Hockey is currently enjoying significant success following a highly successful international competition. The 4 Nations Face-Off, which replaced this season’s NHL All-Star festivities, has been a viewership sensation for ABC and ESPN. Last Saturday’s round robin game between the United States and Canada drew a staggering 4.4 million viewers on ABC, making it the most-watched hockey telecast in two years, trailing only Game 7 of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals.
According to Sports Media Watch, it was also the most-viewed non-Stanley Cup Final game since 2019. Suffice it to say, even the most optimistic prognosticators likely wouldn’t have predicted such a large audience for Saturday’s game. The two countries will meet again on Thursday night to crown a champion for the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off, raising the question of who will win and how many viewers will tune in.
While there’s excitement about another potentially massive viewership figure for hockey, expectations should be moderated. Saturday’s game benefited from airing on ABC, a broadcast network, whereas Thursday’s game will air only on ESPN, which has a smaller viewership base. Additionally, by Thursday night when the puck drops, the Americans will have gone nearly five full days without a meaningful game, having clinched a spot in the championship prior to their Monday game against Sweden. This gap might cause casual viewers to forget about the competition or lose interest.
Moreover, Saturday’s game marked the first meeting in over a decade between the Americans and Canadians in a best-on-best international format—an event that carries significant weight but might lose some novelty during the championship, given that the “seal” has already been broken. Despite this, it’s possible that Thursday’s audience could exceed the 4.4 million from last weekend, especially considering it’s a championship game and there is excitement surrounding best-on-best international hockey after such a long break. ESPN and the NHL would likely have been pleased with a 4.4 million viewership for a USA-Canada championship game if it had been offered before the competition began.
An additional factor to consider is TNT’s NBA doubleheader, which may attract some casual viewers on Thursday night, although Saturday’s event ran parallel to NBA All-Star festivities without significantly affecting viewership. Overall, the championship game on Thursday is likely to surpass Saturday’s round robin game, though it may not achieve the excessively high numbers some are predicting.
The official Awful Announcing viewership prediction: 5.32 million viewers
