Each network in 2nd season of 7-year rights deal with League
By NHL.com @NHLdotcom
NHL viewership on ABC, ESPN+ and TNT is experiencing significant climbs this season.
Nationally televised games on ABC are averaging 1.1 million total viewers, up 19 percent from ABC's full-season average during the 2021-22 season.
The 1 p.m. ET game between the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins last Saturday averaged 1.13 million viewers (peaking at 1.5 million viewers), making it the second-most viewed ABC game this season, behind only the 2023 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals from Raleigh, North Carolina, on Feb. 18.
The second ABC game last Saturday, between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, averaged 1.04 million viewers (peaking at 1.7 million viewers).
"We're in the final quarter of our season and the Playoffs push is on. There are tight races in both Conferences, and the 2022-23 campaign is on pace to be the highest scoring season in 27 years," said David Proper, NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Media & International Strategy. "It's an exciting time of the year, and our outstanding product on the ice combined with the tremendous job that our valued partners ESPN and TNT are doing to engage and entertain fans, is demonstrated in strong viewership numbers."
The next NHL game to air on ABC will be this Saturday in prime time, when the New York Rangers host the Pittsburgh Penguins (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+).
It will be a rematch of the Rangers-Penguins game from Pittsburgh on Sunday, which was broadcast on TNT and was the most-watched regular-season game on cable TV since 2016, excluding opening night and outdoor games. TNT said viewership for the game was up 132 percent vs. last season's comparable games (Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Buffalo Sabres).
It was also the most-watched regular-season NHL game in the New York market since the 2018 NHL Winter Classic between the Rangers and Sabres at Citi Field.
Viewership for "NHL on TNT" live game coverage on Sunday is up 42 percent from last season.
Exclusive national games streaming on ESPN+ and Hulu are also setting new benchmarks. The game between the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins on March 9 was the most-viewed regular-season NHL game ever on ESPN+/Hulu.
This is the second year of a historic and innovative seven-year television, streaming and media rights deal between the NHL, the Walt Disney Company and ESPN.
The NHL and Turner Sports also began a seven-year media rights agreement last season.
NHL viewership on The Walt Disney Company platforms, including ABC, ESPN and ESPN+, account for four of the top five NHL games on television this season.
