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Behind the TV numbers with NHL, WNBA
(May 14, 2010) By reaching the final four for the first time in 17 years, the Montreal Canadiens might also upset the league's playoff ratings in a pivotal year for its TV potential.
The NHL's cable TV deal with Versus runs through next season, meaning these playoffs will produce the freshest ratings for any new TV negotiations — which might lead to ESPN coming back to air games. Coverage on Versus, now in about 75 million households, has shown promise: Playoff viewership through Monday is up 29% from last year — to 760,655 viewers per game — and up 27% over ESPN/ESPN's coverage of the first rounds in 2004, when it last covered the league. But in upsetting Pittsburgh and Washington, the Canadiens knocked out two solid U.S. markets and two of the biggest NHL stars —Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. And robs the NHL of home-market fans: Canadian viewers don't count in U.S. TV ratings. The WNBA debuted in 1997 to create summertime business for NBA arenas as well as generate interest in women's pro basketball. Maybe that will happen someday for a league tipping off another season Saturday (L.A.-Phoenix, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN2). But consider the long-term TV trend. On ESPN2 last season, the WNBA averaged 437,000 viewers for its playoffs and 269,000 for the regular season. How that viewing compares to the league's 1997 inaugural season on ESPN, which then had about 28 million fewer households than ESPN2 last year: Postseason viewership has dropped 51% — and the regular season is off 65%. Still, maybe the league just needs time. _______________________
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