Viewers clearly enjoy watching the world’s top hockey players compete for their nations. Night 1 of the 4 Nations Face-Off—a competition involving the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland that has replaced this year’s NHL All-Star festivities—started strongly on TNT. According to TNT Sports PR, the opening game between Canada and Sweden averaged one million viewers across TNT and truTV, making it a significant success.
TNT Sports’ #4Nations coverage started off with a bang last night!
🇨🇦/🇸🇪 OT thriller surged to more than 1 million avg. viewers on TNT & truTV, a new high on TNT Sports’ platforms this season
🚨 Most-watched non-playoff hockey game on @SportsonMax EVER! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/T9ZdCVvlL5
— TNT Sports U.S. PR (@TNTSportsUS) February 13, 2025
Canada’s overtime win not only made it the most-watched hockey telecast on TNT this season but also the most-watched non-playoff hockey telecast ever on Max. The 4 Nations Face-Off is the first international “best-on-best” hockey competition since 2014, when NHL players last participated in the Olympics. With the 2026 Winter Olympics approaching and NHL players returning, this competition has garnered significant attention.
ESPN will cover the United States’ opening game against Finland on Thursday night, followed by ABC airing Saturday’s game as the Americans face Canada. Given the excitement surrounding these matchups, both games are expected to attract strong viewership. TNT will showcase the United States next Monday when they meet Sweden, before ESPN concludes the event with the Championship Game the following Thursday.
If Wednesday night’s viewership is any indication, this competition is a much-needed boost for hockey, which has been struggling to draw large audiences on cable this year.
