Stanley Cup final snags 4.0 rating/7 share

Last night’s deciding Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on NBC drew an
average of 6.8 million viewers making it the most-watched Game 6 since
the NHL returned to network television in 1995 and the third
most-watched Stanley Cup Final game overall in that same span. The 4.0
national rating and 7 share is a 111 percent increase over Game 6 in
2006 (Edmonton-Carolina, 1.9/4).

NBC’s Stanley Cup average (3.2/6, 4 telecasts) earned the best rating
and was the most-viewed series (5.4 million average viewers) since the
2002 Final (Carolina-Detroit, 3.6/7, 5.8 million viewers, 3 telecasts).

NBC finished No. 1 for the night in all key adult-male demographics and
No. 2 overall for the night. The 2.9 (Adults 18-49) is NBC’s highest
Wednesday average in that demo since Jan. 23. From 10-11 p.m. ET, NBC’s
Stanley Cup coverage dominated the competition in key demographics,
beating the combined ABC-CBS rating for that hour in Adults 18-49,
Adults 18-34 and all key adult-male demos.

“Two great teams, at the top of their game, generated significant
interest,” said NBC Sports President Ken Schanzer. “Hopefully this
provides a launching point for future growth. We can’t wait for our
season to begin, somewhere outdoors, next season.”