Local ratings for Blue Jackets games on FOX Sports Ohio highest in franchise history

Published Apr. 10, 2017 5:09 p.m. ET

FOX Sports Ohio

The Columbus Blue Jackets enjoyed the best season in franchise history, setting numerous team records on the ice and making a trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third time. The live telecasts of the club’s regular season games on FOX Sports Ohio have also broken records with the highest television ratings in franchise history.

According to Nielsen, the FOX Sports Ohio’s 2016-17 Blue Jackets regular season averaged a 2.09 household rating in Columbus (over 19,000 households), which is the highest ever for the Jackets on FSO. Their next highest rated season is their 2008-09 season (1.86 HH), when the Jackets had their first playoff berth.

·       Highest CBJ season average rating ever on FSO

·       Up +119% from last season’s 0.96 HH finish.

·       +12% higher than the team’s previous highest rated season (2008-09 – 1.86 HH).

Highlights

·       The 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 3 delivered a 5 HH rating (over 46K Columbus homes), making it the highest rated non-simulcast regular season game ever on the network.

o   The final 45 minutes of the game averaged a 6.48 HH (almost 60K Columbus homes).

o   The next highest rated non-simulcast regular season game was Apr. 8, 2009 @ Chicago (4.64 HH), when their 4-3 shootout victory against the Blackhawks clinched their first playoff berth in franchise history.

o   The only regular season game that garnered a higher television rating in the history of the franchise was their inaugural game on October 7, 2000, which delivered an 8.2 HH in simulcast with WBNS 10TV.

·       The 7-1 victory over the Penguins on Dec. 22 delivered a 4.1 HH rating (approx. 38,000 Columbus homes), making it, at the time, the highest rated regular season CBJ game on the network in over seven years (that Apr. 8, 2009 game – 4.64 HH). It is now the 3rd highest rated game of the regular season.

·       The 2nd highest rated game of the regular season came Jan. 5 vs. Capitals (4.44 HH).

·       The Jackets 16-game winning streak from Nov. 29, 2016 thru Jan. 3, 2017 averaged a 2.43 HH.

·       The network’s 13 games in January averaged a 2.73 HH (over 25K households), making it the highest rated month of the season, up +165% to the average game rating in January, 2016.

Five of the top 10 rated regular season Blue Jackets games on FOX Sports Ohio have occurred this season.

Playoff Numbers

When the Blue Jackets made their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2009, all their first-round games averaged a 4.56 HH (over 42,000 HH) on FOX Sports Ohio. The highest rated game of the series vs. the Detroit Red Wings came on April 16 in Game 1, registering a 5.73 rating (over 53,000 HH).

When the Jackets returned to the playoffs on 2014, FOX Sports Ohio once again aired all the games vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins. The six-game series averaged a 6.5 HH (over 60,600 HH). Game 3 on April 21 posted an 8.27 HH, making it the highest rated Blue Jackets game on FOX Sports Ohio of all time.