2017 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS AVERAGING 988,000 VIEWERS; UP 7% THROUGH FIRST TWO ROUNDS VS. 2016

Last Night's Two Game 7s Combined for MOST-WATCHED NHL DOUBLEHEADER IN NBCSN HISTORY

Penguins-Capitals Game 7 Total Audience Delivery (TV + Digital) Averages 2.569 Million Viewers, FOURTH-BEST EVER for Second Round Game on NBCSN

Game 7 is MOST-STREAMED NHL GAME EVER with 15.3 Million Minutes & Average Minute Audience of 88,300 Viewers

Washington D.C. Sets LOCAL MARKET RECORD for Capitals Game on NBCSN with 8.3 Rating; Pittsburgh Posts 23.9

Oilers-Ducks Game 7 TAD Averages 1.408 Million Viewers on NBCSN, BEST-EVER for Late Playoff Game Featuring Canadian Team

STAMFORD, Conn. - May 11, 2017 - Featuring two Game 7s that produced the most-watched doubleheader in NBCSN history, and a high-profile series between the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals -- and despite the presence of two Canadian teams this year vs. zero last year -- the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs continued the viewership increases that began in the first round, according The Nielsen Company and Adobe Analytics.

Through the first two rounds (65 games), the Total Audience Delivery (TAD) for NBC Sports Group's coverage of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoff is averaging 988,000 viewers across NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA Network, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app, up 7% vs. last year's playoffs (925,000) and the best in three years. TV-only is averaging 965,000 viewers and a 0.58 HH rating, up 7% and 4%, respectively, vs. last season (905,000, 0.56). Streaming has delivered nearly 300 million minutes (299.1) on 1.3 million unique devices, producing an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 23,000 viewers, all records through the first two rounds.

The TAD for just the second round across NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app averaged 1.365 million viewers, up 6% vs. last year (1.290 million) and the best in three years. It was the most-streamed second round ever, totaling nearly 900,000 devices and 164.8 million live minutes, up 36% and 50%, respectively vs. last season (663,000 and 109.6 million).

Following are additional second round highlights:

· Last night's Game 7 doubleheader on NBCSN featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins-Washington Capitals and the Edmonton Oilers-Anaheim Ducks was the most-watched doubleheader in NBCSN history, averaging a TAD of 1.990 million viewers, which topped the prior record of 1.717 (5/14/14, Montreal-Boston Game 7 and Anaheim-Los Angeles, Game 6).

· Last night's Penguins-Capitals Game 7 (7:29-10:10 p.m. ET) averaged a TAD of 2.569 million viewers to rank as the fourth-most watched second round game in NBCSN history. The TAD was up 87% compared to last year's St. Louis-Dallas Game 7 (1.373 million) and peaked in the final 10 minutes with 3.506 million viewers (TV only). The game averaged 2.48 million TV-only viewers and a 1.49 HH rating.

· Penguins-Capitals is the most streamed game in NHL history, including all Stanley Cup Final games, with 15.3 million minutes and an Average Minute Audience of 88,300 viewers. It also delivered 213,000 unique devices.

· Locally, Washington D.C. recorded an 8.3 HH rating, the highest rating ever in the market for a game on NBCSN, while Pittsburgh delivered a 23.9 rating, its second-highest second round rating ever on the network.

· The TAD for Game 7 (10:10 p.m. - 12:50 a.m. ET) of the Edmonton-Anaheim series averaged 1.408 million viewers, making it the most-watched late game featuring a Canadian team in NBCSN history, and up 29% vs. Nashville-San Jose Game 7 last year (1.094 million), which began one hour earlier. The game averaged 1.364 million TV-only viewers and a 0.79 HH rating.

· Following are the second round local ratings for the six U.S. markets for games involving their respective teams:

HH Rtg
Team Games In-Market
Pittsburgh 7 20.2
St. Louis 6 9.4
Nashville 6 7.9
Washington 7 7.3
NY Rangers 6 3.5
Anaheim 7 1.3

The second round viewership success built off the momentum established in the first round. On the strength of a record 18 overtime games, dazzling performances by young stars like Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid, and side-by-side coverage for the first time in local markets, NBC Sports Group's Total Audience Delivery (TAD) for the first round of the playoffs averaged 742,000 viewers, up 4% vs 2016 (713,000 viewers). It was the most-watched first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2014 (753,000 viewers), despite no Game 7 matchups for the first time since the 2001 postseason, and the presence of five Canadian teams compared to zero last season.