during Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena on May 20, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
2015By Joe Lucia on

The gulf between the NBA and the NHL in terms of playoff viewership was on full display on Wednesday night.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Cavs and Hawks on TNT drew a solid 5.6 overnight, up 12% from Game 1 of Spurs-Thunder last year. Furthermore, the post-game edition of Inside the NBA drew a 2.6 overnight, giving TNT the top two shows on cable Wednesday night.

What about Game 3 of the Rangers-Lightning series? AA has learned that the game drew just a 1.5 overnight (nearly flat from Game 2’s overnight), or just over half the audience that the Cavs-Hawks post-game show drew.

The final ratings and viewership numbers didn’t paint a much better picture for the NHL. Rangers-Lightning ended up with a 1.1 rating and 1.7 million total viewers, compared to a 2.1 rating and 3.0 million viewers for Inside the NBA and a 4.4 rating and 6.8 million viewers for Cavs-Hawks.

These numbers are pretty jarring, and have to be disheartening for the NHL. You’ve got an exciting series in the Eastern Conference Final featuring the largest market in the country…and Game 3 gets trounced by not only Game 1 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals, but also by the post-game show.

Yeah, the NBA had a middling year on national TV, but it’s still in a completely different stratosphere from the NHL. The NHL couldn’t have asked for much more from this series so far, and the results still pale in comparison to what’s going on in the NBA.

About Joe Lucia

I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.

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