The CBC set a viewership record for a first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs broadcast Monday night, as more than 5.1 million people tuned in for the Bruins' 5-4 Game 7 OT win against the Maple Leafs. The game also set a record as the most-viewed Maple Leafs game in network history. That came just one day after a then-record 4.5 million viewers tuned in to Game 6 last Sunday. The series as a whole set a new record with an average audience of 3.53 million viewers, making it the most-watched opening-round series ever on the CBC, surpassing Bruins-Canadiens in '11 (2.85 million viewers). Meanwhile, Bruins-Maple Leafs Game 7 garnered a 16.8 average rating on NESN, marking the third-highest rated Bruins game since the network's inception in '84. NESN averaged an 11.7 rating for the series, which included two of the top five highest-rated Bruins games ever on the net (THE DAILY).
PENGUINS MARCH ON: Root Sports Pittsburgh averaged a 21.3 local rating (665,600 viewers) for the Penguins-Islanders series, the net's highest-rated first-round playoff series in history. The net carried five of the six games of the series, including the decisive Game 6, which drew a 23.3 average local rating (728,125 viewers). Penguins-Islanders Game 6 was the highest-rated first-round game and fourth-highest rated playoff game in net history. MSG+ averaged a 1.51 rating for the five games, the highest rating for an Islanders playoff series since '02 against the Maple Leafs. The net's telecast of Penguins-Islanders Game 6 earned a 2.21 average rating, making it the highest-rated Islanders game ever on the net. The Islanders' previous single-game high was in March '02 for a game against the Rangers (THE DAILY).
MORE HOCKEY RATINGS: Game 1 of the Sharks-Kings Western Conference Semifinals series earned a 1.9 local rating in the L.A. market, a 20% increase from what the Kings "did against St. Louis in the Game 1 opener of their second-round series a year ago" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 5/17).
BAD NEWS BEARS: In Oklahoma City, Mel Bracht reported Game 3 of the Grizzlies-ThunderWestern Conference Semifinal last Saturday afternoon "managed only a 16.9 rating" in the local market, the "second-lowest rating ever for a Thunder playoff game." The "lowest rating, 14.5, also was a second-round playoff game on ESPN on a Saturday" against the Grizzlies two years ago (NEWSOK.com, 5/14).
| TELECAST | DATE | NET | TIME (ET) | RAT. |
| "ESPN Sports Saturday" | 5/11 | ABC | 4:00-6:00pm | 0.5 |
| NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals: Knicks-Pacers: Game 3 | 5/11 | ABC | 8:15-10:30pm | 3.5 |
| PBR: Last Cowboy Standing | 5/11 | CBS | 4:00-6:00pm | 0.6 |
| FA Cup Final: Manchester City-Wigan | 5/11 | Fox | 12:00-2:30pm | 0.5 |
| "The Road to Wembley" | 5/11 | Fox | 2:30-3:00pm | 0.3 |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup: Darlington | 5/11 | Fox | 7:00-10:30pm | 3.8 |
| "Golf Central Live" | 5/11 | NBC | 1:30-2:00pm | 0.6 |
| PGA Tour: The Players Championship: Third Round | 5/11 | NBC | 2:00-7:00pm | 2.6 |
| "NBA Countdown" | 5/12 | ABC | 3:00-3:30pm | 1.0 |
| NBA Western Conference Semifinals: Spurs-Warriors: Game 4 | 5/12 | ABC | 3:30-6:00pm | 3.4 |
| PBR: Last Cowboy Standing | 5/12 | CBS | 4:00-6:00pm | 0.6 |
| "Golf Central Live" | 5/12 | NBC | 1:30-2:00pm | 1.1 |
| PGA Tour: The Players Championship: Final Round | 5/12 | NBC | 2:00-7:00pm | 5.0 |
