Sunday night was a double-edged sword for sports fans. On one hand, it was great to have two championship-level sporting events going on at the same time. Still, sports junkies also had to choose between Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals or Game 2 of the NBA finals.
While a big market, history-soaked match between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers brought in the greatest audience, the Philadelphia Flyers-Chicago Blackhawks match generated a big increase in ratings compared to last year’s Game 5.
The primetime portion of the NBA Finals Game 2 on ABC between the Lakers & Celtics scored a 5.0 adults 18-49 rating from 8-11pm. That was up 6% from the fast affiliate ratings last year’s Game 2 (Orlando Magic vs. LA Lakers), which posted a 4.7/14 from 8-11p in the Fast Nationals before rising to a 5.8/17 from 8-11:12p in the Finals.
The primetime portion of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 5 on NBC between the Blackhawks & Flyers cored a 2.4 adults 18-49 rating from 8-11pm. That was up 33% from the fast affiliate ratings for last year’s Game 5 (Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Detroit Red Wings on Saturday 6/6/09), which posted a 1.6/6 in the Fast Nationals before rising to a 1.8/7 in the Finals.
To some extent, the sport is still recovering from the lingering effects of the Obstruction Era and the fallout from the lockout. But with a wide-open game, plenty of star power and the hugely successful 2010 Vancouver Olympics pushing things forward, hockey continues to grow as a sport in North America.
Now, if these two teams could just make it to a Game 7 ...