TNT Sports attained an average of 1.8 million viewers for its telecast of the United States facing Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament on Monday night, which was broadcast on TNT, truTV and Max. The viewership marks the most-watched non-playoff hockey telecast ever recorded on TNT Sports networks. Moreover, the game was the most-watched hockey telecast on Max in the history of the platform. Although the United States entered the game with an undefeated record, the team dropped the contest by a final score of 2-1, with the lone goal coming from forward Chris Kreider.
Warner Bros. Discovery televised several games throughout the international hockey tournament taking place in lieu of the traditional NHL All-Star festivities, averaging a collective 1.2 million viewers. The games throughout the competition have averaged 1.8 million viewers across all TNT Sports platforms and ESPN. The NHL All-Star Game averaged 1.4 million viewers last season on ESPN, representing a 7% year-over-year decline and marking the second least-watched version of the event on record.
The game surpassed the opener of the tournament between Canada and Sweden, which averaged 1 million viewers on TNT and truTV and was, at the time, the holder of the aforementioned record on Max. Moreover, the game followed a 13% year-over-year decline for the NBA All-Star Game, which averaged 4.72 million viewers on TNT and truTV under a new format. This marked the last iteration of the festivities to air on TNT Sports networks as the company completes its final season as a U.S. rightsholder for NBA games, and it included a tribute to Inside the NBA cast Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny “The Jet” Smith and Shaquille O’Neal.
Warner Bros. Discovery is currently in the fourth season of a seven-year media rights deal with the NHL reportedly worth $225 million per year. Before the 4 Nations Face-Off took place, the NHL Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks represented its largest audience of the season, averaging 920,000 viewers on New Year’s Eve from Wrigley Field. TNT Sports will broadcast the Stanley Cup Final to conclude the 2024-25 season, the second time that the media conglomerate will present the championship matchup under the existing contract.
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