Game 1 Averages 5.547 Million Viewers – Second-Most Watched Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Ever on NBC
Chicago Delivers 28.0 Local Rating – Third-Best Local Rating Ever Behind Stanley Cup-Clinching Game 6s in 2013 and 2010
NBC Wins Primetime
Tampa Produces 17.9 Local Rating – Best Ever For Lightning Game on Any NBC Network
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 4, 2015 – The first game of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay Lightning, in which the Blackhawks defeated the Lightning by a score of 2-1, produced a 3.34 HH rating and averaged 5.547 million viewers, making it the most-watched Game 1 that did not require overtime in 18 years and NBC’s second-most watched Stanley Cup Final Game 1 ever.
Viewership of last night’s Game 1 (8:10-11 p.m. ET), in which the Blackhawks came from behind with two third-period goals, was up 16% compared to last year’s Rangers-Kings Game 1 (4.785 million), which the Kings won by a score of 3-2 in overtime. The only Game 1 on NBC to surpass last night’s viewership was the triple-overtime thriller between the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks in 2013, which averaged 6.315 million viewers.
The game peaked at 6.433 million viewers from 10:30-10:45 p.m. ET.
PRIMETIME
Game 1 was a winner for NBC. The network won the night with a 1.8 rating in the A18-49 demo, up 38% over its nearest competitor (FOX, 1.3). NBC ranked No. 1 from 8-11 p.m. ET among all broadcast and cable networks in A18-34, A18-49 and A25-54.
LOCAL
Chicago delivered a 28.0 metered market rating, its third-highest ever for a Blackhawks game on NBC, trailing only the Stanley Cup Final-clinching Game 6 matchups in 2013 and 2010. Last night’s Game 1 rating was up 12% vs. Game 1 in 2013 (25.1), and up 66% vs. Game 1 in 2010 (16.9).
Tampa drew a 17.9 rating, the highest rating ever in the market for a Lightning game on any NBC network, up 50% vs. last Friday’s Eastern Conference Final Game 7 against the New York Rangers on NBCSN (11.9), and up 47% vs. Game 1 of the Lightning’s last SCF appearance in 2004 against Calgary (ESPN; 12.2).
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 | Chicago | 28.0 |
| 2 | Tampa | 17.9 |
| 3 | Buffalo | 7.2 |
| 4 | Minn.-St. Paul | 6.4 |
| 5 | Boston | 6.1 |
| 6 | Denver | 5.4 |
| 7 | Ft. Myers | 5.3 |
| 8 | St. Louis | 4.7 |
| 9 | Milwaukee | 4.5 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh | 4.4 |
--NBC SPORTS GROUP--