The 2023 NHL Draft landed with record-setting viewership on Wednesday night.
Showbuzz Daily helped deliver the news that the 2023 Draft led the night on cable in the P18-49 demographic. Their score of 0.25 beat Bravo’s Real Housewives of OC and TBS’ AEW Dynamite, which both scored 0.24 in the category.
The 2023 NHL Draft also averaged 681,000 viewers on ESPN, Austin Karp tweeted. They set records last year with an average of 457,000 viewers. But now that number increased by 49 percent, according to Karp, equaling a big night for the league.
The @NHL Draft shattered it viewership record on Wednesday night, drawing 681,000 viewers on ESPN.
That tops last year's record-setting ESPN number of 457,000 by 49%.
The event would typically not top 400,000 when airing on NBCSN during the last media rights deal. pic.twitter.com/3KJd7XWA7i
— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) June 29, 2023
The NHL Draft does not typically garner significant attention. From a realistic point of view, it’s at or around the level of the MLB Draft. Both function similarly, as the players that get drafted don’t immediately hit the league. At least not normally. So the attraction and allure are for the future, as most players are a few years away from major success. And even then, it’s not a guarantee.
The fact that the Draft scored such a big number and is seeing gains can only be construed as a victory. While the NHL is dealing with a flurry of bad press, although primarily self-inflicted, this is definitely something positive.
Connor Bedard was the No. 1 overall pick in the Draft, as he went to the Chicago Blackhawks. Scouts and otherwise have raved over the 17-year-old Vancouver native, who is among the best prospects in recent memory.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022