Viewership Up for NBC Sports Coverage of HOCKEY DAY IN AMERICA

NBC Sports Group's Hockey Day In America tripleheader this past Sunday, Feb. 21 - highlighted by the NHL Stadium Series matchup between the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild from TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. - averaged more than 1.2 million viewers across NBC and NBCSN, up 21% vs. NBC Sports Group's 2015 Hockey Day In America coverage (992,000), according to data provided by The Nielsen Company.

Hockey Day In America capped a week of NHL coverage that featured the two most-watched NHL games on NBCSN since opening night, putting NBCSN on pace to have its most-watched NHL regular season ever.

NBC SPORTS GROUP'S HOCKEY DAY IN AMERICA TRIPLEHEADER VIEWERSHIP IS UP 21% VS. 2015

NBC's presentation of the Blackhawks-Wild NHL Stadium Series game (3:32-6:20 p.m. ET), in which Minnesota defeated Chicago 6-1, delivered a 1.13 HH rating and averaged 1.86 million viewers to become the second-most watched Hockey Day In America game ever (PIT-CHI, 2/20/11; 1.89 million), excluding regionalized coverage.

NBCSN's Sunday Night Hockey matchup featuring the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers (7:01-9:51 p.m. ET), in which New York earned a 1-0 overtime win, produced a 0.42 HH rating and averaged 694,000 viewers to become the network's most-watched Hockey Day In America telecast.

NBC Sports Group's Hockey Day In America tripleheader began with a matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres (12:38-3:17 p.m. ET), as more than 1 million viewers watched Pittsburgh defeat Buffalo 4-3. The game delivered a 0.71 HH rating, and overall, the tripleheader on NBC and NBCSN produced a 0.75 HH rating.

Buffalo led all local markets during NBC Sports Group's Hockey Day In America coverage with a 10.1 HH rating for Penguins-Sabres. Minneapolis delivered a 9.4 HH rating for Blackhawks-Wild to rank as the highest-rated regular-season game ever on NBC in the market.

NBCSN ON PACE FOR MOST-WATCHED NHL REGULAR SEASON EVER WITH STRONG VIEWERSHIP FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY AND SUNDAY NIGHT HOCKEY

Through 61 games, NBCSN is on pace to have its most-watched NHL regular season ever, averaging 361,000 viewers, up 8% vs. 2015 viewership (335,000; 61 games), along with a 0.22 HH rating. NBCSN's increased NHL viewership has been driven by its Wednesday Night Rivalry and Sunday Night Hockey telecasts.

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