Fisrt things first…
Coverage of the Caps-Flyers begins with WPL and host Russ Thaler at 5pm and moves on to SportsNite at 6pm, then Caps Pre-Game live at 6:30pm all on CSN and out side the area on Versus at 7pm.
The Ice man Steve Kolbe will have the action on WJFK-FM 106.7 and XM at 7pm.
Now to the big news.
The love of the Washington Capitals is for real and the signs are that the Stanley Cup Playoff run… no matter how long it last has launched in some cases a new found love of hockey.
The love of the red and the sellout crowds at the Phone Booth are proof that hockey has gotten a grip on the Nation’s Capital and with the young like the duo of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, on this team the future is very, very bright.
The Tuesday telecast was the highest-rated Capitals game on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic in five seasons and the highest-rated Flyers game on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia in two seasons. Comcast SportsNet’s post-season audience gains follow strong regular season ratings growth for both the Flyers and the Capitals. Capitals ratings on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic increased 75% over last season and Flyers coverage on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia increased 47% over last season.
The game drew a peak audience of 247,000 households (8.3 rating) and averaged 161,000 households (5.4 rating) on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, and on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, attracted a peak audience of 87,400 (3.8 rating) and an average viewership of 59,800 (2.6 rating) in Washington, D.C., and peaked at 23,100 households (2.1 rating) and averaged 13,200 households (1.2 rating) in Baltimore. The audience peaked in all three markets during the 9:30-9:45 quarter hour.
Trust me these are big numbers for hockey and music to the ears of the team because plenty of new fans are watching all over the Washington-Baltimore area. When you can draw more than your base and the Caps have done that, it is very good news for the franchise.
Also kudos to the wonderful coverage that CSN has provided throughout the final games of the season and then into the race for the Stanley Cup it clear that the Washington CSN coverage, game and post game team is much better than the Philly CSN squad and once again proves that when it comes to big game coverage the men and women of CSN – Bethesda are best in regional sports.
Jill Sorensen, Michael Jenkins, Lisa Hillary, Al Koken, and Ex Cap Joe Reekie have been awesome in their pre and post game coverage. Meanwhile Joe Beninati and his partner Craig Laughlin form one of the best broadcast trams in the NHL.
Comcast SportNet just keeps rising to the occasion when it comes to event coverage and giving the fans every storyline possible both the good and the bad – it is what sports television is all about following the story and CSN always delivers.
On the radio side thanks to WJFK-FM 106.7 and XM we are able to hear the games with underrated Steve Kolbe. He does a fine job on the broadcasts and if you haven’t listen to a Caps game on the radio give it a try.
