Movin' On Up: NBC Posts Ratings Gains For NHL Conference Finals

Stars-Red Wings Game Five On NBC Earns 1.5/4 Overnight Nielsen Rating

VERSUS: SI.com's Richard Deitsch reported Versus' coverage of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs conference finals through Friday was up 71% compared to last season. The net has also seen increases over '06-07 of 50% for the conference semifinals round and 33% for the first round (SI.com, 5/19).

PITTSBURGH: FSN Pittsburgh for the '07-08 NHL regular season and playoffs topped all Fox Sports RSNs nationally in ratings. The net's season average HH rating of 6.1 also marked the highest regular-season rating in FSN Pittsburgh history, led by a regular-season high 10.56 for Penguins-Islanders on March 27. The net carried five playoff games, four first-round games and one second-round game, which combined for a 15.5 average HH rating. FSN Pittsburgh on April 29 recorded its second-highest rated Penguins game ever, earning a 18.56 for Game Three of the Penguins-Rangers Eastern Conference Semifinals (FSN Pittsburgh).

DETROIT: FSN Detroit's earned an average 4.74 HH rating for 70 regular-season Red Wings telecasts this season, up 33.5% from a 3.55 for 60 games in '06-07 (THE DAILY). The net's five playoff games for '08 averaged a 9.1 HH rating, up from a 9.0 for six games last season. FSN Detroit's most-watched game was Red Wings-Avalanche Western Conference Semifinals Game Four on April 29, which earned a 10.2 HH rating (CRAINSDETROIT.com, 5/19).

Bettman Feels Show On XM Great Chance To Have Fun With NHL Fans

MULTIMEDIA: In a Q&A with the ARIZONA REPUBLIC, Coyotes President Doug Moss said of the NHL's expanding media reach, "What the NHL has done with nhl.com is a fabulous resource. For the future season-ticket holder, it's about how they get their information and how they get their content." Moss added Versus is "starting to really grow" as a net, as it is "on more TVs in hotels, restaurants and bars, I've noticed." He also said with ESPN dedicating more time to the league and hiring the CBC's Don Cherry for added analysis, "Maybe it's an indication they're willing to get back into the business" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 5/20).

NOTHING TO HIDE: USA TODAY's Michael McCarthy writes of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's "NHL Hour" show on XM Satellite Radio and NHL.com, "Give the NHL its due. At a time when sports fans are demanding more openness and accountability, the commissioner has been on the air since Nov. 27." Bettman said that the calls are "not screened," and that his "only criterion is picking callers who've been waiting on hold the longest." Bettman: "If somebody's got something difficult they want to discuss, let's get it out." Bettman said the show is an "opportunity to have some fun with the fans" (USA TODAY, 5/20).

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