The NHL’s local TV story took a hit this season, as regular-season games on U.S. RSNs posted a 23% ratings drop compared to last year’s shortened season, according to Nielsen data analyzed by my SBJ colleague David Broughton.
The main reason for such an extensive drop — only four teams showed ratings increases — is due to the length of the season. Because of the COVID pandemic, last year’s NHL season started in the middle of January and was only 56 games long.
This season started in October and was 82 games long. Historically, across MLB, the NBA and the NHL, shorter seasons mean that individual games are more meaningful and produce bigger ratings for each game.
The data analyzed includes 23 U.S.-based teams in 20 markets, covering 42% of the country. Viewership data was unavailable for the Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators and the seven Canadian teams (which includes three playoff teams and the Montreal Canadiens, who had the league’s worst record).
The Penguins skated their way back to the top of local ratings.getty images
Let’s start with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Their games on AT&T Pittsburgh had the league’s highest ratings for the second consecutive season, with a 5.43 average rating, yet still 30% below the previous season. The Penguins have posted the league’s highest ratings nine times over the past 16 seasons.
St. Louis Blues games on Bally Sports Midwest (4.28 average) and Buffalo Sabres games on MSG (3.78) rounded out the season’s top three positions.
In Minnesota, Wild games on Bally Sports North jumped 14% thanks in large part to the team’s on-ice performance that included a franchise-record 53 wins. The Wild’s 3.04 rating is up 50% over the past three seasons.
And the team with the league’s best record — the Florida Panthers — posted its highest-ever local rating. Panthers games on Bally Sports Florida were up 6% this season, though their 0.46 ratings average still is among the NHL’s lowest.
The Panthers have doubled their local TV rating over the previous 10 years, which is a reason why the team signed a new media rights deal with Bally Sports Florida that more than doubles its rights fees, which went from one of the league’s lowest at around $6 million per season to one that’s in the high teens.
Boston Bruins games on NESN drew the highest audience of all NHL teams for the third straight season with 661,000 homes. That comes as Bruins games posted their lowest average rating (2.8 on NESN), which is down 33%.
Ratings for the Seattle Kraken’s first season came in at 0.96 on Root Sports, suggesting that the team has a lot of room to grow in that market. When the NHL’s previous expansion team — the Vegas Golden Knights — debuted in 2017-18, it had a 1.87 rating on AT&T Rocky Mountain.
The Anaheim Ducks, who suffered through their fourth straight losing season, had the league’s lowest rating (a 0.15 on Bally Sports SoCal) for the fifth time in the last six years. And Arizona Coyotes games on Bally Arizona saw the biggest drop among all teams, down nearly 60%.
Viewership for nationally televised NHL games on ABC, ESPN and TNT was up around 18% compared to the league’s final season with NBC Sports in 2020-21. The average of 460,000 viewers per game was the league’s highest mark since 2016-17.
TNT, which accounted for the bulk of the league’s cable schedule this season with 51 games, averaged 361,000 viewers, an increase of 29% from games on NBCSN in the 2020-21 season.
John Ourand can be reached atjourand@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter@Ourand_SBJand read his weekly newsletterand listen to his weekly podcast.
FAQs
's local TV story took a hit this season, as regular-season games on U.S. RSNs posted a 23% ratings drop compared to last year's shortened season, according to Nielsen data analyzed by my SBJ colleague David Broughton.
How many people watch NHL in the USA? ›
Due to the importance of the Stanley Cup Finals, many fans who are not able to attend the big game in-person watch on TV. In 2023, the average TV viewership was 2.6 million per game in the United States. The previous year, in 2022, average TV viewership in the U.S. amounted to 4.59 million.
How many people are watching the NHL playoffs? ›
The average viewership of 934,000 was second highest all-time for the first round. Including all of North America with CBC, SN and TVA Sports coverage, the first round averaged 2.26 million, a 6 percent increase from the 2023 playoffs.
How many people watch hockey in 2024? ›
NHL on ESPN/ABC Up 41% in Total Viewers and 29% in 18-49 Demo Year Over Year. The 2024 NHL Stadium Series on ABC delivered strong viewership this past weekend, averaging 1.37 million total viewers and 448,000 viewers in the 18-49 demographic – both up 21% from last year's Stadium Series game.
Who has better ratings, NBA or NHL? ›
The NBA is averaging 4-5 times the average viewership and peak viewership of the NHL. So far, do you think getting on ESPN has been a success? It's been a massive success. The NBA is just significantly more popular.
Which US state plays the most hockey? ›
There are currently 299 US-born hockey players representing 36 states in the National Hockey League (NHL). Minnesota now has more active NHL players than any other state or province other than Ontario.
Which US state has the most NHL teams? ›
California and New York each contain the most NHL teams (3) out of any US state. The Boston Bruins joined the NHL in 1924, making them the first American team in the league. The Seattle Kracken are the newest team in the league and played their first game during the 2021-22 NHL season.
What is the average NHL player's salary? ›
As of May 2, 2024, the average annual pay for a Nhl Player in the United States is $123,905 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $59.57 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,382/week or $10,325/month.
What's more popular NFL or NHL? ›
The NFL commands the highest interest in the US, but it is the NBA that wins the global appeal contest. Additionally, NHL has a commanding presence in certain icy-weather countries and the MLB has diverse pockets of interest.
What NHL teams play the most? ›
As of the end of the 2022–23 NHL regular season, the Montreal Canadiens have the most games played with (6,951). The Toronto Maple Leafs have one fewer game played, and having been in the league as long as Montreal, were tied with the Canadiens for the most games played.
Countries by number of registered ice hockey players in 2022/23
| Characteristic | Number of players |
|---|
| Canada | 548,800 |
| Russia | 101,819 |
| Sweden | 73,585 |
| Finland | 59,145 |
9 more rowsMar 25, 2024
The league has significantly surged in its popularity and is expanding its fanbase in recent years. This is even reflected in the increasing number of fans who are using NHL picks and parlays with other information to place bets on their favorite teams and players.
How popular is ice hockey? ›
Even though the game did get some traction in the Northern United States, it is still not as popular as other sports. The National Hockey League, or NHL reportedly got an average of 2.6 million views, and made an average of 5.92 million dollars during the 2023 season.
Who makes more NBA or NHL? ›
The NBA leads in average player salaries by a wide margin, as evidenced by Statista's list that also includes average 2019-2020 player salaries for the MLB, NFL, NHL and the MLS: Average NBA salary: $8.32 million. Average MLB salary: $4.03 million.
Is it harder to make the NHL or NBA? ›
Definitely the NBA. The answer is the NBA, simply because the roster is smaller. You can only have 12 active players on a team each night and three on reserve. An NHL roster has 23 slots (not including injured reserve), with a minimum of 18 skaters and 2 goaltenders required at all times.
Are NHL players better now? ›
In 2018, NHL players are bigger, stronger and faster than any time in history — and it's because there is no off-switch to their training. It's constant. Players have regimented schedules every single day that feature gruelling workouts, both physical and mental.
What percentage of Americans watch ice hockey? ›
Ice hockey is a worldwide sport that is particularly popular in the United States and Canada thanks to the prominence of the National Hockey League (NHL). According to a survey conducted in April 2023, around 13 percent of all respondents were avid fans of the NHL in the United States.
How many viewers watched the NHL? ›
Across North America, the opening weekend of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs delivered an average audience of 2.62 million viewers, up 11% YOY, with 17.095 million unique viewers tuning into games over the first two days (up 3% YOY).
Is hockey more popular in US or Canada? ›
Ice hockey is immensely popular in Canada, where it is the national winter sport and arguably the country's most popular game. Hockey is also popular in the United States and in European countries such as Russia, Sweden, and Finland.
Do more Americans watch hockey or soccer? ›
Americans' Favorite Sport to Watch
| % Mentioning |
|---|
| Baseball | 10 |
| Basketball | 9 |
| Soccer | 5 |
| Ice hockey | 4 |
19 more rowsFeb 7, 2024
