The Washington Capitals played for huge stakes on Tuesday and a big local audience tuned in.
According to a Monumental Sports Network press release, the Capitals-Flyers game was the “most watched single-game regular season broadcast” since the network rebranded from NBC Sports Washington and the most watched Capitals game on either NBCSWSH or Monumental since February 1, 2022, when the Caps played the Pittsburgh Penguins. The ratings numbers were not provided.
#ALLCAPS fans did their part in rooting the @Capitals to the playoffs!
Our #CapsFlyers broadcast was a record setter 📈: https://t.co/fyRn84PN6r pic.twitter.com/OoUwhUgqQp
— Monumental Sports Network (@MonSportsNet) April 18, 2024
The Capitals-Flyers matchup held at Wells Fargo Center on April 16 was both teams’ final game of their regular seasons and ultimately determined who would secure the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference via the second wild card position. The Capitals, who needed a win of any kind to clinch a playoff berth, defeated the Flyers 2-1 after John Tortorella pulled his goaltender late in the third period (the Flyers needed a regulation win to stay in contention) and TJ Oshie scored on an empty net.
After scuffling in the first half of their season under rookie head coach Spencer Carbery, the Capitals rebounded after their midseason bye week, fighting their way back into the playoff picture. Charlie Lindgren took over the starting job in goal and Alex Ovechkin scored 22 times in the team’s final 35 games, putting himself back on pace to capture the NHL’s all-time goals record. The team traded away several veterans and got crucial contributions from Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre up the middle — recent first-round picks and members of the Hershey Bears’ Calder Cup championship team in 2023.
The big ratings pop comes after a midseason story by Sports Business Journal that reported that the Capitals had seen the biggest drop in local TV ratings (44 percent) out of 21 of the 25 American NHL teams (minus the Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators, and Arizona Coyotes).
The ratings drop likely had more to do with the Capitals’ performance on the ice than Monumental’s rebrand from NBC Sports Washington as the team’s games are still led by the ever-popular play-by-play on-air duo of Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin. The Capitals missed the playoffs under Peter Laviolette and played poorly down the stretch of the 2022-23 season, vastly lowering expectations this season. Fans tuned out as the Capitals scuffled in the first half of 2023-24 and Ovechkin struggled to score goals.
But that sleeping giant of casual fans awoke in a big way on Tuesday.
Here’s the full press release from Monumental Sports PR:
Monumental Sports Network Sets High Viewership Mark During Tuesday’s Capitals Game
Network registers highest regular season single-game ratings since Feb. 2022 for decisive Capitals-Flyers contest
Washington, D.C. (April 18, 2024) – Monumental Sports Network (MNMT), the local media platform owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), registered record viewership for Tuesday’s game between the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers, won 2-1 by the Capitals to secure a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The April 16 telecast was Monumental Sports Network’s most watched single-game regular season broadcast since the network rebranded from NBC Sports Washington and relaunched in September 2023. It also marked the most watched regular season game on either network since February 1, 2022 (Capitals at Penguins).
Notably, Monumental Sports Network outperformed NBC, ABC, CBS, and ESPN in the Washington, D.C. market during the game (Source: Nielsen Media Research; 4/16/2024, DC DMA only).
“We are ecstatic to end the Capitals regular season on such a high note for our network and showcase all of the incredible enhancements we have made to our broadcast this season,” said Friday Abernethy, General Manager, Monumental Sports Network. “I’m grateful to all the fans that tuned in to watch Tuesday night’s instant classic.”
Tuesday’s impressive ratings cap a period of rapid growth for Monumental Sports Network. In August 2022, Monumental Sports & Entertainment acquired full ownership of NBC Sports Washington from Comcast/NBC Universal. The station was rebranded Monumental Sports Network in September 2023 with a new slate of programming. For fans without a Pay TV subscription, in October, Monumental Sports Network rolled out direct-to-consumer (DTC) subscription memberships for viewers seeking to access Monumental Sports Network’s live and on-demand programming. In March of this year, the network unveiled a brand-new multi-million-dollar home for the local media platform, including a best-in-class production facility and broadcast studios. Finally, in early April the network announced a slate of live alternate broadcasts for Washington Capitals and Wizards games with a rotation of hosts, analysts, and special guests.
In addition to owning the local broadcast rights for the Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics, Monumental Sports Network broadcasts live men’s and women’s college basketball, college football, college volleyball, high school basketball, esports, and recently announced a slate of Washington Spirit (NWSL) and Old Glory DC (Major League Rugby) games airing this spring and summer.
Building off the success of the Capitals-Flyers broadcast, all Capitals games during the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be available on Monumental Sports Network to fans both on linear tv and via streaming platforms within the network’s geographic footprint, stretching from Delaware to Richmond. Fans can watch the games through their Pay TV subscription, on monumentalsportsnetwork.com, or by downloading the Monumental streaming app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV and using an eligible TV Everywhere log-in. Fans without a Pay TV subscription are invited to purchase a monthly or annual direct-to-consumer membership at monumentalsportsnetwork.com or by downloading the Monumental Sports Network app.
