While NBC and NBCSN saw strong gains for viewership of the NHL Conference Finals, the overall audience for the Stanley Cup Playoffs heading into the Blackhawks-Lightning Final is down compared to same period last year. NBC, NBCSN, USA Network and CNBC have averaged 1.12 million viewers for 82 NHL playoff games to date, down 4% from 1.17 million viewers for 86 games heading into the Stanley Cup Final last year. Playoff games last year did not air at all on the highly-distributed USA Network, whereas the cable net aired eight games during the ’15 postseason, averaging 482,000 viewers for those games. NBC and NBCSN did benefit from a pair of seven-game Conference Finals. The two nets combined to average 2.23 million viewers for 14 games, up 9% from last year’s 13 games. This year trails only ’13 (2.65 million viewers for nine games) as the second-best Conference Finals audience since ’97, when Fox and ESPN combined for 2.42 million viewers over 11 telecasts (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
EDDIE IS RIGHT ON THE MONEY: In Chicago, Ed Sherman notes NBC analyst Ed Olczyk "will miss" Blackhawks-Lightning Game 2 on Saturday, as the "avid horse player will be part of NBC's coverage of American Pharoah's bid to win the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes." If the Rangers had beaten the Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals, Game 2 would have been in N.Y., "allowing Olczyk to do both events." But his "best-case scenario didn't happen" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/3).
CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS: In Chicago, Christopher Placek notes Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final will be on NBCSN due to NBC's "multi-year agreement with the NHL that mandates two games" be on the cable net. Games 2 and 3 in '13 aired on NBCSN, and Games 3 and 4 in '10 "aired on the network's predecessor, Versus." Which games are selected "may have a lot to do with what else is on." NBC on Saturday will be airing Game 2 "at the conclusion of the network's coverage of the Belmont Stakes." A big audience is "expected to watch American Pharoah vie for the final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, and NBC officials hope that will serve as a good lead-in to their hockey coverage." NBC's deal "also means there's little chance a local affiliate could pick up either of the [Blackhawks] Stanley Cup games from cable -- a practice that's common during nationally televised Bears regular season games" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 6/3).
