or


[05/20/26 - 03:04 PM]
ESPN Aired Its Most Viewed 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round of the Current Rights Deal
Collectively all 11 Second Round games, with nine airing on ESPN and two on ABC, delivered 2.2 million viewers, up 76% year-over-year.
[via press release from ESPN]

ESPN aired its most viewed 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round of the current rights deal

· Second Round concluded with Montreal Canadiens-Buffalo Sabres Game 7, the second most-viewed Second Round game ever on cable (3 million viewers)

· Averaged 2.2 million viewers across 11 matchups

· ESPN delivered eight of the top 10 matchups across the 2026 Playoffs

· Follows record-breaking First Round viewership

ESPN has aired another record-breaking round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, capturing its most-viewed Second Round of the Playoffs in the current rights era (2021-present). The Second Round success followed a record-breaking First Round and regular season, carrying momentum into ESPN's presentation of the Western Conference Final.

Collectively all 11 Second Round games, with nine airing on ESPN and two on ABC, delivered 2.2 million viewers, up 76% year-over-year. This year topped ESPN's 2024 Second Round, the previous high-water mark (1.6 million viewers) and 2025 (1.2 million viewers).

ESPN concluded the Second Round with Montreal Canadiens-Buffalo Sabres Game 7 (3 million viewers), the second most-viewed Second Round game ever on cable. Combined with Sabres-Canadiens Game 6 (2.7 million), the games now rank as the top two matchups in the entire 2026 postseason.

In addition, ESPN saw individual growth across all Second Round games while delivering the top five matchups in the Second Round and has delivered the top eight of top 10 matchups across the entire Playoffs.

Highlights from the Second Round include:

· Top five matchups, in addition to the previously mentioned Canadiens-Sabres Game 7 (3 million) and Sabres-Canadiens Game 6 (2.7 million), Philadelphia Flyers-Carolina Hurricanes Game 1 (2.5 million), Colorado Avalanche-Minnesota Wild Game 4 (2.4 million) and Flyers-Hurricanes Game 2 (2.3 million).

· Second most-viewed Game 2 ever on cable with Wild-Avalanche averaging 2.1 million viewers. More here.

· Most-viewed Game 3 on record with Sabres-Canadiens averaging 2.1 million viewers. More here.

The Western Conference Final begins tonight (Wednesday) in prime time with the Colorado Avalanche hosting the Vegas Golden Knights at 8 p.m. ET. More on ESPN's coverage here.

ESPN's postseason coverage culminates with the exclusive presentation of the Stanley Cup Final in June.

- 30 -





  [may 2026]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[08/12/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of August 3
"Sterling Point," "Ride or Die," "Off Campus," "Reacher," and "Elle" led all original series worldwide.
[08/11/26 - 02:45 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Delivers #1 MLB Telecast of the Week on Any Network
2,223,000 viewers tuned-in to a three-game slate that featured the White Sox's 6-3 victory over the Guardians in most of the country.
[08/11/26 - 02:43 PM]
ESPN Delivers Its 2nd Most-Watched WNBA Game Ever for the Second Consecutive Week!
The Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky matchup averaged 2.6 million viewers on ABC on Saturday, August 8.
[08/11/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 3 - "The Last House" Invites You to Stay at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare" held the top spot on the English TV list with 10.6 million views.
[08/10/26 - 10:37 AM]
Discovery's Shark Week Delivers Best Ratings in Seven Years
Primetime telecasts averaged a 0.77 L3 rating among Adults 25-54, marking the largest year-over-year increase in 13 years and the first year of ratings growth since 2023.
[08/05/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of July 27
"Ride or Die," "Off Campus," "Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya," "Elle," and "Reacher" led all original series worldwide.
[08/05/26 - 07:03 AM]
Red Sox-Dodgers Averages 3.8 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock, Marking First Time "Sunday Night Baseball" Has Topped 3 Million Viewers in Three Straight Games
Boston defeated Los Angeles, 8-4, this past Sunday night with a TAD of 3.8 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.
[08/04/26 - 02:59 PM]
ESPN Delivers Its Second Most-Watched Regular Season WNBA Game Ever!
The Indiana Fever-Minnesota Lynx matchup averaged 2.5 million viewers on ABC on Sunday, August 2.
[08/04/26 - 02:29 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Delivers Second Best Performance This Season with 2.834 Million Viewers
Coverage reached a peak audience of 3,222,000 viewers from 9:15-9:30 PM ET.
[08/04/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of July 27 - The Celebration Continues as Kevin Hart's "72 Hours" Holds No. 1 for a Second Week
"The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare" launched at the top of the English TV list with 18.2 million views.
[08/03/26 - 11:03 AM]
Ben Affleck and Jamie Ding Score Best Audience in a Year with Million-Dollar Win on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"
The July 29 episode rose from last week's season premiere with 4.22 million viewers.
[07/31/26 - 01:03 PM]
ABC News Wins Across Late Night, Sunday Morning and Friday Night in Total Viewers and Key Adult Demos
Season to date, "Nightline" is up in Total Viewers versus the same point last season.
[07/29/26 - 12:03 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of July 20
"Ride or Die," "Elle," "Off Campus," "Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya," and "See You at Work Tomorrow!" led all original series worldwide.
[07/28/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of July 20 - Kevin Hart's "72 Hours" Parties to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"I Will Find You" found its way back to the top spot of the English TV list, with 7.3 million views.
[07/27/26 - 10:59 AM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Scores Robust Year-Over-Year Gains with Festive Holiday Week
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for more than three years (179 consecutive weeks) across all key measures.