NBA Finals: Ratings, Viewership, Up Slightly For Game 5 Clincher

Posted by | 06/22/2012 at 6:43 pm

Ratings and viewership inched up for the clinching Game 5 of the 2012 NBA Finals.

Game 5 of the Thunder/Heat NBA Finals drew a 10.9 final rating and 18.461 million viewers on ABC Thursday night, up 1% in ratings and 1% in viewership from Heat/Mavericks Game 5 last year (10.8, 18.318M), and up 1% and down 1%, respectively, compared to Lakers/Celtics Game 5 on a Sunday night in 2010 (10.8, 18.654M).

Tuesday’s game ranks as the highest rated Game 5 of the NBA Finals since 2004 (13.8), and the second-most viewed over the same span.

In addition, the game ranks as the sixth-highest rated and seventh-most viewed NBA game on ABC since the network resumed airing games in the 2002-03 season.

At the same time, Game 5 ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed clinching game of the NBA Finals since Lakers/Magic Game 5 in 2009 (8.0, 14.171M) — not coincidentally the last time the NBA Finals ended in four or five games.

Last year’s Mavericks/Heat Game 6 drew a 13.3 rating and 23.880 million viewers on a Sunday night. Celtics/Lakers Game 7 in 2010 drew a 15.6 and 28.203 million.

Thursday’s game drew a 7.6 rating among adults 18-49, tied as the highest for any television program since the Academy Awards in February. The 7.6 is up 3% from last year (7.4), up 6% from 2010 (7.2), and the highest Game 5 rating in the demo since 2004 (9.4).

Among adults 18-34, the game drew a 7.8 rating — up a tick from last year (7.7), and the highest for a Game 5 in the NBA Finals since 2004.

Average ratings and viewership for the full series will be available shortly.

Ratings/Viewership For Game 5 of the NBA Finals
Past decade

Year Date Away Home Net Rating Viewers (000) A18-49
2012 Thu., 6/21/12 Thunder Heat ABC
10.9
18,461
7.6
2011 Thu., 6/9/11 Heat Mavs ABC
10.8
18,318
7.4
2010 Sun., 6/13/10 Lakers Celtics ABC
10.8
18,654
7.2
2009 Sun., 6/14/09 Lakers Magic ABC
8.0
14,171
5.7
2008 Sun., 6/15/08 Celtics Lakers ABC
10.2
17,394
7.3
2007
Series ended prior to Game 5
2006 Sun., 6/18/06 Mavs Heat ABC
9.1
14,318
5.9
2005 Sun., 6/19/05 Spurs Pistons ABC
8.4
13,471
5.3
2004
Tue., 6/15/04
 Lakers Pistons ABC
13.8
21,843
9.4
2003 Fri., 6/13/03 Spurs Nets ABC
6.2
9,308
3.8
2002
Series ended prior to Game 5

(Thursday’s numbers from ESPN Media Zone, ABC Media Net)

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  • Jeffrey

    All things considered, ABC and the NBA have to be pleased with the performance of the Finals. Although they didn’t get the lengthy series they no doubt anticipated, the series did deliver more than solid numbers. And with a plethora of young stars still emerging, the league is poised for continued growth on television. The growth will be incremental, not exponential, but that is the reality of today’s television landscape.

  • Abuja19

    It was an entertaining Finals, that’s for sure. I’m content with the result. Congrats to Lebron, Bosh, Wade and the rest the Heat on winning it all and congrats to OKC for making their 1st Finals. Hopefully this will spark a new rivalry in the NBA.