The second edition of the NHL All-Star Game Fantasy Draft saw its numbers fall in the U.S. and Canada, according to Steve Lepore of Puck The Media (via TV Sports Ratings).
The event, the second-annual draft of the All-Star teams, drew 408,000 viewers on NBC Sports Network.
This was down 35% from last year's numbers (624,000 on 1/28/11). Last year's event took place on a Friday, as opposed to a Thursday this year.
Meanwhile, viewership in Canada on TSN fell from 1.5 million viewers in 2011 to 1.34 million viewers this season.
But let's not exactly shed a tear for TSN: "The 90-minute broadcast on TSN was the #2 program on Canadian television last night for A25-54, A18-49, and A18-34, following THE BIG BANG THEORY on CTV," according to the network.
What's behind the drop in viewership? Lepore opines that the switch from Friday night last season to Thursday night this season might have impacted the numbers. It's not a bad theory — Thursday night is a much more competitive night of television from a ratings perspective. Plus American Idol was on.
A dip was expected, obviously, because the curiosity factor last season wasn't there. Also missing this season: Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Jonathan Toews and Nicklas Lidstrom, so this news might bolster the view that the All-Star Game needs its stars.
Overall, we found the show to be entertaining television with a few bumps here and there. What would you do to improve it?
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