4 International locations Face-Off: USA-Canada championship hockey recreation attracts document 9.3 million audience on ESPN

The 4 International locations Face-Off championship between the United States and Canada on Thursday night time drew a vital target audience for ESPN’s broadcast.Canada’s 3-2 victory over the United States in additional time averaged 9.3 million audience, the most important target audience ever for an NHL broadcast. The former top used to be 8.9 million for NBC’s telecast of Recreation 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Ultimate between the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues.The ESPN target audience peaked at 10.4 million audience and gave the community its biggest non-NFL or faculty soccer viewership at the community’s platforms for the reason that 2024 NBA Finals.Thursday’s 4 International locations championship fit nonetheless trails the gold medal recreation between the United States and Canada on the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, which averaged 27.6 million audience for NBC. Alternatively, the most-watched non-Olympic ice hockey recreation is an excellent appearing for a midseason global match in February introduced simply ultimate yr throughout the NHL All-Famous person Recreation.The US-Canada ultimate drew an target audience on par with sports activities generally perceived as extra fashionable in the US, as Terrible Saying identified. For example, the overall spherical of the Masters drew 9.59 million for CBS. The late-November Giant Ten faculty soccer fit between Indiana and Ohio State attracted 9.33 million audience on Fox.At the Canadian facet, Sportsnet averaged 5.7 million audience and TVA drew 1.18 million, offering a complete target audience of just about seven million. The top on Sportsnet used to be 7.3 million throughout additional time when Connor McDavid scored the game-winning function for Crew Canada.Handiest ultimate yr’s Recreation 7 of the Stanley Cup Ultimate between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers drew the next quantity in Canada, averaging 7.55 million audience throughout Sportsnet, Citytv and CBC. Alternatively, the Panthers-Oilers matchup used to be on broadcast TV in Canada, whilst the 4 International locations championship used to be handiest on cable.Altogether, greater than 16 million audience in North The us tuned in for the sport.Closing Saturday’s assembly between Canada and USA within the 4 International locations match, a 3-1 USA victory that attracted headlines for 3 fights within the recreation’s opening 9 seconds, averaged 4.4 million audience on ABC with a top of five.2 million. Sportsnet drew an target audience of four.7 million for the sport.