The 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs began this past weekend, and are off to a record start on cable.
ESPN’s broadcast of Capitals-Rangers on Sunday averaged 1.34 million viewers, which is the most-watched Game 1 of a first-round series ever on cable. It’s also the most-watched first-round Game 1 overall since 2021.
Per Sports Media Watch, Caps-Rangers wasn’t the only game to break the previous record. Maple Leafs-Bruins on Saturday averaged 1.14 million viewers across TBS and truTV, while Avalanche-Jets averaged 1.09 million viewers on ESPN2 Sunday.
The previous record for a first-round Game 1 on cable game for Penguins-Rangers in 2022, which averaged 1.04 million viewers on ESPN.
Three other Game 1s this past weekend didn’t fare as well. The all-Florida Panthers-Lightning game averaged 932,000 viewers on ESPN Sunday, followed by Saturday’s Islanders-Hurricanes game with 873,000 viewers on TBS and truTV. Predators-Canucks brought up the rear on Sunday night with 795,000 on ESPN, following the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast of Rangers-Braves.
The strong start to the first round on both of the NHL’s media partners comes after a positive regular season. ESPN’s overall NHL coverage this season averaged 666,000 viewers across all networks, a 13% increase from last season. Overall, the league was up 8% across all networks to an average of 504,000 viewers, its best season since 2015-16. On cable alone, the NHL averaged 410,000 viewers, its highest mark in three decades.
[Data via Sports Media Watch, ESPN]
