NBA Playoffs: Thunder/Spurs Continues to Trend Above Previous Western Finals

Posted by | 05/31/2012 at 3:57 pm

Viewership for Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals hit a three-year high on TNT.

Game 2 of the Thunder/Spurs NBA Western Conference Finals drew 7.299 million viewers on TNT Tuesday night, down 27% from Heat/Bulls Game 2 on a Wednesday night last year (10.036M), but up 4% from Suns/Lakers Game 2 on a Wednesday night in 2010 (7.004M).

Compared to Game 2 of last year’s Thunder/Mavericks series, Tuesday’s game was up 4% in viewership from 7.041 million viewers.

Despite featuring two of the smallest television markets in the NBA, Thunder/Spurs ranked as the most-viewed Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals since Nuggets/Lakers in 2009 (7.886M, ESPN), and the third-most viewed Game 2 of the past decade. Only Nuggets/Lakers in ’09 and Lakers/Timberwolves in ’04 (8.163M) drew more viewers.

Even Lakers/Kings Game 2 in 2002, which also aired on TNT, drew fewer viewers (5.538M).

Game 2 was the second-most viewed program of the night on cable, trailing ‘Hatfields & McCoys’ on History (13.127M), and the third-highest rated program in all of television in the adults 18-49 demographic (3.2).

(Tuesday’s numbers from TV By the Numbers)

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  • http://twitter.com/TwiTati Tati

    Kudos to the NBA. This was supposed to be a lost season, but we are shattering records. And to think these are small markets, when everybody is saying NBA is against small markets?? think again.