NBC finished with a 1.8 final Nielsen rating and 2.9 million viewers for the Kings’ 2-1 OT win over the Devils Wednesday night, marking the lowest-rated NHL Stanley Cup Final opener since the league returned the first game to broadcast TV in ’09. The game is down 33% and 36%, respectively, from a 2.7 rating and 4.6 million viewers for the Bruins-Canucks opener last year, which was the most-viewed Stanley Cup Final opener in 12 years.
The chart below lists final Nielsen ratings from recent sports telecasts. All ratings listed are U.S. ratings. Figures for ABC’s telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series History 300 last Saturday were not available at presstime.
| TELECAST |
DATE
|
NET
|
TIME (ET)
|
RAT.
|
VIEWERS (000)
|
NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals:
Celtics-76ers: Game Seven |
5/26
|
ABC
|
7:59-10:46pm
|
4.5
|
7,012
|
| NASCAR Sprint Cup: Coca-Cola 600 |
5/27
|
Fox
|
6:24-10:17pm
|
4.4
|
7,405
|
| Izod IndyCar Series: Indianapolis 500 |
5/27
|
ABC
|
12:00-3:45pm
|
4.3
|
6,800
|
| MLB: (regional) |
5/26
|
Fox
|
7:12-10:11pm
|
1.7
|
2,615
|
PGA Tour: Crowne Plaza Invitational:
Final Round |
5/27
|
CBS
|
3:00-6:00pm
|
1.7
|
n/a
|
PGA Tour: Crowne Plaza Invitational:
Third Round |
5/26
|
CBS
|
3:00-6:00pm
|
1.2
|
n/a
|
| French Open: First Round |
5/27
|
NBC
|
12:00-3:00pm
|
0.7
|
1,010
|
Red Bull Signature Series:
X-Fighters (taped) |
5/26
|
NBC
|
2:00-3:00pm
|
0.4
|
586
|
| Senior PGA Championship: Third Round |
5/26
|
NBC
|
3:00-6:00pm
|
0.4
|
565
|
| Senior PGA Championship: Final Round |
5/27
|
NBC
|
3:00-6:00pm
|
0.4
|
624
|
| TELECAST |
DATE
|
NET
|
TIME (ET)
|
RAT.
|
VIEWERS (000)
|
NBA Western Conference Semifinals:
Thunder-Lakers: Game Five |
5/21
|
TNT
|
9:43pm-12:29am
|
5.3
|
8,149
|
NBA Western Conference Finals:
Thunder-Spurs: Game One |
5/27
|
TNT
|
8:32-11:17pm
|
4.8
|
7,764
|
NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals:
Heat-Pacers: Game Six |
5/24
|
ESPN
|
8:05-10:46pm
|
4.5
|
6,892
|
NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals:
Heat-Pacers: Game Five |
5/22
|
TNT
|
8:13-10:59pm
|
3.5
|
5,503
|
NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals:
Celtics-76ers: Game Six |
5/23
|
ESPN
|
8:08-10:42pm
|
3.5
|
5,354
|
NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals:
Celtics-76ers: Game Five |
5/21
|
TNT
|
7:00-9:43pm
|
2.8
|
4,174
|
NHL Eastern Conference Finals:
Devils-Rangers: Game Six |
5/25
|
NBCS
|
8:00-10:58pm
|
0.9
|
1,605
|
NHL Eastern Conference Finals:
Devils-Rangers: Game Five |
5/23
|
NBCS
|
8:00-10:45pm
|
0.9
|
1,428
|
| UFC 146 Prelims |
5/26
|
FX
|
8:00-10:00pm
|
0.8
|
1,304
|
NHL Eastern Conference Finals:
Devils-Rangers: Game Four |
5/21
|
NBCS
|
8:00-10:45pm
|
0.8
|
1,259
|
