NBA Opening Week Scores For TNT, NBA TV; Christmas Day Hits Viewership High

Posted by | 01/07/2012 at 12:27 pm

Perhaps putting to rest the notion that fans will hold leagues accountable for the unnecessary cancellation of games, the 2011-12* NBA regular season has gotten off to a red hot start in the ratings.

The first week of the abbreviated NBA regular season averaged a 2.5 U.S. rating and 3.957 million viewers on TNT (five telecasts), up 127% in ratings and viewership from the comparable week last season (1.1, 1.743M, two telecasts).

The network’s opening week coverage was highlighted by the Celtics/Knicks Christmas Day game (3.4, 5.860M), which ranks as the fourth-most viewed NBA game in cable history.

The December 27 Celtics/Heat game was also a strong draw, netting a 2.9 U.S. rating and 4.548 million viewers — the sixth-most viewed NBA game on TNT since the 1995-96 season.

Over on NBA TV, the first week of the shortened season averaged 405,000 viewers, up 120% from the first week last year. The December 30 Bulls/Clippers game earned 722,000 viewers, the network’s largest audience ever for a regular season game. The network aired three of its ten most-viewed regular season games during the week.

Keep in mind NBA TV is only in its second season as a Nielsen-rated network.

NBA Has Most-Viewed Christmas Day in At Least Ten Years: The NBA’s five-game Christmas Day slate attracted 34.85 million unique viewers, up 2% from last year (34.16M), and the most since Nielsen began tracking unique viewership in 2001.

In addition to the previously mentioned Celtics/Knicks game, the Christmas Day slate included Heat/Mavericks (4.9, 9.023M, ABC), Bulls/Lakers (5.6, 11.014M, ABC), Magic/Thunder (1.6, 2.566M, ESPN), and Clippers/Warriors (1.9, 3.007M, ESPN).

* The 2011-12 NBA season was shortened due to the owners’ five-month lockout of players, the fourth owner-imposed lockout in league history.

(This year’s numbers from the NBA, Turner Sports, ESPN, Nielsen.com)

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Andrea-Cavalli/757338131 Andrea Cavalli

    Red hot start, indeed. Being up over last year is one thing but being up triple-digits over last year’s record ratings, especially coming off a 149-day lockout, is quite another.

    Clearly, being up triple digits or maybe even double digits won’t last for the entire season, but it doesn’t seem the lockout really had that much of an impact, if any. Looks like my prediction about people forgetting about the whole lockout thing as soon as the season started was pretty much right.

  • JakeFrankie

    I do believe the Heat will make the Finals from the East this year again, If the Lakers can get to the Finals which is very possible. I do believe regardless of how the series is the average would be in the 11.0′s.Everything looks to be on par this season, People underestimate the drawing powers of the other teams in the NBA right now. 

    As I predicted last year, Heat’s drawing power will increase little by little. It’s either staying on the same level or getting better. I do believe if they win the Championship this year, It will be the best thing (ratings wise) for the NBA. People still hate this team, If they become the champions this year people will hate them even more. It feels very odd Season starting a little while ago, All Star game in about 5 weeks, Playoffs in about 3 months. Everything feels kinda of rushed, But it was like there was never a lockout at all once the games started. 

    NBA is as good off a place right now as they have every been in history, Ticket sales were fantastic when it came back, TV Ratings record highs. It’s been very to fun watch, It’s nice to see so many great players playing at once. Without a doubt this talent pool 2010- on has been some of the BEST we seen probably since the 1980′s.