> 
> As John Ourand reports, the telecast of the NHL's second outdoor game of the season, featuring Montreal taking on Calgary, drew *608,000 viewers *to the network on Sunday night, the third-highest total for a game on the network this season.
> 
> Other Feb game-
> 
> NY Rangers vs. Detroit, 2/7/11 - 534,000 viewers


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/versus-draws-high-numbers-for-heritage-classic/


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## TANK

Tweet From John Ourand of SBJ-

Feb 21- -Was/PIT (681K viewers)

Feb22 NJ-DAL (233K)

Feb23 NJ-PIT (210K).


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## TANK

I think this will help VS hockey telecasts-



> Comcast will move network origination operations for Versus, PBS Kids Sprout and several regional sports networks from the Comcast Media Center in Denver to NBC Universal's facility in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., a reorganization that will affect about 80 employees.
> 
> "This move will enable the company to standardize technical procedures, and more easily facilitate content sharing across networks."


http://www.multichannel.com/article...work_Operations_From_Denver_s_CMC_To_N_J_.php


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## TANK

> Monday's ( Feb 28th ) Chicago-Minnesota telecast - VERSUS' last for the month - drew a stellar 474,000 viewers, according to John Ourand


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/versus-ends-february-with-another-top-10-game/

Tweet from John Ourand-

NHL ratings on Versus last week: CHI-MON on Mon (474K viewers), BUF-NYR on Tue (295K) and PIT-TOR on Wed (176K).


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## TANK

From Son of the Bronx



> Mar 1 Buffalo @ N.Y. Rangers 295,000
> 
> Mar 2 Pittsburgh @ Toronto 176,000
> 
> Mar 7 Wash @ TB 341,000
> 
> Mar 8 Colorado @ Minnesota 299,000
> 
> Mar 9 Chicago @ Tampa Bay 285,000


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## TANK

Now that VS and NBC are both Comcast owned,here are the NBC ratings-



> NHL On NBC Overnights This Season
> 
> January 1 - Washington vs. Pittsburgh: 2.8
> January 23 - Philadelphia vs. Chicago: 1.1
> February 6 - Pittsburgh vs. Washington: 1.0
> February 13 - Boston vs. Detroit: 0.9
> February 20 - Regional Coverage*: 1.2
> February 20 - Pittsburgh vs. Chicago*: 1.2
> March 6 - Philadelphia vs. NY Rangers: 0.9
> March 13 - Chicago vs. Washington: 0.9


Nothing there to start a bidding war for these telecast rights

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...-nbc-down-from-last-year-even-with-last-week/


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## TANK

> Monday, March 14
> 8:00 San Jose vs. Chicago - 408,000
> 
> Tuesday, March 15
> 7:30 Carolina vs. Buffalo - 362,000
> 
> Monday, March 21
> 7:30 Pittsburgh vs. Detroit - 601,000
> 
> Tuesday, March 22
> 7:30 Washington vs. Philadelphia - 489,000
> 
> Monday, March 28
> 7:30 Chicago vs. Detroit - 716,000
> 
> Tuesday, March 29
> 7:30 Chicago vs. Boston - 564,000
> 
> Monday, April 4
> 7:30 Boston vs. NY Rangers - 436,000
> 
> Tuesday, April 5
> 7:30 New Jersey vs. Pittsburgh - 313,000


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...lusive-versus-telecast-of-the-2010-11-season/


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## tenpins

It would be interesting to know the amount of viewers based on the respective times zones. Seeing that only 1 west coast team (San Jose) was represented; i would expect the 95% of the audience was Eastern or Central time zones. Yes i know Detroit/ Chicago are in the Central division of the Western Conference.


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## TANK

> According to a VERSUS spokesperson, the network's coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night *averaged 534,000 viewers for Game 1 broadcasts of Phoenix/Detroit, part of New York/Washington and Chicago/Vancouver.*


Not a very big increase for play off games

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/versus-up-12-on-opening-night/


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## TANK

> 6:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 62,000 viewers
> 7:00 p.m. Montreal vs. Boston, Game 1* - 510,000 viewers
> 9:35 p.m. Buffalo vs. Philadelphia, Game 1 - 660,000 viewers
> 10:00 p.m. Los Angeles vs. San Jose, Game 1^ - 381,000 viewers
> 1:25 a.m. Hockey Central - 121,000 viewers
> 
> *-Did not air in Boston
> ^-Did not air in Los Angeles or San Jose


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/night-2-versus-ratings/


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## TANK

Comcast/NBC pay $200 million ,10 yr deal for NHL tv rights.


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## TANK

Great to see good ratings for telecasts featuring a Canadian team. I was getting tired of hearing all the BS about how US ratings would disappear if a Canadian team was in the telecast. Hockey fans want to see the best games - no matter where the team resides from.



> Friday, April 15
> 
> 7:30 p.m. NY Rangers vs. Washington, Game 2 - 606,000 viewers
> 
> 10:09 p.m. Chicago vs. Vancouver, Game 2 - 562,000 viewers
> 
> Saturday, April 16
> 
> 7:00 p.m. Montreal vs. Boston, Game 2 - 661,000 viewers
> 
> 10:00 p.m. Los Angeles vs. San Jose, Game 2 - 457,000 viewers
> 
> Sunday, April 17
> 
> 8:00 p.m. Vancouver vs. Chicago, Game 3 - 689,000 viewers


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/night-three-stanley-cup-playoff-ratings/


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## TANK

> Ratings For Nights Six and Seven of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
> 
> Monday, April 18
> 
> 6:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 83,000 viewers
> 
> 7:00 p.m. Philadelphia vs. Buffalo, Game 3 - 572,000 viewers
> 
> 9:46 p.m. Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay, Game 3 - 512,000 viewers
> 
> 10:21 p.m. Hockey Central - 390,000 viewers
> 
> 10:30 p.m. Detroit vs. Phoenix, Game 3 - 415,000 viewers
> 
> 1:41 a.m. Hockey Central - 135,000 viewers
> 
> Tuesday, April 19
> 
> 7:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 132,000 viewers
> 
> 8:00 p.m. Vancouver vs. Chicago, Game 4 - 621,000 viewers
> 
> 10:44 p.m. San Jose vs. Los Angeles, Game 3 - 300,000 viewers
> 
> 1:41 a.m. Hockey Central - 79,000 viewers
> 
> (Source: Son of the Bronx)


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...ts-six-and-seven-of-the-stanley-cup-playoffs/


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## djlong

If hockey games were more like last night's Bruins/Canadiens Game 5, ratings would NOT be a problem.

I haven't watched a lot of hockey over the past few years on TV but HAVE enjoyed going to the games near here in Manchester NH for our local AHL team.

What I saw last night was *unbelievable* amounts of energy. Goaltending that made a game that was 0-0 in the 3rd *exciting* (I'm usually down on 0-0 games, especially in soccer).

I know you can't keep that kind of energy up all year but *damn* that was fun to watch!


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## TheRatPatrol

djlong said:


> If hockey games were more like last night's Bruins/Canadiens Game 5, ratings would NOT be a problem.
> 
> I haven't watched a lot of hockey over the past few years on TV but HAVE enjoyed going to the games near here in Manchester NH for our local AHL team.
> 
> What I saw last night was *unbelievable* amounts of energy. Goaltending that made a game that was 0-0 in the 3rd *exciting* (I'm usually down on 0-0 games, especially in soccer).
> 
> I know you can't keep that kind of energy up all year but *damn* that was fun to watch!


+1. Plus having a good announcer helps too.


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## tenpins

+1 as well, Sunday's games were great to watch. Two overtime games and the Pred's beating the Ducks and moving on. Good goalie questions in Philly (Boucher) and Vancouver, though the 'Nucks have no choice but to go with Loungo.


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## TANK

> Wed Apr 20-
> 
> 6:30 p.m. ET Hockey Central - 52,000 viewers
> 
> 7:00 p.m. ET Washington vs. NY Rangers, Game 4 - 619,000 viewers
> 
> 11:02 p.m. ET Detroit vs. Phoenix, Game 4 - 491,000 viewers
> 
> 1:14 a.m. ET Hockey Central - 133,000 viewers


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/04/25/ratings-for-night-8-of-the-stanley-cup-playoffs/


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## TANK

> Ratings For Nights 9 and 10 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs
> 
> Thursday, April 21
> 
> 6:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 66,000 viewers
> 
> 7:00 p.m. Boston vs. Montreal, Game 4 - 599,000 viewers
> 
> 10:00 p.m. Chicago vs. Vancouver, Game 5 - 590,000 viewers
> 
> 12:37 a.m. San Jose vs. Los Angeles, Game 4 - 316,000 viewers
> 
> 1:21 a.m. Hockey Central - 266,000 viewers
> 
> Friday, April, 22
> 
> 7:00 p.m. Hockey Central - 270,000 viewers
> 
> 7:30 p.m. Buffalo vs. Philadelphia, Game 5 - 931,000 viewers
> 
> 10:36 p.m. Nashville vs. Anaheim, Game 5 - 428,000 viewers
> 
> 1:04 a.m. Hockey Central - 185,000 viewers


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...ts-9-and-10-of-the-2011-stanley-cup-playoffs/


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## TANK

> Viewership Numbers For Chicago/Vancouver series on VERSUS
> 
> Game 1, 4/13/11: 540,000 viewers
> 
> Game 2, 4/15/11: 606,000 viewers
> 
> Game 3, 4/17/11: 689,000 viewers
> 
> Game 4, 4/19/11: 621,000 viewers
> 
> Game 5, 4/21/11: 590,000 viewers
> 
> Game 6, 4/24/11: 1.16 million viewers
> 
> Game 7, 4/26/11: 1.135 million viewers
> 
> Viewership Numbers for Buffalo/Philadelphia on VERSUS
> 
> Game 3, 4/18/11: 572,000 viewers
> 
> Game 5, 4/22/11: 931,000 viewers
> 
> Game 7, 4/26/11: 984,000 viewers


Cracking a million with one of the teams from Canada is excellant news for VS and the NHL.

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...ersus-averages-1-million-for-wednesday-night/


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## TANK

> Ratings For Nights 11-15 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
> 
> Saturday, April 23
> 
> 12:00 p.m. Tampa Bay vs. Pittsburgh, Game 5 - 391,000 viewers
> 
> 2:48 p.m. Hockey Central - 355,000 viewers
> 
> 6:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 129,000 viewers
> 
> 7:00 p.m. Montreal vs. Boston, Game 5 - 841,000 viewers
> 
> 11:06 p.m. Los Angeles vs. San Jose, Game 5 - 455,000 viewers
> 
> 1:10 a.m. Hockey Central - 208,000 viewers
> 
> Sunday, April 24
> 
> 7:00 p.m. Hockey Central - 296,000 viewers
> 
> 7:30 p.m. Vancouver vs. Chicago - 1,157,000 viewers
> 
> 10:59 p.m. Hockey Central - 416,000 viewers
> 
> Monday, April 25
> 
> 6:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 75,000
> 
> 7:00 p.m. Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay, Game 6 - 719,000 viewers
> 
> 9:44 p.m. Hockey Central - 667,000 viewers
> 
> 10:00 p.m. San Jose vs. Los Angeles, Game 6 - 446,000 viewers
> 
> 1:07 a.m. Hockey Central - 188,000 viewers
> 
> Tuesday, April 26
> 
> 7:00 p.m. Hockey Central -
> 
> 7:30 p.m. Buffalo vs. Philadelphia, Game 7 - 984,000 viewers
> 
> 10:00 p.m. Chicago vs. Vancouver, Game 7 - 1,135,000 viewers
> 
> 1:00 a.m. Hockey Central -
> 
> Wednesday, April 27
> 
> 7:00 p.m. Montreal vs. Boston, Game 7 - 926,000 viewers
> 
> *10:00 p.m. Tampa Bay vs. Pittsburgh, Game 7 - 1,500,000 viewers*


1.5 million is great numbers for Game 7 0f TB/PIT

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...yoffs-plus-the-final-top-10-games-of-round-1/


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## TANK

> Thursday, April 28
> 
> 8:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 82,000 viewers
> 
> 9:00 p.m. Nashville vs. Vancouver, Game 1 - 484,000 viewers
> 
> 11:41 p.m. Hockey Central - 209,000 viewers


It will be interesting to see if the ratings take a big drop with the the Pens,Rangers and Blackhawks gone.

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/05/02/ratings-for-nights-15-16-of-the-playoffs/


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## TANK

> Friday, April 29
> 
> 6:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 127,000 viewers
> 7:00 p.m. Tampa Bay vs. Washington, Game 1 - 724,000 viewers
> 9:52 p.m. Hockey Central - 536,000 viewers
> 10:00 p.m. Detroit vs. San Jose, Game 1* - 608,000 viewers
> 1:03 a.m. Hockey Central - 301,000 viewers
> 
> Saturday, April 30
> 
> 8:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 115,000 viewers
> 9:00 p.m. Nashville vs. Vancouver, Game 2 - 582,000 viewers
> 1:06 a.m. Hockey Central - 127,000 viewers
> 
> Sunday, May 1
> 
> 6:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 198,000 viewers
> 7:00 p.m. Tampa Bay vs. Washington, Game 2 - 1,261,000 viewers
> 10:05 p.m. Hockey Central - 497,000 viewers
> 
> Monday, May 2
> 
> 7:00 p.m. Hockey Central - 280,000 viewers
> 7:30 p.m. Boston vs. Philadelphia, Game 2 - 1,699,000 viewers
> 10:48 p.m. Hockey Central - 428,000 viewers


A million plus is very good news for VS and the NHL.

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...lightningcaps-and-flyersbruins-top-a-million/


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## TANK

> Tuesday, May 3
> 
> 6:00 p.m. Hockey Central - 58,000 viewers
> 
> 6:30 p.m. Washington vs. Tampa Bay, Game 3 - 511,000 viewers
> 
> 9:00 p.m. Vancouver vs. Nashville, Game 3 - 591,000 viewers
> 
> 12:17 a.m. Hockey Central - 173,000 viewers


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/ratings-for-night-21-of-the-playoffs/


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## TANK

> Wednesday, May 4
> 
> 6:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 85,000 viewers
> 
> 7:00 p.m. Philadelphia vs. Boston, Game 3 - 1,234,000 viewers
> 
> 9:39 p.m. San Jose vs. Detroit, Game 3 - 786,000 viewers
> 
> 11:13 p.m. Hockey Central - 344,000 viewers


Another million plus night

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/ratings-for-night-22-of-the-playoffs/


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## TANK

> Ratings For Night 23 of the Playoffs
> 
> 8:00 p.m. Hockey Central - 169,000 viewers
> 
> 8:30 p.m. Vancouver vs. Nashville, Game 4 - 702,000 viewers
> 
> 11:19 p.m. Hockey Central - 330,000 viewers


Nice increase for NSH/VAN

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/ratings-for-night-23-of-the-playoffs/


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## TANK

> Friday, May 6
> 
> 6:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 251,000 viewers
> 
> 7:00 p.m. San Jose vs. Detroit, Game 4 - 944,000 viewers
> 
> 9:45 p.m. Philadelphia vs. Boston, Game 4 - 836,000 viewers
> 
> 10:49 p.m. Hockey Central - 278,000 viewers


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/ratings-for-night-24-of-the-playoffs/


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## SamC

The whole "Canadian teams hurt ratings" in the NHL, or in the NBA or in MLB, theory is based on a faulty premise.

If a sport is broadcast on a national basis by a national network (as opposed to being shown out-of-market only by the national broadcaster and in-market by the team's RSN, then the ratings will consist of three parts:

- An, obviously quite large, rating in the home market of the teams involved. People who would not watch any hockey not involving their own team.

- A "casual fan" rating of people attracted by storylines, notable players, or who have non-geographical, and often bandwagon, loyalties to a particular team.

- A steady national rating of people that simply want to watch the sport.

Anybody who knows anything about hockey knows that the teams are made up of people from Canada, the northern USA, and Europe, in a mix that has no regard for the city the team is based in, just as baseball teams are a mix people born in the USA, Latin America, Japan and Korea, and a few Canadians, and the NBA is fast becoming a league with both US and European players.

So, with a Canadian team, the US network loses the first segment, the local fans who would not watch other games.

But that is all. There is no objective data that people in, say, St. Louis, are more interested in seeing, say, the Kings play the Ducks, than in seeing, say, the Flames play the Canadians, simply because of where the teams are located. It just does not work that way.


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## TANK

> Game 5 of the Red Wings/Sharks series earned 1.627 million viewers on Versus Sunday night,


Huge number for a Sunday night NHL Game

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/


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## TANK

> Saturday, May 7
> 
> 7:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 199,000 viewers
> 
> 8:00 p.m. Nashville vs. Vancouver, Game 5 - 627,000
> 
> 11:00 p.m. Hockey Central - 251,000 viewers
> 
> Sunday, May 8
> 
> 7:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 257,000 viewers
> 
> 8:00 p.m. San Jose vs. Detroit, Game 5 - 1,627,000 viewers
> 
> 10:40 p.m. Hockey Central - 600,000 viewers
> 
> Monday, May 9
> 
> 7:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 168,000 viewers
> 
> 8:00 p.m. Vancouver vs. Nashville, Game 6 - 679,000 viewers
> 
> 10:55 p.m. Hockey Central - 283,000 viewers
> 
> Tuesday, May 10
> 
> 7:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 197,000 viewers
> 
> 8:00 p.m. San Jose vs. Detroit, Game 6 - 1,021,000 viewers
> 
> 10:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 382,000 viewers


It will be interesting to see how the SJ/VAN series does. With one Canadian team,no real star factor and late starting times it has everything we have been told for years that will kill ratings.

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/author/stevelepore/


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## TANK

> Thursday, May 12
> 
> 8:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 226,000 viewers
> 
> 9:00 p.m. Detroit vs. San Jose, Game 7 - 1,251,000 viewers
> 
> 11:56 p.m. Hockey Central - 277,000 viewers


Surprised Game 7 drew less than Game 5

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/ratings-for-night-29-of-the-stanley-cup-playoffs/


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## TANK

> Game 1 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins on Saturday night in primetime drew 1.54 million viewers on VERSUS
> 
> Game 1 between the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks - which faced off against a blockbuster NBA playoff game on TNT and Yankees-Red Sox on ESPN - drew 1.0 million viewers


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...habs-flyers-sharks-canucks-down-with-a-catch/


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## TANK

> The Game 2 broadcast of the Eastern Conference Final between the Lightning and Bruins scored 1,562,000 viewers on VERSUS Tuesday night.


Not bad numbers considering it was going up against the series finale of some shows.

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...illion-for-game-2-up-5-for-conference-finals/


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## TANK

> Game 2 coverage of the San Jose/Vancouver series drew just 847,000 viewers, as well as an 0.6 rating (with an 0.4 in the 18-49 demo) down 16% from Game 1′s total of 1 million, which aired on Saturday night in an earlier timeslot


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/canucks-sharks-game-2-ratings-take-a-dip/


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## tenpins

Thank you for the updates, keep up the good work. Great to see that the numbers are holding up. I think that the drop off reflects the late start time for the Detroit/ Eastern time zone folks. Living in the Mountain time zone is a bonus.


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## TANK

> Thursday, May 19
> 
> 7:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 207,000 viewers
> 
> 8:00 p.m. Boston vs. Tampa Bay, Game 3 - 1,405,000 viewers
> 
> 10:49 p.m. Hockey Central - 563,000 viewers


A million plus is very good ,going up against prime time tv show's series finale's.

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/ratings-for-game-3-of-the-eastern-conference-final/


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## TANK

> Friday, May 20
> 
> 8:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 115,000 viewers
> 
> 9:00 p.m. Vancouver vs. San Jose, Game 3 - 714,000 viewers
> 
> 11:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 284,000 viewers


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/05/24/game-3-of-western-final-hits-series-low/


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## TANK

> VERSUS' Monday night broadcast of Game 5 between the Lightning and Bruins drew 1.51 million viewers for the network


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/eastern-conference-final-continues-solid-run-on-versus/


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## TANK

> The terrific Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final between Boston and Tampa Bay drew 1.68 million viewers, marking the best numbers of the series for VERSUS


Interesting to see what game 7 does tonight. Will a game 7 on a Friday Night help or hurt the ratings ?

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...s-series-high-nearly-playoff-high-for-versus/



> VERSUS' coverage of the 2011 Western Conference Final ultimately ended up averaging under a million viewers, but the network got a slight boost from the deciding Game 5.
> 
> The network's broadcast of the classic, double overtime Canucks clincher drew 879,000 viewers. This ended up being VERSUS' second most-watched broadcast of the series, behind only Game 1, which drew 1 million viewers and was the only game on VERSUS to air in an earlier timeslot than 9 p.m. ET


http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...erence-final-finishes-up-but-below-a-million/


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## TANK

Erik Erlendsson covers the Tampa Bay Lightning for The Tampa Tribune just tweeted-



> NBC announces TB-Bos Game 7 avg 2.55 million viewers,


Great numbers for a Friday night NHL Playoff game on VS.

I'm not fan of Comcast,but they have done a good job of cross promoting the NHL play off games. I have seen ads for the NHL play off games on other Comcast channels besides NBC and VS.

http://twitter.com/#!/erlendssontrib


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## TANK

> ■First, viewership averaged 2.76 million viewers. That's down from last year's cable record of 3.6 million viewers for Philadelphia-Chicago which went into overtime. Again, we take into account one US market and Canadian markets are not measured by the US Nielsen ratings.
> 
> ■Viewership peaked at 3.52 million viewers in the 9:30 - 10 p.m. ET half hour in the 2nd period.
> 
> ■Versus says in the 8 - 11 p.m. time period, Versus ranked 3rd among all cable networks in primetime.
> 
> ■In Boston, Versus saw a 23.37 rating, the highest local rating ever for Versus. And the rating was up 57% from the last time the Bruins were on Versus which was game 7 of this year's Eastern Conference Final against Tampa Bay.
> 
> ■And Versus was the top rated network on both cable and network TV in Boston and Providence.


VS got a huge increase in viewers for this game compared to SJ/VAN series ratings numbers.

But the NHL saw a slight decrease in ratings going from Games 1+2 on NBC to Game 3 on VS.

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/versus-game-3-numbers-down-from-last-years-record/


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## TANK

VS started the season with these ratings -

Thursday, October 7
12:00 Minnesota vs. Carolina - 80,000 (0.1)
7:00 Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh - 730,000 (0.4)
10:00 Chicago vs. Colorado - 430,000 (0.3)

Friday, October 8
12:00 Carolina vs. Minnesota - 95,000 (0.1)
3:00 Columbus vs. San Jose - 120,000 (0.1)

Saturday, October 9
12:00 Phoenix vs. Boston - 116,000 (0.1)

And finished with Game 4 of the Finals-



> Wednesday, June 8
> 
> 7:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 219,000 viewers
> 
> 8:00 p.m. Vancouver vs. Boston, Game 4 - 2,714,000 viewers
> 
> 10:30 p.m. Hockey Central - 875,000 viewers


I think the new TV deal will and has help increase ratings for VS because of the Comcast mega deal for NBC .

Adding Hockey Central and cross promoting the NHL with all the Comcast channels seems to have boosted ratings.

I hope they decide next season that it isn't a ratings killer to have Canadian teams featured in VS and NBC games.

http://puckthemedia.wordpress.com/2...finished-versus-top-10-for-the-2011-playoffs/


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