- Series was last Stanley Cup final to be broadcast by NBC before NHL’s new US TV deals start next season
- Viewership still down 54% compared to 2019 despite increase
- Canada’s Sportsnet hails series as most-watched Stanley Cup final in its history
This year’s Stanley Cup Final averaged 2.52 million viewers on US network NBC, an increase of 17 per cent compared to the 2020 edition of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) champion-crowning series.
Viewership might have increased from last year, when the series was held in September due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the audience was still down 54 per cent from the seven-game 2019 final, which averaged 5.47 million viewers.
The biggest audience was delivered by game five, which saw an average 3.62 million viewers watch the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens to clinch their second consecutive title.
In Canada, which was represented in the series for the first time since 2011, Sportsnet hailed it as the most-watched Stanley Cup final in its history.
Game five was watched on the network by an average audience of 4.1 million, while the entire series averaged 3.6 million viewers.
This year’s series was the last Stanley Cup final to be broadcast by NBC ahead of the NHL’s new US broadcast deals with ESPN and Turner Sports, which kick in from next season.
