• Loading stock data...
Friday, August 22, 2025
The biggest names in sports media. All in one room. Buy tickets now!

NHL 4 Nations Face-Off Viewership Outstrips ESPN All-Star Games

The NHL’s international best-on-best tournament is already a hit with fans and viewers. Its success is an open window for the NHL.

Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk (7) celebrates with his teammates his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre
David Kirouac/Imagn Images

MONTREAL — The red, white, yellow, and blue signs of 4 Nations Face-Off are unavoidable at the airport, hotels, and in the métro. The buzz is palpable, and that is exactly what the NHL has wanted from the moment it started scrambling to plan this event less than a year ago.

The seven-game, round-robin best-on-best international tournament among the U.S. Canada, Sweden, and Finland opened play Wednesday night with a matchup between Canada and Sweden that ended with a dramatic overtime snipe from Canada’s Mitch Marner off a feed from Sidney Crosby, who tallied three assists in the game. 

It was a big opening salvo for a first-time, one-off event, which some fans had difficulty wrapping their heads around leading up to puck drop. TNT announced the game averaged 1 million viewers on its platform—the most-watched TNT hockey telecast this season as well as the most-watched non-playoff hockey game of all time on Max. Across North America, the NHL reported average viewership at 4.1 million.

But Thursday’s ESPN matchup between USA and Finland, which resulted in a 6–1 U.S. victory, pulled in an average of nearly 1.5 million viewers in the U.S. That number is 276% higher than ESPN’s prime-time NHL game average this season, and it’s a larger audience than any NHL All-Star Game on ABC since reacquiring the rights in 2022.

The on-ice action has just started, but 4 Nations Face-Off is already starting to make the All-Star Game, which this new event replaces for 2025, look limp. 

As has been the trend for other leagues such as the NFL and NBA, enthusiasm has waned for the NHL All-Star Game from both fans and players; 2024’s game on ESPN brought in just below 1.4 million U.S. viewers, and ratings have been relatively flat for the past few years. 4 Nations Face-Off is already bringing in better viewership—and the biggest game of the tournament, U.S. versus Canada, is still to come. Not only is it the ideal matchup for American fans, but it’s also being broadcast at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, not a football game in sight.

Off the heels of what could be strong returns from the U.S.-Canada game, a big question looms: When 4 Nations Face-Off wraps in Boston on Feb. 20, can the league maintain the momentum?

Early viewership numbers are strong, and as curiosity about the event percolates outside hockey-fandom circles, the window to bring more people into the sport is open. Plus, if the interest in international play is the true X-factor, the opportunity will be even bigger as NHL players head back to the Olympics in 2026, and the World Cup of Hockey returns in 2028, kicking off a biannual calendar of global best-on-best play.

Setting attendance records with the 2023–2024 season, the NHL knows how to get fans in seats; the league’s financial model means tickets compose a higher percentage of revenue to supplement the low-value media deals. Now the league has to lock in on retaining audiences when players are off the global stage and back to regular-season league play. Among the 4 Nations Face-Off’s glamour, the NHL will need to find tangible returns to combat falling regular-season viewership, including a record-low audience for the 2025 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.

Or maybe the path to growth after 4 Nations Face-Off is much simpler. Following the opening game, one Reddit user wrote, “They treated it like a big deal, and people watched. Maybe apply that to the rest of the NHL season.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Mo Vaughn

How Michael Bloomberg Jumpstarted Mo Vaughn’s Business Career

The Red Sox legend had a sprawling housing empire before starting a podcast.
Jul 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announces the pick for the Athletics pick during the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy.

MLB Confident New Rights Will Exceed $550M ESPN Deal

MLB would redistribute rights forfeited by ESPN back in February.

Fox Enters Streaming Wars With Leaner, Sports-Heavy Approach

A different strategy marks the arrival of the network’s streaming service.
Justin Harrington (4) runs drills during an OU football practice in Norman, Okla., on Monday, Aug. 7, 2023.

Federal Courts Lean Toward Striking NCAA JUCO Eligibility Restrictions

A federal judge granted four West Virginia football players eligibility this year.

Featured Today

Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants running back Eric Gray (20) returns a kickoff against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half at MetLife Stadium.

‘Fauxbacks’ Throw Back to a Retro Uniform That Never Existed

Many throwback jerseys are brand-new designs or “Franken-Unis.”
August 17, 2025

‘Labubu Gang’: The Creepy-Cute Dolls Sweeping Pro Sports

The creepy-cute doll is the hottest collectible—and fashion statement.
Middle Tennessee wide receiver Cam'ron Lacy (86) catches a pass and carries the ball during the season final home football game against New Mexico State on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024.
August 15, 2025

How Middle Tennessee State Added $668,000 to Its NIL Budget

The Blue Raiders are creating a new blueprint for cutting costs.
Bridgewater American 12U Little League player Micah Poulter holds a District 7 pin during a send-off rally to the New England regional tournament in Bristol, Connecticut, from Legion Field on Friday, August 2, 2024.
August 14, 2025

Inside the Little League World Series Pin Trade

The rare little collectibles fuel a frenzy in Williamsport each summer.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. (L to R) Quin Stiller as Will Zalatoris Caddie, Will Zalatoris as Himself, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio as Oscar Mejias and Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore in Happy Gilmore2.

‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched U.S. Movie Debut

The Adam Sandler, golf-themed movie sets more streaming records.
Jey Uso and Pat McAfee look at each other after Uso’s win Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
August 20, 2025

WWE Will Leave Peacock for ESPN 6 Months Early

Peacock’s final show will be “Clash in Paris” on Aug. 31.
August 20, 2025

Bundesliga Bets on YouTube Creators for Live U.K. Game Streams

Bundesliga is the top German soccer league.
Sponsored

Building A Pro League From Scratch

Front Office Sports and Gainbridge® spotlight what it takes to build a professional women’s soccer league.
August 20, 2025

NFL Preseason Games Are Popping Up on YouTube’s Sunday Ticket

The $2 billion out-of-market package covers only the regular season.
August 20, 2025

Inside ESPN’s ‘Industry Shaping’ DTC Plan, What’s at Stake

Many bundle offers and opaque metrics mark the high-profile launch.
Kyle Busch talks with Nexstar Media Group, Wednesday February 14, 2024 during Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway
August 19, 2025

$6.2B Nexstar-Tegna Deal Could Create Local Sports Juggernaut

CW parent company Nexstar looks to acquire its rival in a major deal.
August 15, 2025

NFL Preseason Week 1 Delivers Record Audience for NFL Network

The channel averaged 2.1 million viewers for its eight live telecasts.