The 2022 Winter Classic on New Year's Day became the most-watched cable NHL regular-season game of all time. The TNT broadcast drew 1.362 million viewers, which also makes it the most-watched NHL game thus far for the 2021-22 season on any network.
It surpassed a regular-season game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers game on Dec.12, 2000, which drew 1.356 million viewers. In 2020, the last time the Winter Classic was held, the game drew 1.96 million viewers on NBC — then its lowest viewership since the event premiered in 2008.
The St. Louis Blues defeated the Minnesota Wild 6-4 at Target Field in this year's edition. With temperatures of minus 7.5 degrees Fahrenheit, it was the coldest game in NHL history.
(Photo: Scott Rovak / NHLI via Getty Images)
Is this any indicator of potential success of the NHL's new cable deal?
Richard Deitsch, sports media writer: First, it’s far too early to evaluate anything when it comes to the NHL’s new media rights deal other than the NHL got paid a boatload of money. ESPN and TNT are still in their infancy when it comes to their media deals. Network publicists are paid to put the best spin on viewership so they are going to tout what they can here. The reality is the Winter Classic rating is a total mixed bag.
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How would you evaluate the viewership?
Deitsch: Turner can trumpet that they aired the most-watched NHL game of the regular season — and one that occurred on a busy sports day. But the viewership is also the lowest in the history of the Winter Classic. That’s partly a function of the game moving to cable. The 2020 Winter Classic (last year was canceled) featuring the Predators-Stars was the previous low, drawing 1.96 million viewers on NBC.
If you want additional perspective, the Blackhawks-Bruins just three years ago drew 2.97 million viewers on NBC, including streaming. Even with declining ratings, the NHL has significant incentive to continue this game. They draw publicity for it and it's a great experience for those in-stadium.
TNT’s first-ever presentation of the Winter Classic tied with the most-watched NHL regular season game on cable all-time, averaging 1.4 million viewers.
The New Year’s Day telecast on TNT is the most watched NHL game thus far for the 2021-22 season on any network.
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 4, 2022
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