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[06/05/14 - 08:20 AM]
First Rangers-Kings Game Is NBC's Second-Most Watched Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Ever
NBC spins the numbers for Wednesday, June 4.

[via press release from NBC]

Wednesday Primetime Results:

Note that the fast-national ratings that came in at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT are not time zone-adjusted and are subject to adjustment when Nielsen reports official-national results. Prior to those adjustments, NBC is #1 for the night among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in adults 18-49 in the fast-national ratings, ranking #1 or tied for #1 during six of six primetime half-hours (pending updates).

· In metered-market results, which are time zone-adjusted, NBC Sports' coverage of last night's New York Rangers-Los Angeles Kings game averaged a 3.8 rating, 7 share in metered-market households from 8-11:15 p.m. ET, ranking as NBC's second-best Stanley Cup Final Game 1 ever in metered-market households.

· The 3.8 rating in metered-market households is up +58% versus Game 1 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, which also featured the L.A. Kings (vs. the New Jersey Devils, 2.4 in metered-market households).

· Last night's game scored a 7.1 rating in Los Angeles in metered-market households, making this L.A.'s third-best overnight rating ever on NBC, trailing only Games 5 and 6 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, which were both potentially clinching games for the Kings.

· New York delivered its best NHL rating ever on NBC or NBCSN, with a 10.1 rating in metered-market households, surpassing the prior high, last week's 8.5 for the Eastern Conference Final Game 6 on NBCSN.

· The top five Markets for last night's Stanley Cup Final Game 1 were: New York, 10.1; Buffalo, 8.5; L.A., 7.1; Boston, 6.8; Providence, 5.4.

In Late-Night Metered Markets Wednesday Night:

· In Nielsen's 56 metered markets, household results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 2.7/7, delayed by a Stanley Cup hockey overrun; CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," 2.2/6; and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1.9/5.

· In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, adult 18-49 results were: "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," 1.2/6, delayed by a Stanley Cup overrun; "Late Show," 0.4/2; and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 0.6/3.

· From 12:35-1:05 a.m. ET, ABC's "Nightline" averaged a 1.3/4 in metered-market households and a 0.4/3 in 18-49 in the Local People Meters.

· From 12:35-1:35 a.m. ET, "Late Night with Seth Meyers" (1.2/5 in metered-market households, delayed by a Stanley Cup overrun) tied CBS's "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (1.2/4). In the 25 markets with Local People Meters, "Late Night" (0.6/4 in 18-49, delayed by a Stanley Cup overrun) topped "Late Late Show" (0.3/2).

· At 1:35 a.m., "Last Call with Carson Daly," delayed by a Stanley Cup overrun, averaged a 0.7/3 in metered-market households and a 0.3/2 in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with local people meters.

NOTE: All ratings are "live plus same day" from Nielsen Media Research unless otherwise indicated.

FIRST RANGERS-KINGS GAME IS NBC'S SECOND-MOST WATCHED STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 1 EVER

Game 1 Averages 4.777 Million Viewers, Peaks at 5.7 Million

New York Sets Local Record with 10.1 Rating; L.A. Draws 7.1 Rating

NBC Wins Primetime

Most Unique Viewers for NHL Live Stream Ever for NBC Sports Live Extra

STAMFORD, Conn. - June 5, 2014 - The first game of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final between the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings averaged 4.777 million viewers, making it NBC's second-most watched Stanley Cup Final Game 1 ever and the second-most watched Game 1 overall since 1999. NBC won the night in primetime among P18-49 with a 1.9 rating.

The game (8:00-11:17 p.m. ET), in which the Kings defeated the Rangers 3-2 in overtime, drew 4.777 million viewers and a 3.0 HH rating. Game 1 was up 65% in viewership compared to the last time the Kings were in the Stanley Cup Final (2.902 million in 2012) and up 212% vs. the last time the Rangers appeared (1.532 million, ESPN, 1994; not including RSN viewership in New York). The only Game 1 on NBC to surpass last night's viewership was last year's triple-overtime thriller between the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks, which averaged 6.358 million.

The game peaked at 5.7 million viewers from 10:45-11:00 p.m. ET.

PRIMETIME

Game 1 was a winner for NBC. The network won the night by 27% in A18-49 over its nearest competitor (FOX, 1.5); ranked No. 1 from 8-11 p.m. ET among the four major broadcast networks in A18-34, A18-49 and A25-54; and ranked No. 1 or tied for No. 1 among the major broadcast networks in A18-49 for all six primetime half-hours.

Among M18-49, Rangers-Kings led primetime among the four major broadcast networks by 150% over its nearest competitor with a 2.5 rating vs. ABC's 1.0. In M18-34, Game 1 delivered a 2.2 rating, more than the other three networks combined (1.7).

LOCAL

New York delivered its best NHL rating ever on NBC/NBCSN with a 10.1 metered market rating, surpassing last week's 8.5 rating for the Eastern Conference Final Game 6 on NBCSN.

Los Angeles drew a 7.1 metered market rating, ranking as L.A.'s third-best ever on NBC, trailing only Games 5 and 6 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, which were both championship-clinching games for the Kings (they won it in Game 6).

NBC was the No. 1 network in both markets during the game.

Following are the Top 10 markets from last night's Stanley Cup Final Game 1 on NBC:
Rank Market HH Rating
1 New York 10.1
2 Buffalo 8.5
3 Los Angeles 7.1
4 Boston 6.8
5 Providence 5.4
6 Minn.-St. Paul 5.1
7 Pittsburgh 4.7
8 Denver 4.5
9 Detroit 4.0
9 Las Vegas 4.0

DIGITAL

Rangers-Kings delivered NBC Sports Live Extra's the most unique viewers for an NHL live stream with 177,860 (90,635 desktop, 87,225 mobile). Viewers consumed 6,494,189 million minutes for the overtime contest; third-best ever for an NHL game behind last year's Bruins-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final triple-overtime Game 1 (8.9 million minutes) and Sunday night's Western Conference Final overtime Game 7 between the Kings and Blackhawks (8.1 million minutes).





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