March Of The Penguins: NBC Sports Sees 19% Jump In Viewership For Stanley Cup Final

NBC and NBCSN finished with an average of 4.68 million viewers for the six-game Penguins-Predators NHL Stanley Cup Final, up 19% from 3.95 million viewers last year for the six-game Penguins-Sharks series. But this year also is down from 5.55 million viewers for the six-game Blackhawks-Lightning series in '15, and down from 5.0 million viewers for the five-game Kings-Rangers series in '14. The first of three Sidney Crosby-led Cup wins in '09 averaged 4.91 million viewers for six games against the Red Wings. When streaming is added for NBC Sports digital platforms, this year's Final averaged 4.76 million viewers. With or without streaming, the Penguins-Predators series is the best on record for a Final not involving an Original Six team. Game 6 on Sunday night, which had strong TV competition from a U.S.-Mexico FIFA World Cup qualifier on FS1/Univision and the Tony Awards on CBS, drew 6.99 million viewers for NBC, up 29% from 5.41 million viewers for the Game 6 clincher last year. With streaming, Game 6 on Sunday night drew 7.09 million viewers. Meanwhile, in Canada, Sportsnet averaged 2.67 million viewers for the Penguins-Predators series, up 18% from last year's series.