NHL TV ratings

[Sean Miller Fan]

I thought it was a great move by the NHL to get back on ESPN. ESPN is still the go-to for a lot of fans and their promotion is 2nd to none. You'll see a Blue Jackets/Jets promo during an NBA or college basketball game. And I've seen that Messier commercial 1000 times. But ratings are WAY down. Only averaging 373K on ESPN/TNT.

NHL ratings are down in the U.S. and hockey fans viciously explained why

NHL fans aren’t happy with how the league has marketed itself this season.

ftw.usatoday.com

To put this in perspective, MLS, which is maybe the 20th best soccer league in the world averaged only slightly less at 343K.

2022 MLS Season Viewership on ABC and ESPN Networks Up 16 Percent

The 34 Major League Soccer regular season matches televised on ABC and ESPN networks in 2022 delivered an average audience of 343,000 viewers (P2+). According to Nielsen, the league’s 2022 season average across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes is up 16 percent from last year among P2+ (295,000).

espnpressroom.com

I dont mean to knock hockey. I think its a great sport but its unbelievable that despite it being "around" for a century, its never been able to move past niche viewing in the US. I guess that's ok. The league makes money. Canadien TV money is big. Games are well attended. But people refuse to watch it on TV. Not sure there's any easy answers. An idea I've posted before is to play in some weekday afternoon time slots as lead-in to college basketball or the NBA. Also maybe some 10AM Saturday games. Basically trying to mimick the popularity of the EPL in the US. I get that fans would hate a 4 or 5 PM Pens game but if its literally 1 out of the 243 home games you play that year and if its good for TV, so what.

 

[Pitt79]

I actually think the fact that hardly anyone has ever played the sport themselves is a factor in it being a niche sport. Today I think more kids than ever grow up playing it, especially in Western PA, but still, what % of kids actually get to play hockey ever compared to other sports. Others had a different experience, but my experience growing up in Western PA was, I knew ZERO people who played hockey and ZERO places anywhere nearby where hockey was played and I'm sure the further south you go the less common hockey is. I've become a fan, even though I never played (Pens success since the 80s is the reason-growing up in the 60s-70s I never watched a Pens game), but it is easier to relate to sports you've actually played.

 

[happjack]

NHL fans only watch their teams, MLB is suffering from the same problem. I don't care about any hockey game the Penguins aren't playing in, I live in Detroit the self proclaimed "Hockey Town" and no one cares about games not involving the Red Wings. The NBA is able to somewhat able avoid this since way more people are betting on it compared to the NHL and MLB. Moving the start times to the morning or late afternoon isn't going to get people in Minneapolis or Nashville tuning in for a Pens-Islanders game.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

The NHL needs to fire everyone in their marketing dept and start over......and while they are at it, move the HQ to the US

 

[Pitt79]

NHL fans only watch their teams, MLB is suffering from the same problem. I don't care about any hockey game the Penguins aren't playing in, I live in Detroit the self proclaimed "Hockey Town" and no one cares about games not involving the Red Wings. The NBA is able to somewhat able avoid this since way more people are betting on it compared to the NHL and MLB. Moving the start times to the morning or late afternoon isn't going to get people in Minneapolis or Nashville tuning in for a Pens-Islanders game.

Me too, I'm 100% certain that other than the Olympics I've never watched a non-Pens hockey game. And I quit watching the playoffs every year the split second the Pens are eliminated. And usually don't even know who won the Cup, who won last year, I don't remember?

 

[PittPanther44]

I like hockey. But I don’t watch a ton of non Pens even in the playoffs (maybe except 2020 in the bubble and I was bored).

People…and I’m not describing myself…like to watch sports where people look like you or people in your circle. Do you yinzer girls in Washington county *reallly* like hockey better than college basketball - or are they just drawn to certain people? Also - a large chunk of the country isn’t cold and it doesn’t vibe with that.

Race IS a factor. There never has been a widespread successful effort to get talent out of inner cities. Would the game get better? You betcha. Are they maybe scared that it creates more issues that sometimes come with people from disadvantaged backgrounds? I don’t know - maybe? But why else don’t they invest to grow the sport there?

So…it’s complicated. But it’s hard to grow beyond niche with that as a backdrop.

 

[BreakingPitt]

The playoff system they have in place now is insanely dumb.
They switched it a few years ago and it needs switched back.
Your first round matchup can be harder than 3rd round.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I like hockey. But I don’t watch a ton of non Pens even in the playoffs (maybe except 2020 in the bubble and I was bored).

People…and I’m not describing myself…like to watch sports where people look like you or people in your circle. Do you yinzer girls in Washington county *reallly* like hockey better than college basketball - or are they just drawn to certain people? Also - a large chunk of the country isn’t cold and it doesn’t vibe with that.

Race IS a factor. There never has been a widespread successful effort to get talent out of inner cities. Would the game get better? You betcha. Are they maybe scared that it creates more issues that sometimes come with people from disadvantaged backgrounds? I don’t know - maybe? But why else don’t they invest to grow the sport there?

So…it’s complicated. But it’s hard to grow beyond niche with that as a backdrop.

Wouldn't the fact that 99% of players are white help it?

 

[PittPanther44]

The sport is incredible at producing tense moments in the playoffs as a fan.

But have you ever rewatched a game? Outside of like maybe Pens Cup final games, I haven’t. While the play is fast paced and fluid, it all kind of looks the same if you have no rooting interest.

Even with all the advancements with HD, it still isn’t a great TV sport. How many times do you just watch and see if a puck appears in the net? Again, not great unless you are a fan of the team. Live is definitely much better, but that doesn’t solve TV ratings.

 

[PittPanther44]

Wouldn't the fact that 99% of players are white help it?

I think it helps explain why it soars in markets like this. But for the same reason, I think cuts off a chunk of the country.

It feeds the “passionate niche” dynamic

 

[caleco's]

NHL fans only watch their teams, MLB is suffering from the same problem. I don't care about any hockey game the Penguins aren't playing in, I live in Detroit the self proclaimed "Hockey Town" and no one cares about games not involving the Red Wings. The NBA is able to somewhat able avoid this since way more people are betting on it compared to the NHL and MLB. Moving the start times to the morning or late afternoon isn't going to get people in Minneapolis or Nashville tuning in for a Pens-Islanders game.

This has become me with the nfl

 

[PittPanther44]

The games at 10:00 AM is an interesting idea. It’s weird how that has taken off with soccer. I think for some it makes it feel like a special event.

That said - those time slots are because of time differences to where they are being played. Different story when you have to attend a game that early. Not a great thing.

 

[Upg bobcat]

The sport is not very accessible to youth. It's expensive and more of a "club" sport than a community sport, ice times are inconvenient, and unless you live in a relatively affluent suburb you generally do not have an arena nearby. Plus it is a winter sport competing with universally popular basketball, and wrestling which is relatively popular in western PA.

With respect to the NHL, they should try to do some creative thinking. Maybe they can branch into Europe for a short mid-season, single elimination tournament or something like that. Of course that would probably mean taking away some home games and the teams don't want to give up those gate receipts.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

The games at 10:00 AM is an interesting idea. It’s weird how that has taken off with soccer. I think for some it makes it feel like a special event.

That said - those time slots are because of time differences to where they are being played. Different story when you have to attend a game that early. Not a great thing.

Yea but MLB plays a lot of games on weekday afternoons and people go to them. Some make it a work outing, school field trip, etc. When you have 42 home games to play with you can do something creative for 1 or 2 of them for TV purposes. I understand the EPL games are at weird times due to time zone differences but they get really good ratings and its partly because there's no competition. While you say no one from Minnesota is going to watch Pens/Islanders because its on at 10AM or 5PM, that's not totally true. Absolutely no one is watching it at 7PM opposite Minnesota Gopher basketball, Timberwolves, Minnesota Wild, etc. But at 5PM or 10AM, you are going to get more viewers. Substantially more? I don't know. But why not try.

I like what the NHL has done with the Stadium Series. Those are the only games I ever turn on but they need more event-type stuff. College Basketball used to do a 24 hours of College Hoops. What about a 24 Hours of Hockey type of deal. Once a year there is a hockey holiday of games at 8AM, 10, noon, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, midnight, and 2AM (11PM PST)? Just spitballing but there's got to be ways to attract more casual viewers. I also think the league desperately needs an in-season World Cup. Forget the Olympics. Start it the day after the Super Bowl or maybe the day after AFC/NFC Championships and pump it down people's throats. I'd watch that and while its not going to turn me into a hockey fan. That 8, 9, 10 year old kid, it might. Americans need a team to root for. And Americans LOVE watching their hockey team play Canada and Russia. That is fantastic TV.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

NHL fans only watch their teams, MLB is suffering from the same problem. I don't care about any hockey game the Penguins aren't playing in, I live in Detroit the self proclaimed "Hockey Town" and no one cares about games not involving the Red Wings. The NBA is able to somewhat able avoid this since way more people are betting on it compared to the NHL and MLB. Moving the start times to the morning or late afternoon isn't going to get people in Minneapolis or Nashville tuning in for a Pens-Islanders game.

this is a very good post and i agree 100%. im same way, love penguins but would rather watch paint dry than another nhl game. at least with baseball, i could maybe watch a non pirate game IF a great player is on or chasing some kind of record.

i dont watch many non pirate games but i kind of followed the yanks late last year just cause of Judge, or if Ohtani is on or something like that. WIth the nhl, you dont even have that..

im not watching edmonton oilers at 11pm at night to see conner mcdavid get his 100th point on an assist.

 

[HailtoPitt]

Like MLB, there are too many NHL games. Each game is far less important. Unlike the NBA, the star players are only on the ice a fraction of the time.

 

[pittdan77]

The NHL needs to fire everyone in their marketing dept and start over......and while they are at it, move the HQ to the US

It's not the marketing guys. How do you market your stars when they have two goons hanging all over them and it's not clear why sometimes that's a penalty but sometimes it's not. And then when the playoffs come, almost nothing is a penalty. You can't promote a garage league to the unwashed masses and expect them to find any excitement in it.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Like MLB, there are too many NHL games. Each game is far less important. Unlike the NBA, the star players are only on the ice a fraction of the time.

i LOVED when the NHL went on strike and there were like 55 regular season games. As a fan, it was perfect. plus they were like every other day lol.

probably hell for the players and owners took a beating in the wallet but as a fan, it was perfect..

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Wouldn't the fact that 99% of players are white help it?

No

 

[happjack]

Both the NBA and NHL should have 60 game regular seasons, baseball should at least cut back to 154 if not down to 142.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

i LOVED when the NHL went on strike and there were like 55 regular season games. As a fan, it was perfect. plus they were like every other day lol.

probably hell for the players and owners took a beating in the wallet but as a fan, it was perfect..

This is what I suggested a couple months ago and had that thread going for a while.

There are wayyyyyyyyy too many meaningless NHL games. No one watches. But cut the schedule in half and every game becomes meaningful…just like they were in the covid year and just like the soccer leagues do.

But NHL owners need gate revenue and are never going to agree to less games. Therefore the solution is a cup competition. Have a 50 game league season and a 30 game cup competition . Award 2 trophies. It works throughout Europe and can work here.

The NHL needs to think outside the box. The same problems that exist today have plagued the sport for the past 50 years. Time to get really creative.

 

[Dan1911]

ESPN does a crappy job of marketing. They could care less about hockey.

Not in the top ten in college football? You're forgotten. Not a division leader in MLB? You're invisible. They need easily digestible talking points about frontrunners in a few sports for their synthetic anchors to regurgitate. These guys are talking heads, not really sports fans, and it shows. They treat the Olympics like a pariah unless there's some controversial story that promotes their political agenda. ESPN is awful. I wish there was another sports channel to rival it. Fox is equally bad.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Both the NBA and NHL should have 60 game regular seasons, baseball should at least cut back to 154 if not down to 142.

The NBA execs have a problem as the stars are taking 20 games/year off as "load management." I wanted to go up to Cleveland but now they have to release lineups like 4 hours before and Curry and Giannis were sitting out back to backs so why go? I dont know what the solution is but the MLB, NBA, and NHL all play far too many games. The NBA and NHL should be playing 50 games but its less money for the owners so it'll never happen. The only thing I can think of in cutting the season is if both leagues had some type of in-season FA Cup-type tournament but you're still not going to make up enough revenue hosting a few FA Cup games. BTW, if those leagues did do in-season cup competitions, I'd give the winner the #1 draft pick and perhaps a 1 seed in the playoffs or some other type of major reward.

 

[Pitt79]

Wouldn't the fact that 99% of players are white help it?

I never pay attention to the race of players, I even hate when they discuss race, like I don't care that 2 black QBs are playing each other in the Super Bowl.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

The NBA execs have a problem as the stars are taking 20 games/year off as "load management." I wanted to go up to Cleveland but now they have to release lineups like 4 hours before and Curry and Giannis were sitting out back to backs so why go? I dont know what the solution is but the MLB, NBA, and NHL all play far too many games. The NBA and NHL should be playing 50 games but its less money for the owners so it'll never happen. The only thing I can think of in cutting the season is if both leagues had some type of in-season FA Cup-type tournament but you're still not going to make up enough revenue hosting a few FA Cup games. BTW, if those leagues did do in-season cup competitions, I'd give the winner the #1 draft pick and perhaps a 1 seed in the playoffs or some other type of major reward.

I like the creativity but I’m not sure awarding the number 1 pick helps with competitive balance.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

I never pay attention to the race of players, I even hate when they discuss race, like I don't care that 2 black QBs are playing each other in the Super Bowl.

mahomes is black?

 

[Pitt79]

Baseball being 162 games is ridiculous, clearly it's because in the 1880s, there was no TV or radio or baseball cards or jerseys to sell, and the only way to make money was live gate so they started playing every day. Really, they should play like 50-80 games, but they can't because it would make their precious stats look funny.

 

[Pitt79]

mahomes is black?

As I was watching him being interviewed yesterday, he sure sounded like some white kid from an affluent suburb. But anyone that's even 1/8th black is considered black, that never felt right to me, if I had a half black son or daughter, I'd beat it into their head that they were GREEK above all else.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I like the creativity but I’m not sure awarding the number 1 pick helps with competitive balance.

Yea but its single elimination and some stars would sit out like in the FA Cup. A bad team could win it. Just an idea though to give teams something to play for.

I think I have an even better one though for the NBA and NHL:

Promotion/relegation within a season. Basically a "Nations League" within their regular season.

Play your regular 50-60 game season. But within that season, teams are divided into a 1st Division, 2nd Division, 3rd Division, and 4th Division based on merit. If you win the 1st Division, you get some major reward. If you win the 2nd Division, you get promoted, finish near the bottom you get relegated. But I'd award playoff bids perhaps something like as follows:

Win 1st Divison: #1 seed
Win 2nd Division: no lower than #4 seed
Win 3rd Division: no lower than #7 seed
Win 4th Division: no lower than #10 seed

So teams have 2 routes to the playoffs and potentially high draft picks.

Playing 80 games to eliminate only 50% of teams seems so archaic

 

[Upg bobcat]

I dont know what the solution is but the MLB, NBA, and NHL all play far too many games.

The NFL plays too many games as well. It is not from an overexposure/too many meaningless games perspective, but the length of the NFL season is problematic from a player health/safety perspective in ways similar to the NBA.

 

[UPitt '89]

Me too, I'm 100% certain that other than the Olympics I've never watched a non-Pens hockey game. And I quit watching the playoffs every year the split second the Pens are eliminated. And usually don't even know who won the Cup, who won last year, I don't remember?

Colorado.

 

[pittchagg]

Viewership isn’t what it used to be for live sports across the board…but that said, most live sports leagues have at least stabilized and aren’t dropping big. MLB numbers were slightly up on ESPN’s broadcasts for the regular season, but their Fox numbers are slightly down (albeit with more inventory than they had in the past). The NBA viewership has stabilized, with ESPN being a little down, TNT being up (probably due to their good on-air talent) but their streaming and subscription numbers are really high. Even just comparing ESPN to ESPN, the NBA has close to 5x the number of average viewers than the NHL does on any given night. It’s a problem, since ESPN and Turner are paying the NHL well more than 1/5 of what they’re paying the NBA right now.

I know for me personally, I’m not a Penguins fan, didn’t grow up playing hockey outside of in a driveway somewhere occasionally, and I couldn’t tell you the last time I watched any part of a hockey game. It’s probably been 5 years.

 

[UPitt '89]

What drives TV ratings for ALL sports nowadays is *GAMBLING*.

And frankly, not many people want to bet on hockey. It is a hard game to evaluate for betting purposes. Every game has a 1.5 or 2.5 goal spread. Every single one. And that's boring.

Over/Unders are especially difficult because of the wide variability of scores - a 2-1 game is just as likely as a 5-4 game between two good teams.

Yes... any sport can be bet on. But some sports are inherently more fun to bet on and have more things that can be bet on than others. Football is the perfect sport for gamblers.

Pittsburghers will watch Penguin games.... but won't watch a Kraken-Sharks hockey game. But they'll watch a Seahawks-49ers game because many more have BET on the game.... or have players on their fantasy teams playing.

People don't want to hear it - but a large part of the viewing audience for any sporting event is the gamblers.

 

[Upg bobcat]

I don't understand why ESPN does not put NHL on TV more than it does ... I get that putting an NBA game on TV this time of year probably gets them the most viewers, so that is priority. Maybe men's college basketball from the major conferences is next. But after that, why is women's college basketball televised on ESPN over the NHL? Does it get more eyeballs tuning in?

 

[pittchagg]

I don't understand why ESPN does not put NHL on TV more than it does ... I get that putting an NBA game on TV this time of year probably gets them the most viewers, so that is priority. Maybe men's college basketball from the major conferences is next. But after that, why is women's college basketball televised on ESPN over the NHL? Does it get more eyeballs tuning in?

Womens basketball - both the WNBA and college - are actually among the few sports whose viewership numbers are going up. I don’t know if they’re as high as the NHL for a regular season game, but it’s definitely seen as a growth opportunity.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I thought it was a great move by the NHL to get back on ESPN. ESPN is still the go-to for a lot of fans and their promotion is 2nd to none. You'll see a Blue Jackets/Jets promo during an NBA or college basketball game. And I've seen that Messier commercial 1000 times. But ratings are WAY down. Only averaging 373K on ESPN/TNT.

NHL ratings are down in the U.S. and hockey fans viciously explained why

NHL fans aren’t happy with how the league has marketed itself this season.

ftw.usatoday.com

To put this in perspective, MLS, which is maybe the 20th best soccer league in the world averaged only slightly less at 343K.

2022 MLS Season Viewership on ABC and ESPN Networks Up 16 Percent

The 34 Major League Soccer regular season matches televised on ABC and ESPN networks in 2022 delivered an average audience of 343,000 viewers (P2+). According to Nielsen, the league’s 2022 season average across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes is up 16 percent from last year among P2+ (295,000).

espnpressroom.com

I dont mean to knock hockey. I think its a great sport but its unbelievable that despite it being "around" for a century, its never been able to move past niche viewing in the US. I guess that's ok. The league makes money. Canadien TV money is big. Games are well attended. But people refuse to watch it on TV. Not sure there's any easy answers. An idea I've posted before is to play in some weekday afternoon time slots as lead-in to college basketball or the NBA. Also maybe some 10AM Saturday games. Basically trying to mimick the popularity of the EPL in the US. I get that fans would hate a 4 or 5 PM Pens game but if its literally 1 out of the 243 home games you play that year and if its good for TV, so what.

One big takeaway from this, well two.
1) People now don't always know what channel games are on. At least casual viewer.
2) This is the big one. Pens/Caps are on TNT. Sometimes the local Root sports is also carrying the game and the TNT feed is blacked out. That doesn't help ratings.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

One big takeaway from this, well two.
1) People now don't always know what channel games are on. At least casual viewer.
2) This is the big one. Pens/Caps are on TNT. Sometimes the local Root sports is also carrying the game and the TNT feed is blacked out. That doesn't help ratings.

They need to coordinate the schedule like Tuesdays are the ESPN+ national game, Wednesdays are ESPN and Thursdays are TNT. I dont watch hockey but if I did I'd want to know that on a certain day, I could sit down on 7PM and flip on a national hockey game. The NBA has had that Friday Night doubleheader for like 30 years. The ACC/Big East has been on Monday Night for 30 years. People need consistency.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

They need to coordinate the schedule like Tuesdays are the ESPN+ national game, Wednesdays are ESPN and Thursdays are TNT. I dont watch hockey but if I did I'd want to know that on a certain day, I could sit down on 7PM and flip on a national hockey game. The NBA has had that Friday Night doubleheader for like 30 years. The ACC/Big East has been on Monday Night for 30 years. People need consistency.

That takes effort and coordination. Canadian brains are clogged by maple syrup.

 

[kma0043]

The nhl needs to accept that in the United States it’s a regional sport and that’s ok. Why completely alter a sport that it’s core fans enjoy? Hockey is an expensive sport and in the U.S. rinks aren’t in every town like in Canada. The game won’t grow if people aren’t exposed to the game in their youth.

 

[Celtsfan]

Seanmillerfan, I'll ask you since your up on this. What would a pitt hoops game draw on say a Monday on ESPN against a good opponent (Duke or NC)???