On April 19, The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell reported Canadian television ratings for the opening week of the 2016 NHL playoffs were down a “shocking” 61 percent compared to the same time a year ago.
As per Numeris, the playoffs didn’t even appear among the top-30 show in Canada during that week. The ratings tumble was blamed upon the absence of any of the seven Canadian teams in the 2016 postseason. That trend continued the following week (April 18-24).
Ratings for the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs are down on both sides of the Canada-US border.
During the week of April 25 to May 1, the NHL playoffs finally made the list. Game 7 of the opening-round series between the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues and the start of the second round (which included the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Washington Capitals) cracked the top-30. However, that ratings rebound didn’t last long. For the week of May 2-8, the playoffs once again failed to make the cut.
The lack of Canadian teams certainly account for the ratings tumble in the Great White North. So, too, does the absence of the Boston Bruins, who are also quite popular among Canadian fans. The early playoff elimination of other Original Six franchises – Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers – also doesn’t help. The St. Louis Blues efforts to curry favor with Canadian hockey fans during the playoffs by citing the 18 Canadians on their roster doesn’t seem to be working.
It’s not just in Canada where TV ratings for the NHL playoffs are sluggish. In the United States, they’re overshadowed by the NBA postseason. Ratings for last Wednesday’s (May 18) conference final tilt between the Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning (0.6) not only finished well below that night’s NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors (3.0), but were also below TNT’s NBA pre-game show (0.7).
According to Anthony Riccobono of International Business Times, the NHL Conference Finals hasn’t attracted much attention among American viewers. Ratings for Game 2 of the Western Conference Final between the Blues and San Jose Sharks were down 34 percent compared to last year, making it the least-watched Conference Final game since 2014. Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final, meanwhile, saw ratings drop eight percent compared to the same game a year ago between the Lightning and New York Rangers.
Riccobono cites the early elimination of big-market teams such as the Blackhawks, Rangers and Los Angeles Kings for the ratings decline. He believes the best the NHL can hope for is a Stanley Cup Final featuring the Penguins (who have the best local ratings among the NHL’s American-based franchises) and the San Jose Sharks. The latter sits in America’s sixth-best TV market, but Riccobono believes they could be overshadowed by the NBA’s Warriors dominating most of the Bay Area coverage.
It could’ve been worse for the league. This year’s Stanley Cup Final could’ve featured the Nashville Predators against the Florida Panthers. That’s not meant to be a slight against either club or their fans. It’s simply acknowledging what ratings could’ve been if two of the playoffs lowest-viewed clubs reached the Cup Final.
There’s really nothing the NHL can do to salvage the ratings for the 2016 playoffs. To avoid another postseason of declining TV numbers, the league brain trust will have to hope for more Canadian teams and big market (preferably Original Six) American clubs reach the 2017 playoffs. If any of them can go on a deep playoff run, even better.
HDTV has made it better but it is still hard for the non fan to follow on TV. other non-Baseball-football-basketball sports; golf, tennis, NASCAR , INDY etc. are easy to understand and see for the once-in-a-while “big” event. Slo-mo & directing are getting better at showing how amazing hockey players are,but you still have to be familiar with the game to appreciate it.
Regionally, and among fans nationally who get the game, the advertisers get their money’s worth,and the cash flow is stable.
If hockey can live within its means it cancontinue to grow
If they didn’t call stupid calls and just let them fight I bet the TV ratings would be just fine. I mean there are fighting events that fill stadiums, take fighting out and you will lose a good portion of fans. People want to see a battle during the playoffs, this anti contact thing the NHL is going for is ridiculous. My kid first popped his head up to watch a hockey game for once when a fight broke out, I just said “take pointers kid”. You’re losing future clientele when you take fighting and the battle imitation out from the game. Just seems like I’m watching a boring basketball game where if you even touch a player you get a foul. This is hockey, not pussy land, haven’t watched a game in a long time, won’t watch until all is restored to hockey, because this isn’t hockey, I don’t know what it is anymore. It’s pure crap that’s for sure.
All of the reasons mentioned above make sense but there is one that I have not seen. The start times. As an Islander fan there were several 8pm starts in the first round and as games went into the 3rd and OT non-isles fans tuned out. They have a job. Playoff hockey takes about 15 minutes longer for a regulation game just because of the commercials. If it goes to OT it can be a marathon. I know NBC wants to maximize profits but there is no reason to have a 8pm east coast game on a Sunday. By the time the TB-Pit game ended it was after 11. Start the game at 7. I know they want the west coast to tune in but the reality is if they are not tuning in at 5, what is the difference if it starts at 4.
One of the other issues is the fact that you have San Jose in the playoffs playing mid-western teams which screws up the start times. To get east coast fans they are starting at 8 which local time is 5pm on the West Coast. No one is around to see the games if they are just getting out of work. If NBC waits until 9 people in the midwest will complain and the east coast viewers won’t watch.
They won’t need to worry about advertising much longer if the trend continues.
The playoff format is stupid. You had the Hawks and Blues, probably 2 of the top four teams playing each other. Dumb! The NHLis getting what it deserves.
It’s not much fun watching playoff hockey with the sound muted but, for a lot of games, I found it essential.
Watching, and listening, to Gord Miller and Ray Ferraro do the World Championships on TSN reminded me once again that real professionals add so much to a telecast.
Conversely poor announcers can just make you want to change the channel. In my view, Sportsnet and the CBC run a distant second to the real pros at TSN.
Apart from fans of teams like St Louis who wants to see a team you don’t support grind out another victory. In some ways the world championships were more entertaining.
It seems there are very few teams these days, instead there are groups of players who play a system, they all look the same. Wingers aren’t blowing by a d man and roofing the winner, instead everyone is crashing the net and hoping it goes off their butt and in the net. Entertaining , not really.
Own goals should be recorded as that, the league doesn’t want this because the scoring leaders will have even fewer goals.
Honestly, only the league and people who make their living in Hockey say the game has never been better, we are heading to a 2-1 game as all the players keep getting bigger and goalie equipment being used is ridiculously huge, snuffing out any semblance of entertainment.
If the ice was bigger and the nets were bigger, the game would open up and be more entertaining, perhaps it would be worth watching again.