• Loading stock data...
Friday, July 11, 2025

NHL’s U.S. Playoff TV Ratings Down 27% in Early Games

The NHL’s TV ratings were down in the regular season, despite increased interest from the 4 Nations Face-Off. The playoffs have only accelerated that trend.

Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

TV ratings in the NHL’s regular season were down 12% compared to the 2023–2024 season. Early returns from the Stanley Cup playoffs are not providing optimism about reversing that trend.

Through Monday’s games, postseason broadcasts were averaging 718,000 viewers, which is down 27% from last year.

With a stronger presence of Canadian teams in the playoffs, it was expected that U.S. viewership might struggle

In Canada, though, the TV ratings appear to be doing better. Game 1 of the Canadiens-Capitals series averaged 1.68 million viewers on the French-language TVA Sports. When looking at Canada’s French-speaking population of around 11 million, that would be considered close to NFL conference championship-level reach in the U.S.

Report Card

In the fourth season of the NHL’s seven-year, $4.5 billion U.S. media-rights deals with Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, games across ABC, ESPN, TNT, and truTV averaged 445,000 viewers per broadcast, a noticeable dip from the average of 504,000 per game last season. ESPN+ and Hulu also had some exclusive national streams, but viewership figures for those games don’t get released to the public.

It’s the first time under the current media-rights deals that season-long viewership has declined, and also the lowest combined average figures on ESPN and TNT Sports platforms. However, the 445,000 average game number is still above the 391,000 NBC Sports drew in the COVID-19-impacted 2020–2021 season, the broadcaster’s final one with NHL rights.

While the regular-season numbers are down, there is a big caveat when grading the NHL’s TV ratings this year. The debut of the 4 Nations Face-Off was an enormous hit across multiple metrics, including TV. ESPN averaged 9.3 million viewers for the U.S.-Canada final of the seven-game tournament, which is the most-watched NHL game ever in the U.S.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jul 10, 2025; Wimbledon, United Kingdom; Iga Swiatek of Poland at her on court interview after winning her match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland on day 11 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Wimbledon Set to Deliver Strong Finals Matchup for ESPN

Novak Djokovic is still in the hunt for his 25th Grand Slam.
Oct 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; A general view of the Wells Fargo Center before game between Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens.

New Philly Arena Will Redefine Home-Court Advantage, CEO Says

The forthcoming venue will arrive with plenty of ambition among its owners.

Suns All In on Booker, Who Signs Record Extension Amidst Chaos

The Suns changed their head coach for the fourth time in four years.

Deion Sanders Rips ‘Bulljunk’ in CFB, Calls for NFL-Style Salary Cap

Coach Prime is frustrated with the new revenue-sharing era.

Featured Today

Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
July 6, 2025

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
Stephen Curry celebrates after sinking the winning putt during the final round of the American Century Celebrity Championship golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nev., Sunday, July 16, 2023.

Golf’s Hottest Celebrity Tournament Keeps Getting More Exclusive

The American Century Championship tees off at Lake Tahoe on Friday.
Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell during the NFLPA press conference at the Super Bowl LIX media center at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
July 10, 2025

NFLPA Head Has Side Hustle With PE Firm That Can Invest in..

The NFLPA’s executive director is embroiled in multiple controversies.
Bruce Meyer and Tony Clark of the MLBPA
July 10, 2025

MLB, Players’ Union Spar Over Salary Cap As Labor Fight Looms

The MLB Players Association’s No. 2 executive outlines what he sees owners doing.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 10, 2025

Murphy: Club WC Snags Won’t Derail Biggest Event ‘in Human History’

New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium is the concluding site of both FIFA events.
Crystal Palace FC
July 10, 2025

Crystal Palace’s Europa League Spot in Limbo After Lyon Wins Appeal

The ruling on Olympique Lyonnais was overturned this week on appeal.
July 9, 2025

U.K. Appoints New Soccer Regulator, EPL Matches Stay Behind Paywall

Men’s soccer in England will receive new levels of oversight.
July 9, 2025

NFL’s Alternate Uniforms Fuel Big Business—and Lots of Nostalgia

The Commanders kick off a run of new NFL helmets and uniforms.