Flyers-Pens Game Two Becomes Versus' Most Viewed Telecast Ever

Versus earned a 1.8 coverage area rating for Sunday's Flyers-Penguins Eastern Conference Finals Game Two. It was the net's highest-rated NHL broadcast as well as its most-watched telecast ever with 2.373 million viewers. The rating was second only to a 2.1 for the final stage of Lance Armstrong's last Tour de France in '05.  The game also marks the most-viewed NHL cable telecast (playoff or regular season) since the ’02-03 season, when cable rights belonged to ESPN/ESPN2. The following lists Versus' five all-time most-viewed telecasts (THE DAILY).

ON THE RISE: MEDIALIFE MAGAZINE's Toni Fitzgerald writes of NHL playoffs ratings on NBC and Versus being on the upswing, "There are a number of reasons, not the least of which is the presence of several of the league's most dynamic young talents in these playoffs," including Penguins C Sidney Crosby and Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin. The playoffs also "have featured the revival of some lovable losers, always a theme for TV viewers" (MEDIALIFEMAGAZINE.com, 5/14).

WILD NIGHTS: The Wild averaged an 8.2 HH rating on FSN North for three telecasts of the team's first-round playoff series against the Avalanche. Wild-Avalanche Game Six earned a 9.2 HH rating, making it the highest-rated game on FSN North this season and the ninth-highest-rated show in the net's history. For 48 regular-season telecasts, the FSN North averaged a 2.87 HH rating (Wild).