Stanley Cup Final record U.S. viewership further disproves 'ratings nightmare' logic, adds to NHL's success

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ABC and ESPN deliver most-watched Stanley Cup Final since 2019 despite 'ratings nightmare' predictions

Ahead of the start of the Stanley Cup Final earlier this month, there were surprising amounts of "ratings nightmare" discussions, with both Newsweek and Fox News/Outkick using that term. As written here at the time, an actual U.S. "ratings nightmare" seemed highly unlikely considering the playoffs' record-breaking performances to date and also the fact that while the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights might not have the largest possible U.S. markets (#22 and #40 respectively by current Nielsen designated market areas), they were both U.S. markets, a big advantage for the American ratings over the last two Final matchups that involved the Edmonton Oilers (with a local market not counted in Nielsen's ratings). But the actual numbers wound up with big gains over those past two matchups, as ESPN noted in this graphic on both Game 6 and the Final overall:

The last two matchups had the Oilers facing off against the Florida Panthers. Like this year, 2024 saw all games on ABC, with only simulcasts and alternate coverage on cable; 2025 saw games on TNT Sports' cable networks, primarily TNT and TBS, and that was a big part of why its ratings were lower. The 2025 series also went six games (like this year's), while the 2024 one went seven, and as just discussed here with the NBA, series length matters, so that helps explain why the 2024 ratings were closer. There was also another boost for this year's series from Nielsen's shift to Big Data+Panel measurement methodology, which has been a boon for most live sports. But with all of that said, it's still worth noting just how historic these numbers were; they were the best for the Stanley Cup Final on any network since 2019, and the best-ever for ESPN and ABC (which have a long history of NHL broadcasts, but hadn't carried the league since 2004 before a return for the 2021-22 season). Here's more on that from ESPN PR's Andrea DiCristoforo:

All of that is quite good news for the NHL, with the most-viewed Game 3 since 2002 perhaps particularly impressive. That dates back before NBC's 2005-2021 run and the heights it hit near the end of the 2010s. (Of course, though, it's worth mentioning that Games 3 and 4 were often aired on cable on NBCSN under that contract, so they typically drew significantly lower viewership than the rest of the series did on broadcast TV.) And this builds on a playoffs that saw great numbers for ESPN/ABC networks overall, as they noted in another graphic in that release:

TNT Sports' networks produced record numbers as well these playoffs, so this isn't just about ESPN. And yes, some of that is about the measurement changes, but that doesn't cover the entire difference. The NHL's U.S. broadcasting setup as a whole seems to be in a strong place right now, and that's quite valuable for the league. And it goes to show that while the Hurricanes and Golden Knights might not have the largest markets imaginable, they (and the thrilling back-and-forth, six-game series they produced) were still more than capable of delivering U.S. viewers in large numbers. That bodes quite well for the league going forward.