TV ratings for Oilers Game 7 Cup Final released by Sportsnet

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Liam McCormick
July 7, 2024 (8:36 PM)

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Television ratings have been fully released for the Stanley Cup Final, and according to multiple sources, it was disappointing numbers for Sportsnet even through Game 7.

Recent polls published in the Globe and Mail showed a lower than expected interest for hockey in Canada overall. Although the series viewers were lower, nearly 40% of Canada was reached for Game 7 of the Cup Final, and it retained 7.5M average viewers.

The Globe and Mail recently reported that 58% of Canadian polled said they were not following the Stanley Cup Final. It was a slightly disappointing number for the television rankings, and is supposedly a sign that interest in hockey is decreasing - but it's still an incredibly huge audience.

The few ratings numbers that have been released haven't been great . . . According to the NHL, seven million people across North America watched Game 1.

Early in the week, Léger released a pollafter asking Canadians and Americans if they intended to follow the Edmonton-Florida series. The headline was that a majority in this country � 58 per cent � were not paying much or any attention.

Plenty of fans cited valid reasons for watching the playoffs less as the rounds wore on. Games in the final were spaced out by three days, and it extended late into June when people are more prone to being outside. In comparison, Game 7 of the Leafs and Bruins reached just 3 million less than Game 7 of the Cup Final - television networks were hoping for more of an increase.

In the future, the NHL is supposedly trying to adjust the season to award the Stanley Cup earlier. That would be a welcome decision from nearly everyone in the hockey, from the television networks, the teams, and the fans.

Source: Sportsnet