NBC posts viewership milestones for 'Championship Saturday'
by jmaloni
Submitted
Mon, Jun 9th 2014 10:00 am
Belmont,
Stanley Cup Finals big in Buffalo
NBC Sports' "Championship Saturday,"
featuring California Chrome's attempt at a Triple Crown in the 146th Belmont
Stakes and Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the New York Rangers and Los
Angeles Kings, registered viewership milestones, according to fast national
data provided by The Nielsen Company, and streaming records, according to Adobe
Analytics.
Belmont Stakes
California Chrome's run for history,
which concluded in a dead-heat tie for fourth place as Tonalist won the race,
averaged 20.6 million viewers - the second-highest Belmont Stakes viewership on
record, trailing only the 21.9 million viewers for NBC's telecast of Smarty
Jones' Triple Crown attempt in 2004 (People Meter viewership dates to 1988).
- The 2014 Belmont
Stakes is the most-watched weekend sporting event since NBC's primetime
telecast of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics on Sunday, Feb. 16 (21.3
million).
- The 2014 Belmont
Stakes (6:23-7:15 p.m.) topped by 57 percent the average viewership for
the last Belmont in which a Triple Crown was at stake (13.1 million on ABC
in 2008 for Big Brown).
- NBC's Belmont
Stakes registered a 12.0/27 household rating - a 46 percent increase over
the 8.2/20 for ABC's Big Brown telecast in 2008, and ranking as the
third-highest rated Belmont since Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown
in 1977. NBC's telecast of Smarty Jones' bid in 2004 registered a 13.1/29,
and CBS' coverage of Pleasant Colony's Triple Crown attempt in 1981 posted
a 12.6/36.
- NBC's 4.0 rating
among Adults 18-49 ranked as the highest in the demographic since the 2004
Belmont Stakes, and tied the 2003 Belmont as the second-highest in People
Meter history.
- NBC's Belmont
viewership and rating increased by 194 percent and 167 percent,
respectively, over the 2013 race won by Palace Malice (7.0 million viewers
and 4.5/11 HH rating).
- Locally, Belmont
Stakes ratings increased in 53 of 56 metered markets vs. the last Triple
Crown attempt in 2008, and were up in all 56 metered markets vs. the 2013
telecast. The New York market, the home of the Belmont Stakes, registered
a 15.8 rating/37 share, which ranks as the second-highest ever in the
market behind only Smarty Jones' attempt in 2004 (20.5/38).
- Fans live
streamed 6,798,019 million minutes of the Belmont Stakes on NBC Sports Live Extra, the NBC
Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices and
tablets - a record for any horse race streamed by NBC Sports Digital.
Coverage included an isolation camera on California Chrome, bonus analysis
from NBC Sports commentators, and replays and footage from the Kentucky
Derby and Preakness Stakes. The Belmont Stakes was watched by 389,680
unique viewers.
NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 2
Saturday
night's Game 2 (7:15-11:45 p.m.), in which the Los Angeles Kings defeated the
New York Rangers 5-4 in double overtime to take a 2-0 series lead, averaged 6.4
million viewers, making it the most-watched Game 2 on record (since at least
1994). The game was up 60 percent vs. last year's Game 2 on NBCSN (Bruins-Blackhawks,
4.0 million), and up 121 percent vs. 2012's Game 2 on NBC that also featured
the Kings (Kings-Devils, 2.9 million).
- Viewership for
the game peaked in the final quarter-hour (11:30-11:45 p.m.) with 7.6
million viewers. The 7:15-7:30 pre-game quarter-hour, which immediately
followed Belmont Stakes coverage, averaged 9.1 million viewers. The game
delivered a 3.7 HH rating.
- Game 2 dominated
primetime. NBC was No. 1 for the night among ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX in
A18-49 (2.0) and all other key measures. Game 2 ranked No. 1 in A18-49 in
all six primetime half-hours, beat the other major broadcast networks
combined in A18-49 rating (2.0 vs. 1.5).
- New York
delivered a 10.5 HH rating for Game 2, the highest-rated NHL game ever on
NBC or NBCSN in the market, and up from a 10.1 for Game 1, which was the
previous record. Los Angeles scored a 8.9 HH rating, the second-highest
such game ever in Los Angeles, behind only the 2012 Stanley Cup Final Game
6 (13.6), which was when the Kings clinched their first-ever championship.
L.A. did a 7.1 HH rating for Game 1.
- Game 2, which
ended in the second overtime, delivered 9.0 million minutes of live
streaming on NBC Sports Live
Extra, the most ever for an NHL game, according to Adobe Analytics.
It surpassed last year's Stanley Cup Final triple-overtime Game 1, which
produced 8.9 million minutes of consumption. Game 2 was watched by 219,677
unique viewers.
TOP
METERED MARKETS FOR 2014 Belmont Stakes (Race Portion)
1 |
Louisville |
21.1/38 |
T2. |
Ft.
Myers |
19.2/36 |
T2. |
Sacramento |
19.2/39 |
T2. |
West
Palm Beach |
19.2/35 |
5 |
Baltimore |
17.3/36 |
6 |
Tampa-St.
Pete |
16.8/32 |
7 |
Orlando |
16.4/32 |
8 |
Buffalo |
15.9/36 |
9 |
New
York |
15.8/37 |
T10. |
Boston |
15.6/36 |
T10. |
Knoxville |
15.6/30 |
TOP
METERED MARKETS FOR Stanley Cup Final Game 2
1 |
New
York |
10.5/21 |
2 |
Los
Angeles |
8.9/21 |
3 |
Buffalo |
8.1/17 |
4 |
Boston |
6.9/14 |
5 |
Minneapolis |
6.4/14 |
6 |
West
Palm Beach |
5.8/11 |
7 |
Providence |
5.6/11 |
8 |
Pittsburgh |
5.5/11 |
9 |
Las
Vegas |
5.3/10 |
T10. |
Chicago |
4.9/10 |
T10. |
San
Diego |
4.9/12 |
T10. |
St.
Louis |
4.9/9 |