Monumental Sports and Entertainment announced this morning that local viewership among Washington Capitals games has gone up 20 percent through the first half of their 50th anniversary season.
The markets of D.C. and Baltimore alone that viewership compared to last season has increased by 19 percent per Nielsen Media Research HH demo. Their data is based on game by game averages through 41 games.
Despite shifting viewer bavior, live Capitals games have had a strong performance on linear TV through the first 41 games this season as the team jumped to a 27-10-4 record and Alex Ovechkin continued his chase of the NHL goal scoring reord.
Notably, Monumental Sports Network viewers have shown a large perference for watching live Capitals games compared to competitor networks' programming with Monumental outperforming ESPN 2 by 547 percent, Fox Sports 1 by 415 percent and TNT by 245 percent in the local markets during the game timeframe.
Meanwhile, streaming activity for Capitals games has never been higher thanks to the Monumental plus digital platform ahead of the season. Thorugh the midway point, Capitals fans have streamed 139 more total minutes than they did during the first half of 2023-24 season and unique streaming viewers for Capitals games have increased 107 percent year over year per streaming data from ViewLift reports.
Monumental Sports Network has also offered a wide variety of programming including special ancillary coverage surrounding the five eras of Capitals hockey being celebrated by the team.
Zach Leonsis, the Presdient of Media and New Enterprises at Monumental Sports and Entertainment said in a press release:
"Monumental Sports Network is proud to see a significant surge in viewership for the Capitals during this historic season, featuring both the team's 50th anniversary celebration and Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's goal-scoring record. The loyalty and passion of our fans, tuning in both on TV and through our innovative streaming platform, Monumental+ is truly remarkable. As we continue to deliver more ways for fans to connect with the team, this growth reflects the strength of the Capitals on ice performance and the team's deep bond with our community. "Zach Leonsis
Capitals viewership continued to grow to start the second half of the season. Their highest viewership for a Capitals game came during the Jan. 16 contest against the Ottawa Senators as viewership for that game was up 21 percent compared to the previous highest rated game on Nov. 6, 2024 against Nashville.
In additon Monumental outperformed CBS' programming by 63 percent and ABC by 53 percent in the local markets during the game. It is really no surprises here. Everyone loves Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin gracing our television screens and our mobile devices night after night and as Locker enters treatment we're all praying for him that he can sit alongside Joe B in the booth soon.