NHL viewership spikes during Olympic break
The NHL is experiencing a significant boost in viewership as the league enters its first Olympic break in 12 years. Regular season games are attracting an average of 491,000 viewers, a 15% increase from the same period last year. While some of this growth can be attributed to methodological changes by Nielsen, including expanded out-of-home viewing samples and the integration of "Big Data" from smart TVs, the overall increase is substantial.
ESPN and ABC are leading the way with an average of 795,000 viewers over the weekend (covering 22 games), a 39% rise from the previous year. The highlight was the Bruins-Lightning Stadium Series outdoor game on ESPN, which drew a season-high 2.1 million viewers.
TNT is also showing strong performance, averaging 352,000 viewers over Wednesday (46 games, including truTV simulcasts), an 8% improvement from the previous year. The network's January performance was even more impressive, with an average of 310,000 viewers, a 37% increase from the same month in 2022. It's worth noting that this figure excludes the January 2 Winter Classic, which was not held in January the previous year.
The NHL's viewership decline last season, which saw several top American teams miss the playoffs, has been reversed this year. Despite the Rangers' poor performance, the Penguins and Bruins are in playoff contention. The Red Wings, once the league's biggest draw, are on track for their first playoff appearance in a decade. Detroit has been the most-watched team on TNT this season, with six games averaging 455,000 viewers.
Across the U.S. and Canada, NHL games have reached an impressive 47.4 million viewers, a 23% increase from the previous year. This figure represents the total number of viewers who watched a certain number of minutes of a program, now just one, compared to the average minute audience.
Jon Lewis, the founder and main writer of Sports Media Watch, has been covering the sports media industry daily since 2006. He can be contacted via the website or on social media platforms like X (Twitter) and Bluesky.
