The NHL All-Star Game bucked the trend of declines for All-Star Games with the 2023 game, which aired on ABC
Per a release from ESPN, the game drew 1.497 million viewers. That marks a healthy 31% increase from the shocking viewership of 1.146 million last year, which was the least-watched edition of the game since the NHL’s Versus years.
ESPN's presentation of the 2023 #NHLAllStar Game saw a double-digit viewership increase
🏒 1.5M average viewers
🏒 1.9M peak viewers pic.twitter.com/pSKtn2Gzsx— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 7, 2023
The increase is all well and good, but this is still the second least-watched NHL All-Star Game since 2015 (there was no game in 2021).
Last year’s game likely had viewers siphoned off by the Winter Olympics, airing on NBC at the same time.
The Skills Competition on Friday night averaged 1.023 million viewers on ESPN, down a tick from last year (1.09 million). That’s also lower viewership than Thursday night’s Pro Bowl Games Skills Competition broadcast on ESPN, which averaged 1.063 million viewers.
Given much of the hand wringing about the NHL’s regular season viewership on ESPN and TNT, the NHL will take the increase for the All-Star Game.
[Data via ShowBuzz Daily, Sports Media Watch]
