from Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch,
The Stanley Cup Final ended with its smallest Game 5 audience in nearly three decades.
Tuesday’s Panthers-Golden Knights NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 5 averaged a 1.4 rating and 2.72 million viewers across TNT (2.47M) and TruTV (253K), marking the smallest audience for a Game 5 of the Cup Final in 29 years — since Canucks-Rangers on ESPN in 1994 (2.41M). That was also the previous Game 5 to air on cable. Keep in mind ESPN’s coverage was blacked out in host market New York, where the games aired on MSG Network.
The Golden Knights’ Cup-clinching win fell below the previous mark of 2.79 million for Stars-Lightning in a fanless fall “bubble” three years ago. It was also the least-watched Cup clincher in at least 30 years, falling below the previous mark of 2.90 million for Senators-Ducks Game 5 in 2007. (The previous Cup clincher on cable — Stars-Sabres Game 6 on ESPN in 1999 — averaged 4.45 million.)
It's probably because everyone loves the digital board ads as much as Gary likes to tell himself we do.
Hopefully the HRR is minimal and the cap only increase 1M. Only way Wings might get 1st line players this off-season.
I was reading in another forum, fans from some "Holier than thou" teams (See Maple Leafs, Toronto and Rag$, West 33rd Street NYC) stating that the matchup was awful and "no one wants to see Florida or Vegas" but I think real hockey fans who are objective were looking forward to seeing these two teams play. But I noticed in the article that the 4.6 mm fans were watching on ABC last year and less fans this time on harder to find TBS. That helps to explain why. Bettman took up front bucks and ye reap what ye sow.
That said - TBS' team is 'must see tv' for me. I don't discount my holier than thou friends outright - yes - larger markets could have drawn more fans - but these are the breaks.
Bettman is upset Pittsburgh was not playing Pittsburgh in the finals.
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