FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 26th, 2018

NBC SPORTS’ ROUND 1 COVERAGE OF 2018 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS SETS RECORDS FOR UNIQUE DEVICES, TOTAL LIVE MINUTES & AVERAGE MINUTE AUDIENCE

NBC SPORTS DIGITAL “BYTES”

April 26, 2018 – Vol. 114

NBC Sports Digital “Bytes” is a collection of highlights, information and metrics for NBC Sports Digital properties. Previous editions can be found on NBCSportsGroupPressbox.com.

NBC Sports’ Round 1 Coverage of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs Set Records for Unique Devices, Total Live Minutes and Average Minute Audience

Round 1 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs (42 games), including last night’s Game 7 matchup, set records for unique devices (1.3 million; up +67%), total live minutes (178 million; up +33%), and Average Minute Audience (23,900; up +41%) versus Round 1 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Last night’s Game 7 matchup between Boston and Toronto delivered a total of 206,000 uniques (+25%), 12.8 million minutes (+10%), and an Average Minute Audience of 68,700 compared to Game 7 of the Chicago-St. Louis series in 2016. The 206,000 uniques and the 12.8 million minutes are the most for a Round 1 game ever.

NBC Sports Regional Networks Experience Record Streaming Consumption of NHL Coverage for 2017-18 Season

In the second full season of live, local NHL streaming, NBC Sports Regional Networks experienced double-digit growth in consumption. Through the 2017-2018 NHL regular season for the Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals, in addition to the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Flyers, Sharks and Capitals, NBC Sports Regional Networks delivered 80.4 million total live minutes, across 554,000 unique devices, up 68% and 97%, respectively, compared to 2016-2017 (47.8 million total live minutes, and 281,000 unique devices). Streaming on connected TVs saw the most significant growth, up 141% in minutes consumed and 298% in uniques.

Across the RSNs, NBC Sports Philadelphia’s digital coverage of the Philadelphia Flyers contributed the most to the season total, earning 32.9 million live minutes across 221,000 unique devices, up 184% and 251%, respectively, compared to 2016-2017.

Below are the top five NHL games, all from the first round of the playoffs, which delivered the most total live minutes and unique devices:

Date Game Network Total Minutes Unique Devices 
April 17, 2018 Capitals vs. Blue Jackets Game 3 NBC Sports Washington 1,520,806 20,535
April 15, 2018 Blue Jackets vs. Capitals Game 2 NBC Sports Washington 1,396,056 18,823
April 23, 2018 Capitals vs. Blue Jackets Game 6 NBC Sports Washington 1,357,862 19,619
April 13, 2018 Flyers vs. Penguins Game 2 NBC Sports Philadelphia 1,218,931 21,548
April 20, 2018 Flyers vs. Penguins Game 5 NBC Sports Philadelphia 1,135,112 20,326

 

Rotoworld’s Josh Norris to Host Periscope and Facebook Live Sessions During Tonight’s  2018 NFL Draft Coverage

Tonight during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Rotoworld analyst Josh Norris will host a simultaneous Periscope and Facebook Live session, providing real time reaction and answering fan questions during the Draft. Streaming coverage can be found on https://www.facebook.com/rotoworld/ and https://twitter.com/Rotoworld_FB. Rotoworld’s draft coverage will also include a live draft tracker, which monitors every draft selection.

Tonight’s coverage will also feature columns from Norris, NFL Insider Evan Silva and other Rotoworld writers, as well as a Day 1 podcast analyzing all of the day’s action. Coverage continues into the weekend with additional columns, including Norris’ “Best Available,” and concludes Sunday with Silva’s “Draft Grades” column.

— NBC SPORTS DIGITAL —