We’ve heard for years that the Dallas-Fort Worth market is a winners town, and the Dallas Stars continue to prove that with their ever-improving television ratings.
According to the not-yet-finalized overnight ratings (as reported by Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News), Game 6 of the Stars series against the St. Louis Blues drew a 4.5 local rating, which is the highest rated Stars game in the DFW market since their Game 7 loss to the Vancouver Canucks in 2007. That game was on basic cable, KDFI (Channel 27) and drew a 5.4.
A 4.5 rating is almost double what the Stars drew for most of the first round.
Monday’s game was the top cable program in the DFW market (which is saying something on a channel that often isn’t available on the basic packages) and outdrew the Texas Rangers game on Fox Sports Southwest when the two went head-to-head, bringing in a 4.5 to the Rangers 4.0. The Rangers game did get a bump once the Stars game ended, illustrating the not-insignificant crossover between the fanbases.
The Rangers, as you might recall, are the most successful team in DFW over the past couple of seasons, which has brought their own increased audience. That’s the same trend the Stars are hoping to follow after this run.
Notably, the opposite effect seems to be happening to the Dallas Mavericks, whose ratings dropped precipitously this season as they continue to move away from their championship run.
Of course, in St. Louis, the game got a 15.5 local rating, the highest on television for the night. That’s what happens when your team has been consistently good enough to grow a large local fanbase but hasn’t been to a conference finals since 2001.
The Stars finished 15th in home attendance percentage this season, filling 99.2 percent of the American Airlines Center with average crowds of 18,376. That’s a big jump and a very respectable finish, considering a completely sold-out average ties for ninth.