NBA Playoffs: ABC’s Weekend Games Down From Last Year, But Heat/Pacers Does Well

Posted by | 05/24/2012 at 7:40 pm

Both NBA playoff games on ABC last weekend suffered declines from last year, but Heat/Pacers earned good numbers.

Game 4 of the Heat/Pacers second round NBA playoff series drew a 4.8 final rating and 7.625 million viewers on ABC Sunday afternoon, down 9% in ratings and 14% in viewership from Lakers/Mavericks Game 4 last year (5.3, 8.886M), but up 14% and 16%, respectively, from Cavaliers/Celtics Game 4 in 2010 (4.2, 6.580M).

Despite the decline, the game ranks as the sixth-most viewed afternoon NBA playoff game on ABC since the network resumed airing games in the 2002-03 season.

Overall, Sunday’s Game 4 ranks as the second-most viewed game of the postseason, trailing only Lakers/Thunder Game 5 on TNT Monday night (8.149M).

On Saturday, Game 3 of the Spurs/Clippers series drew an extremely low 2.3 and 3.182 million viewers — down 4% in ratings and 13% in viewership from Thunder/Grizzlies Game 3 in a later window last year (2.4, 3.677M, ESPN), but up 64% and 59%, respectively, from Magic/Hawks Game 3 in a later window two years ago (1.4, 2.006M, ESPN).

The game ranks as the fifth-lowest rated and sixth-least viewed NBA playoff game on ABC since the network resumed airing games in 2002-03.

Only Nets/Cavaliers Game 1 in 2007 (3.157M), Pistons/Cavaliers Game 1 in 2009 (3.125M), Bucks/Hawks Game 7 in 2010 (3.056M), Sixers/Pistons Game 1 in 2005 (2.997M), and Heat/Bulls Game 1 in 2007 (2.949M) drew fewer viewers than Saturday’s game.

Ratings/Viewership For 2012 NBA Playoffs on ABC

Date Time Game # Net Rating vs. ’11 Viewers (000) vs. ’11
Sat., 4/28/12 3:30 PM Knicks/Heat
1
 ABC
3.1
+3%
4,752
+5%
Sun., 4/29/12 3:30 PM Nuggets/Lakers
1
 ABC
3.3
-11%
4,882
-18%
Sun., 5/6/12 1:00 PM Bulls/Sixers
4
 ABC
2.8
-10%
4,224
-16%
3:30 PM Heat/Knicks
4
 ABC
4.5
+7%
7,013
even
Sun., 5/13/12 1:00 PM Clippers/Grizzlies
7
 ABC
3.2
+3%
4,663
-3%
3:30 PM Pacers/Heat
1
 ABC
4.4
-24%
7,016
-23%
Sat., 5/19/12 3:30 PM Spurs/Clippers
3
 ABC
2.3
-4%
3,182
-13%
Sun., 5/20/12 3:30 PM Heat/Pacers
4
 ABC
4.8
-9%
7,625
-14%

(Last weekend’s numbers from ESPN)

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