Two weeks ago, the entire country was captivated by hockey as Team USA's men and women both brought home Olympic gold. The question, then, was whether America's fourth-favorite sport could capitalize on that momentum.
So far, the answer appears to be yes.
Early television numbers suggest theNHLis getting a post-Olympic bump.According to Sports Media Watchdata, the league's first eight nationally televised games after the Olympic break averaged 603,000 viewers across ABC, ESPN and TNT, which represents a 23% increase from the league's pre-Olympic average.
(Photo by Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Olympics also delivered some new eyeballs.
When the NHL resumed play Feb. 25, TNT aired a doubleheader featuring the Maple Leafs-Lightning and Golden Knights-Kings. The broadcasts averaged 428,000 and 221,000 viewers, respectively. But perhaps the most encouraging stat for the network was the number of first-time viewers.
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TNT's doubleheader attracted 172,000 viewers who had not previously watched NHL on TNT this season, suggesting that the Olympic tournament may have introduced the sport to new fans.
ESPN has seen an uptick in numbers as well. A matchup between the Flyers and Rangers drew 615,000 viewers, while Panthers-Islanders delivered 668,000 viewers, both exceeding the network's pre-Olympic average of 570,000 viewers.
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Source: The Latest & Most Breaking News With OutKick
