With Concerning Viewership Numbers from ESPN and TNT, It's Time for Gary Bettman and the NHL to Step Up
New ratings numbers for the NHL on ESPN and TNT shows a very concerning trend that must be addressed by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the rest of the league
The NHL has a problem, and it's not a small one. A new report outlining ratings for NHL games on ESPN and TSN through the first few games of the season doesn't just show an overall drop in the number of people watching compared to last year, but a huge one.
Sports Media Watch has released viewership numbers for a few leagues for the first three weeks of October. NASCAR continues to set new records, while the NBA and English Premier League soccer saw slight increases. The NHL, however, "continues to fall well short of last year."
The prior night, ESPN averaged a 0.21 and 417,000 for Wild-Blues, down 29% and 24% respectively from Lightning-Sabres a year ago (0.29, 552K). The Flyers-Oilers nightcap had 333,000 (-35%).
All eight games on ESPN and TNT that can be compared to last season have declined."
It's not the first bad news for the NHL this season when it comes to ratings. Viewership trended in a horrible direction for the NHL's opening night triple-header, which saw the Utah Hockey Club play their inaugural regular season game. Another recent report saw the WNBA attracting more viewers than the NHL, and it's been noted that most other major sports are growing, while the NHL is not.
While the average viewer likely doesn't care much about low ratings, it has to be a concern for the NHL brass and team owners. The latest numbers aren't an isolated incident and seem to confirm a trend that's been going on for a few years, with the number of viewers going lower and lower. The NHL really needs to figure this out so the sport we all love can continue to be televised in primetime.
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