Concerns rise for the NHL after Gary Bettman shares an alarming update on viewership
The NHL often falls behind the NBA & NFL in popularity but according to Gary Bettman the viewership has been drastically low for the start of the new season.
The NHL may not be as big as other sports in North America like the NBA or the NFL but it has a loyal fanbase and what's concerning is the early numbers for the new season. Drew Lerner from Awful Announcing shared the viewership stats from the opening night triple header & the numbers don't look good for the league.
Game two of the tripleheader was the top hockey audience of the night, as the Boston Bruins and defending champions Florida Panthers averaged 790,000 viewers. The game was down 45 percent from last season's Chicago Blackhawks-Pittsburgh Penguins game that averaged 1.43 million viewers and included Bedard's debut.
The NHL closed out the night featuring its new franchise, the Utah Hockey Club, up against the Blackhawks. The game averaged 522,000 viewers, down 24 percent from the Seattle Kraken and Las Vegas Golden Knights nightcap last season (691,000 viewers).
As many have pointed out, all three NHL games were beaten out by Game 5 of the Minnesota Lynx-Connecticut Sun WNBA semifinal series over on ESPN2, which averaged 984,000 viewers, and continued a strong postseason for that league.
Interestingly, all three NHL games were outperformed by Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals between the Minnesota Lynx and Connecticut Sun, which had 984,000 viewers. The WNBA has been having a strong postseason & the NHL also trailed behind MLB playoff games.
Lerner points out that viewership has dropped significantly in the US partly due to how complicated streaming options & regional blackouts are. This makes it harder for fans to watch their favorite teams. In Canada the NHL's viewership is more consistent thanks to clear broadcasting on Sportsnet & other channels.
Just a few months ago, the NHL saw record ratings during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, proving the audience is there. But with the current struggles to watch games, viewership is falling. Hopefully, this sends a message to the NHL to make it easier for fans to tune in.
| POLL | ||
6 HOURS AGO | 84 ANSWERS Concerns rise for the NHL after Gary Bettman shares an alarming update on viewership Are you watching more NHL hockey this season compared to last year? | ||
