Monday, June 29, 2009

Game 7 Rating

The deciding game of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals earned an impressive 13.5 local rating in Buffalo according to Alan Pergament's column in Saturday's issue of the Buffalo News.

It's safe to assume that Buffalo was the third highest rated market with that figure, but the Top Ten local markets were never made public. Pittsburgh set a local ratings record for NHL markets with a 42.2 rating.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Buffalo 3rd in Cup Finals Ratings

Buffalo, likely because of how disappointing the Sabres past two seasons have been, has been paying much less attention to the Stanley Cup playoffs than it usually does.

That said, the rematch between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins is still drawing more interest in Buffalo than any other American city without a rooting interest. From the NHL's press release:

TOP 10 MARKETS (based on overnight ratings)

SATURDAY, GAME 1
1. Pittsburgh, 26.5/43
2. Detroit, 19.3/34
3. Buffalo, 5.2/9
4. Columbus, 3.5/6
5. Ft. Myers, 3.3/5
6. St. Louis, 3.0/6
T7. Indianapolis, 2.8/5
T7. Cincinnati, 2.8/5
9. Oklahoma City, 2.4/5
10. Chicago, 2.3/5

SUNDAY, GAME 2
1. Pittsburgh, 31.7/43
2. Detroit, 28.1/43
3. Buffalo, 7.2/11
4. Philadelphia, 4.5/7
5. St. Louis, 3.8/7
6. Baltimore, 3.7/6
T7. Washington D.C., 3.4/6
T7. Minneapolis, 3.4/6
T7. Columbus, 3.4/6
T7. Ft. Myers, 3.4/5


Game 2 was the most watched Finals game nationally in seven years.

Monday, January 19, 2009

League Wide Ratings (Jan. 13th)

Sports Business Journal listed the league-wide local television ratings for the American markets (as well as some good information on national ratings and attendance) in a recent article. The Buffalo market is tops in the country once again.

Anaheim Ducks Prime Ticket (17) 0.29 11.50%
Atlanta Thrashers SportSouth (27) 0.23 21.10%
Boston Bruins NESN (37) 2.16 53.20%
Buffalo Sabres MSG (38) 8.87 3.70%
Chicago Blackhawks Comcast SportsNet Chicago (26) 1.07 72.60%
Columbus Blue Jackets Fox Sports Ohio (37) 1.43 40.20%
Dallas Stars Fox Sports Southwest (32) 0.52 18.20%
Denver Avalanche Altitude (35) 1.65 21.30%
Detroit Red Wings Fox Sports Detroit (32) 3.7 -21.80%
Florida Panthers Fox Sports Florida (29) 0.15 -16.70%
Los Angeles Kings Fox Sports West (31) 0.38 26.70%
Minnesota Wild Fox Sports North (22) 2.22 -12.90%
New Jersey Devils MSG+ (31) 0.38 15.20%
New York Islanders MSG+ (30) 0.17 -37.00%
New York Rangers MSG (36) 1.03 -3.70%
Philadelphia Flyers Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia (32) 2.22 1.40%
Phoenix Coyotes Fox Sports Arizona (22) 0.5 100.00%
Pittsburgh Penguins Fox Sports Pittsburgh (37) 6.14 22.10%
San Jose Sharks Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (31) 1.25 42.00%
St. Louis Blues Fox Sports Midwest (25) 1.32 -42.90%
Tampa Bay Lightning Sun Sports (31) 0.49 -21.00%
Washington Capitals Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic (31) 1.2 140.00%


Impressive gains in Washington, Chicago, and Boston. Detroit continues to slide back towards the pack. It seems that the Red Wings attendance problems may not be solely economic.