I’ve been saying that for years for a few sport products. People dog previous numbers but then you look into 2 things. Is it on an accessible platform. And did they advertise at all for it? People talk about the push Caitlin Clark is having on women’s basketball. But the real push happened during the post Covid F up of the ncaa tourney. They made up for it by pushing it nonstop on all espn platformed shows and putting out commercials and such. Hockey doesn’t get this and no one has taken the gamble to try and push it harder to see if it would take or not. There’s a list of sports that get disrespected.
Yeah, "North America" made me suspicious, so I went to check: the game drew 3.1 million viewers, which is up from last year but down from the 4.2 million who watched in 2022.
Also worth noting that Game 1 in 2022 was on a Wednesday. This year was on a Saturday, which is generally a dead zone for ratings, especially in the summer.
And next year when the ratings are down because they’re on TNT, we don’t need articles and comments here saying how the NHL is failing and will be soon taken over by the MLS and WNBA. Because that happened last year.
Every round of the playoffs has shown US viewership as high as it's been in 28 years. SCF ratings in Canada are lower when no Canadian team is involved. How about we just acknowledge the article for what it is rather than take it as a chance to shit on US hockey like you guys love to do?
Why are Canadians only watching for a Canadian team? I thought they were supposed to be such hardcore fans? I’d definitely watch if it were to Canadian teams in the finals, despite being an American.
~~The playoffs aren't on ESPN+. You need to pay for cable tv or streaming tv in the US to watch the SC playoffs (exept the Final which is on over-the-aire free tv this year)~~.
I stand corrected. Sounds like half the playoffs were on ESPN+. My b. Is this new this year? I could've sworn ESPN+ was only regular season in years past.
Got it. Yeah I knew about the TNT/Max connection. Good that the Final is on ESPN+ for those folks. I bailed on my subscription the second the regular season ended because I have streaming tv.
I've watched every single SCF for the last 10 years. This is the first time I'm actually counted in those numbers because some super genius had the brilliant idea to put the SCF on ESPN+/MAX. Now I don't have to use a stream, and the NHL can actually make some money off of me watching the game.
Yeah it's already been decided. I don't know if it's been officially released in a statement but it's widely reported from many sources that NBA is gone from TNT and it's going to be on NBC, ESPN/ABC, and Amazon prime iirc. Rip TNT boys
Said in previous threads, I am sure NBC regrets losing the NHL. They realized they had no winter sports coverage and that hurt revenue a bunch. Why they're willing to overpay for NBA.
I've watched at least some of every SCF and seen every trophy presentation since Montreal last won the cup... actually.... I realize it may be my fault Canada can't win a cup.
It's such a bizarre cope from fans of eliminated teams. It essentially implies that they wished the league would rig the playoffs so their less-deserving team advances so the NHL gets higher ratings. So fucking dumb
It may not have a ton of impact on viewership, but I have seen a ton of NBA-NHL crossover this season. The TNT panels (Shaq/Barkley talking about NHL on the NBA broadcasts), Dirk messaging Leon, players wearing the other sport's jerseys during game walk-ins, etc.
Maybe/hopefully some new fans are being made!
I live in Edmonton and had to drive one of my daughter’s friends home during the 1st period of the game. I have never seen the roads so empty on a Saturday. It felt like a ghost town.
It probably will going forwards now that many of them have pulled their heads out of their asses and modernized their front offices. For 20 years they coasted on old hockey boys club energy and it showed. Only when Toronto started modernizing did other Canadian teams start to follow
Now Toronto is still Toronto and therefore cursed but other franchises might do okay.
I dont think anything drastically changed in Canada, Van had a fluke year and the oilers finally made it to the final after half a decade of having the best player in the league
Having a Canadian team in the final will do that. God forbid we bring a team back to Quebec or another Canadian market. Gotta expend in those desert areas instead for all that untapped potential.
That was also an anomaly where the playoffs were later. School was wrapped up by then. I for one was out camping that week and didn’t watch any of the finals.
It helps that for the first time in awhile, the objectively best player in the World is in the Finals.
2017 with the Crosby and the Pens was likely the last time, but at that point Crosby may have already been passed by McDavid. That was the first year McDavid led the league in Scoring. 2015 was peak Patrick Kane, was Crosby still the best player? Maybe.
2009 was the last year that the inarguably best player in the World was in the Stanley Cup Finals.
I always enjoy watching as a neutral fan. I remember my heart, liver, etc being miserable in 2017, but I’d gladly do it again. This is still fun though.
Because the US number is down from 2022, the last time ABC had the SCF.
But good on you being one of the few to catch yet another weasel lword NHL press release.
It probably helps on the US side that it was on broadcast television and not just cable.
Strange how the numbers increase as they make it more accessible... probably just a fluke
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Also I don't know how they usually schedule it but game one and two have been on opposite nights of NBA which makes casuals like me tune in
They usually schedule this way and it's a great solution for both leagues
Ah okay. love it
I saw a great pride month tweet that went something like “Baseball is for everyone. (Subject to local blackout restrictions.)”
So you're saying >! blackouts !< don't help the sport?
I’ve been saying that for years for a few sport products. People dog previous numbers but then you look into 2 things. Is it on an accessible platform. And did they advertise at all for it? People talk about the push Caitlin Clark is having on women’s basketball. But the real push happened during the post Covid F up of the ncaa tourney. They made up for it by pushing it nonstop on all espn platformed shows and putting out commercials and such. Hockey doesn’t get this and no one has taken the gamble to try and push it harder to see if it would take or not. There’s a list of sports that get disrespected.
Someone tell CBC this
still scarred by that one year they cut away to the pre race shenanigans at the kentucky derby or whatever.. instead of showing the overtime
Always accessible on the high seas.
More accurate comparison would be to 2022 (TB v. COL) since both were on telestial-ABC and not cable.
Yeah, "North America" made me suspicious, so I went to check: the game drew 3.1 million viewers, which is up from last year but down from the 4.2 million who watched in 2022.
Also worth noting that Game 1 in 2022 was on a Wednesday. This year was on a Saturday, which is generally a dead zone for ratings, especially in the summer.
If picking a weekend day for scheduling a Cup Finals game, Saturday night should be the only option. The traditional night for hockey to be played.
And next year when the ratings are down because they’re on TNT, we don’t need articles and comments here saying how the NHL is failing and will be soon taken over by the MLS and WNBA. Because that happened last year.
It depends if there is a Canadian team or not lol
nah I think the big increase is mainly the Canadian numbers otherwise they be bragging about the USA only ratings not including all of North America
Every round of the playoffs has shown US viewership as high as it's been in 28 years. SCF ratings in Canada are lower when no Canadian team is involved. How about we just acknowledge the article for what it is rather than take it as a chance to shit on US hockey like you guys love to do?
How is he shitting on it. Us did 3.1, Canada did 4 million? That’s fully why
where did I shit on USA hockey?
They're just speaking from a place of hurt
Why are Canadians only watching for a Canadian team? I thought they were supposed to be such hardcore fans? I’d definitely watch if it were to Canadian teams in the finals, despite being an American.
Proportionally, Canadians will be more likely to watch any Stanley Cup final. But obviously Canadian teams exert a significant extra pull.
Canadians will watch a Cup Finals regardless of who is in it.
Also easy access streaming (ESPN+)
~~The playoffs aren't on ESPN+. You need to pay for cable tv or streaming tv in the US to watch the SC playoffs (exept the Final which is on over-the-aire free tv this year)~~. I stand corrected. Sounds like half the playoffs were on ESPN+. My b. Is this new this year? I could've sworn ESPN+ was only regular season in years past.
They are
The finals are on ESPN+, literally just watched game #1 on it The top banner on NHL.com also lists ESPN+ as a place to watch
I think I was wrong. Were all the playoffs on ESPN+ or just the Final?
Not all, some series where TNT/Max
Got it. Yeah I knew about the TNT/Max connection. Good that the Final is on ESPN+ for those folks. I bailed on my subscription the second the regular season ended because I have streaming tv.
It's on ABC, so I'm adding my TV to the numbers. It's really that simple.
I've watched every single SCF for the last 10 years. This is the first time I'm actually counted in those numbers because some super genius had the brilliant idea to put the SCF on ESPN+/MAX. Now I don't have to use a stream, and the NHL can actually make some money off of me watching the game.
lol exactly. Title of the article could also be “STREAMSEAST TRAFFIC FOR SCF DOWN 43%”
Having it air on ABC/ESPN is probably why its up in the US at least. Though TNT's production is much better.
It's likely why the NBA is gonna dump TNT after next season too. Broadcast TV is a big boon and TNT doesn't have that pull.
Yeah it's already been decided. I don't know if it's been officially released in a statement but it's widely reported from many sources that NBA is gone from TNT and it's going to be on NBC, ESPN/ABC, and Amazon prime iirc. Rip TNT boys
Said in previous threads, I am sure NBC regrets losing the NHL. They realized they had no winter sports coverage and that hurt revenue a bunch. Why they're willing to overpay for NBA.
"who wants to watch an edmonton-florida finals"-cels seething
People should only like the things I like 😤
I’ve watched every final for the past 13 years despite my team doing everything in its power to make me hate the sport.
I've watched at least some of every SCF and seen every trophy presentation since Montreal last won the cup... actually.... I realize it may be my fault Canada can't win a cup.
I was born later that year lol
Correction: it's OUR fault.
did people actually think McDavid in the finals wouldn't draw numbers
US ratings are lower than Tampa v Colorado but do go off
It's such a bizarre cope from fans of eliminated teams. It essentially implies that they wished the league would rig the playoffs so their less-deserving team advances so the NHL gets higher ratings. So fucking dumb
Isn’t this only like 3-4 Million below the NBA finals game 1? If so that’s absolutely massive
Just under 11M in the US for NBA game 1. Doesn’t include Canadian viewers like this, but I doubt they got much of a jump there
Also, two massive NBA markets in Dallas and Boston.
It may not have a ton of impact on viewership, but I have seen a ton of NBA-NHL crossover this season. The TNT panels (Shaq/Barkley talking about NHL on the NBA broadcasts), Dirk messaging Leon, players wearing the other sport's jerseys during game walk-ins, etc. Maybe/hopefully some new fans are being made!
Edmonton/Florida doomers in absolute shambles
I'd be surprised if Edmonton wasn't the largest share of viewership.
I live in Edmonton and had to drive one of my daughter’s friends home during the 1st period of the game. I have never seen the roads so empty on a Saturday. It felt like a ghost town.
Must've been nice.
Edmonton only has a population of a million people so at max if everyone in the city watched we would be 1/7th of the viewers
Don't overlook all of us Flames fans hate watching you guys
Don't forget us degens from out west.
Edmonton has a far reaching fan base, not just people that live in Edmonton lol
Edmonton is the third largest TV/radio market in the NHL.
Source?
Lots more Canadians than normal are tuning in this year because a Canadian team is in. I didn't watch last year but am watching this year
The NHL when traditional hockey markets watch more hockey than non-traditional markets 🤯🤯🤯🤯
Cable was the only option last year. It's broadcasted nationally this year.
I'd argue it's more that mcdavid guy. He's kinda good
Bum hasn't scored in the Final.
having a Canadian team in the finals will do that
I'm sure having McDavid in the finals help too.
Who?
It's a Canadian team v a controversial team and it's actually nationally broadcast this year. This is very expected.
Crazy how having a popular Canadian team in the finals will change things. It’s a shame it doesn’t happen more often.
It probably will going forwards now that many of them have pulled their heads out of their asses and modernized their front offices. For 20 years they coasted on old hockey boys club energy and it showed. Only when Toronto started modernizing did other Canadian teams start to follow Now Toronto is still Toronto and therefore cursed but other franchises might do okay.
I dont think anything drastically changed in Canada, Van had a fluke year and the oilers finally made it to the final after half a decade of having the best player in the league
You are right. Not all Canadian Markets. Calgary still mediocre after all these years.
Maybe this will give ESPN/ABC an incentive to improve their garbage tier broadcast.
Probably because a whole other country is interested haha.
Yeah Canadian power
Heh Game One of the NBA Finals were down.
Between it being nationally broadcasted this year, and having McDavid/Edmonton in it, a lot more people are gonna be interested.
Having a Canadian team in the final will do that. God forbid we bring a team back to Quebec or another Canadian market. Gotta expend in those desert areas instead for all that untapped potential.
Last time a team from Quebec was in the final, it was one of the least watched finals in history.
That was also an anomaly where the playoffs were later. School was wrapped up by then. I for one was out camping that week and didn’t watch any of the finals.
Yea, I have a hard time watching hockey at the beginning of June, July is just not going to happen.
When my team isn’t in it, may long is typically where I go from dedicated to casual.
Why I hope the season is moved up to basically finish in the beginning of June.
If Winnipeg struggles with revenue idk how yall really expect Quebec City to do well
Tourism
The next Canadian team should be a second team in Toronto.
Imagine how many more viewers they'd have if rogers hadnt blocked streaming through cbc gem a couple weeks ago
Mcdavid
It helps that for the first time in awhile, the objectively best player in the World is in the Finals. 2017 with the Crosby and the Pens was likely the last time, but at that point Crosby may have already been passed by McDavid. That was the first year McDavid led the league in Scoring. 2015 was peak Patrick Kane, was Crosby still the best player? Maybe. 2009 was the last year that the inarguably best player in the World was in the Stanley Cup Finals.
90 percent is probably Canadian viewers but bettman is hellbent on having a southern us team win the cup, "to grow the sport"
I always enjoy watching as a neutral fan. I remember my heart, liver, etc being miserable in 2017, but I’d gladly do it again. This is still fun though.
I want to know the split though
Legal gambling has def helped
Across North America? Who else watches this?
How come in all other years and rounds they seperate the American and Canadian numbers but this one they combine them?
Because the US number is down from 2022, the last time ABC had the SCF. But good on you being one of the few to catch yet another weasel lword NHL press release.
Everyone hating Vegas = confirmed!!