NHL revels in ratings bonanza

The pandemic is providing a broadcast boon for the National Hockey League, with record numbers of fans in North America tuning into English and French coverage on television and online.

"NHL fans are incredibly passionate," Justin Byczek, senior vice-president of programming and rights management at NBC Sports Group, said on the weekend. "I think after the summer's hugely successful bubble Stanley Cup playoffs, people couldn't wait to get back to hockey."

The NHL paused the 2019-20 season last March due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, then returned with a 24-team playoff tournament without fans in the stands in bubbles in Edmonton and Toronto from Aug 1 to Sept 28.

In planning a 56-game regular season for 2020-21, the league worked with the NHL Players' Association and its broadcast partners to navigate a minefield of complications.

"There were tons of models and tons of following the bouncing ball－or the vulcanized rubber, I should say－as things changed," Byczek said. "But I think the unique process and this unique set of circumstances really allowed us to take a step back and do things a little bit differently than we had in the past."

The new season opened on Jan 13, with the 31 teams competing exclusively against intra-divisional rivals after the four divisions were realigned due to Canada-US border restrictions and the need to reduce travel.

NBC's opener between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers on Jan 13 averaged 972,000 viewers in the United States－up 42 percent from last year－making it the network's most-watched regular-season game ever.

That same night, the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs averaged 2.1 million viewers on Sportsnet in Canada, making it the most-watched regular-season game aired exclusively on the network, and 919,000 viewers on TVA Sports in Quebec.

In the second half of the doubleheader, the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks averaged 1.1 million viewers on Sportsnet, making it the highest rated regular-season debut in the network's history.

"It's clear from our record-breaking opening-night numbers that Canadians were ready to see NHL hockey back in action," said Bart Yabsley, president of Sportsnet. "We are thrilled with the way the season has started and are honored to have the responsibility of delivering the best possible hockey coverage to Canadians on a nightly basis during such a challenging and uncertain time.

"We hope hockey fans from coast to coast are gathering around their viewing devices and that the shared experience of rooting for their favorite teams is providing a much-needed sense of community."

Louie-Philippe Neveu, general manager of TVA Sports, pointed out that Quebec is in lockdown with an 8 pm curfew, but French-Canadian fans are excited about a Montreal team with new faces and higher expectations.

"I think people were happy to get hockey back during a season when we're used to having it," Neveu said. "The (2020 postseason was) a different season than we're used to, so to have hockey back in winter in Quebec is something that people were waiting for."

Across North America, the NHL's opening night reached more than 11.4 million viewers, up 52 percent from last season and the most since the start of the 2014-15 campaign.

The growth is not limited to TV.Nine of the top 10 most-streamed games in the history of NHL.TV have come in the first two weeks of this term, with average streams per game up 99 percent over last year.

"The fans might not be in the stands, but they're really there, and we can see it as well on other platforms," Neveu said. "On our website, the top 10 video views every day are highlights from the Montreal Canadiens, so the interest is really high－and growing."