For the second consecutive week, the Blackhawks gave NBC its largest indoor audience of the NHL season.
Sunday’s Bruins/Blackhawks NHL regular season game, part of Hockey Day in America, drew 1.6 million viewers on NBC — down 10% from Kings/Blackhawks in 2013 (1.8M) but up 18% from Bruins/Wild in 2013 (1.4M). The Blackhawks’ win ranks as the season’s most-watched indoor NHL telecast on NBC.
The previous mark was set a week earlier by Penguins/Blackhawks, which earned just under 1.6 million. Including the NHL Winter Classic, which pit the Blackhawks against the Capitals, Chicago has played in the three most-watched NHL telecasts this season.
Overall, Bruins/Blackhawks ranks as the most-watched indoor NHL game on NBC since March 2013, when the Blackhawks’ record points streak helped NBC to 1.9 million viewers.
Despite the strong numbers, Bruins/Blackhawks ranks just fifth out of the seven Hockey Day in America telecasts on NBC (does not include Sunday’s Capitals/Flyers game, for which final ratings were not immediately available). Only Bruins/Wild in 2013 and regional action in 2011 (1.5M) earned a smaller audience.
In other action over the weekend, the Kings/Sharks Stadium Series game drew 748,000 viewers on NBCSN Saturday night — up 20% from a Ducks/Kings outdoor in January of last year (622K), reports Sports Media Watch.