The Ice Is Nice: Versus Sees Best NHL Regular Season Since Gaining Rights

Versus averaged a 0.2 U.S. rating and 353,000 viewers for its 53 exclusive NHL regular-season games this season, marking the net's best viewership since acquiring the NHL package prior to the '05-06 season. This year's viewership is also up 19% from 297,000 viewers last year and up 11% from 318,000 viewers in '08-09. ESPN averaged 531,000 viewers for 20 telecasts during the '03-04 season, the last year the NHL aired on the net. That same season ESPN2 averaged 282,000 viewers for 50 regular-season games. Versus' top regular-season audience this year was for Penguins-Flyers on Dec. 14, which drew 750,000 viewers. Penguins games also accounted for five of the net's 10 most-viewed games this season. Meanwhile, NBC finished with a 1.0 rating and 1.621 million viewers for 11 NHL telecasts this season, flat in ratings compared to recent years. The viewership figure, however, is up 3.9% from last season. Following a 2.3 rating for the Capitals-Penguins Winter Classic on New Year's Day, only two game telecasts topped a 1.0 rating on the net (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).

LET'S GET IT STARTED: MSG Plus posted a 3.45 local rating for Wednesday's Rangers-Capitals NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Game One, marking the highest-rated Rangers game since a Conference Semifinal against the Devils in May '97. The 3.45 was up 40% from a 2.47 rating for Game One of the '09 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series against the Capitals. The Rangers missed the '10 postseason. Wednesday night's game also represented the highest-rated event on MSG Plus since '04. Meanwhile, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic earned a 6.18 local rating in the DC market for Rangers-Capitals Game One, marking the second-highest Caps rating in network history (THE DAILY).

REGULAR-SEASON RUNDOWN: CSN Mid-Atlantic averaged a 1.78 local rating in the DC market for 70 Capitals games this season, a network record. The rating is up 12% from the '09-10 season, which was the previous all-time high. CSN Mid-Atlantic averaged a 0.89 local rating in Baltimore for Capitals games this season, up 42% over last season. Meanwhile, CSN Chicago averaged a 2.78 local rating in Chicago for Blackhawks games this season, the highest regular-season Blackhawks rating ever for a Chicago RSN. The 2.78 rating is up 14% over a 2.44 average for the '09-10 season, up 121% from a 1.26 average for the '08-09 season and up 341% from a 0.63 rating for the '07-08 season. Flyers games this season averaged a 2.4 local rating on CSN Philadelphia and a 2.0 rating on The Comcast Network, up 9% and 20%, respectively, over last season. "Flyers Pregame Live" ratings increased 8% on CSN Philadelphia and 100% on The Comcast Network, while "Flyers Postgame Live" saw increases of 8% and 10%, respectively (CSN)....NESN averaged a 3.1 rating for Bruins games this season, a new regular-season ratings record for the network. The 3.1 rating is up 41% from the '09-10 season. NESN's previous best was a 2.5 average rating for the '08-09 and '95-96 seasons (NESN)....FS Midwest averaged a 3.1 local rating in St. Louis for Blues games this season, the team's "best TV rating ever on cable/satellite." The 3.1 also ranks as the "fifth-best rating by any U.S.-based NHL team" this season and the best for a non-playoff team. The previous record for Blues ratings was a 2.9 average for Prime Sports in '95-96 "when the Blues began utilizing cable" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 4/15).