The '17 Stanley Cup Playoffs across CBC and Sportsnet averaged "1.61 million viewers a game," a 94% increase over '16, according to David Shoalts of the GLOBE & MAIL. The six-game Penguins-Predators Stanley Cup Final had an "average audience of 2.67 million," up 18% over '16. The "most-watched game of the playoffs" was Game 7 of the Penguins-Senators Eastern Conference final, when 4.29 million viewers tuned in. The reason for the turnaround is "no secret." In '16, "none of the seven Canadian NHL teams made the playoffs." But five Canadian teams "made the playoffs this year." The Oilers advanced to the second round, and the Senators made the conference final. Sources said the company had "no trouble selling its playoff inventory thanks to the bump in ratings." There was "even a lineup of new sponsors for the commercial time." Sportsnet President Scott Moore thinks next year’s ad revenue "will jump" 40-50% because the Canadian teams’ success "appears to have staying power." Moore: "There’s momentum. It’s a long-term play. It’s not just about trying to get the most out of an advertiser in one year, it’s about making sure there’s value for the next few years" (GLOBE & MAIL, 6/15).
ON THE UP & UP: In Toronto, Kevin McGran notes "Hockey Night in Canada" viewership was up 11% from the '15-16 season to an "average audience of 1.8 million viewers" for the 7:00pm ET game, and up 6% (560,000 viewers) for the late game. Sunday’s "Hometown Hockey" was up 22% (511,000 viewers), and Sportsnet’s regional Maple Leafs broadcasts "were up" 32%, to an average audience of 511,000. That gets them "back to roughly where they were" in '14-15. TSN’s Leafs broadcasts "were up" 20%. Interest this season "followed a year of doom and gloom in Canada, when none of the country’s seven teams made the playoffs." Rogers "rethought its hockey broadcast, letting go dozens of on-air and behind-the-scenes talent." Most notably, Ron MacLean "was back as host" of "Hockey Night in Canada" after George Stroumboulopoulos’ two-year run. Moore: "We were pleased with the chemistry we had on Saturday nights. ... We had a consistency of presentation. There are always some tweaks you make, but I don’t expect those tweaks to be major or monumental" (TORONTO STAR, 6/15).
