Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers was largely non-competitive for much of the game. But despite this, viewers tuned in to watch the game at an impressive rate, which continues what has been a great year of viewership of the Stanley Cup on ESPN.
Much like the NBA Finals, this year’s Stanley Cup has largely been one-sided in favor of the Panthers, winning the first three games of the series.
It looked like the Panthers were perhaps destined to complete the sweep in Game 4. But instead, the Oilers emphatically bounced back with a dominant 8-1 victory on Saturday night.
Despite the blowout nature of the game, the viewership numbers were a big improvement for ESPN from where they were last season at this very point.
In an ESPN press release, they announced that the game brought in 3.1 million viewers, an improvement of 25 percent from Game 4 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights, which aired on TNT and truTV.
Saturday's #StanleyCup Final Game 4 delivered 3.1 million total viewers
To date, the Stanley Cup Final on ESPN platforms is up 25%
*Based on Nielsen Fast Nationals
More: https://t.co/rsvzgnJhk6 pic.twitter.com/k3IQu2qtPI
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) June 16, 2024
This continues a trend of positive viewership numbers compared to last year’s Stanley Cup overall. All four games of the series have surpassed TNT/truTV’s viewership numbers last year. And while Game 4 was the least-viewed game of them all, that is to be expected with such a lopsided result.
If you are ESPN, you obviously have to be pleased to see these kinds of numbers. Especially when you consider the series hasn’t been an overly riveting one when it comes to actual game action.
