Heat/Knicks Earns Good Numbers For ABC, Still Down From Last Year

Posted by | 03/04/2013 at 1:12 pm

Though down from an extremely strong performance last year, ABC earned good overnights for Sunday’s NBA doubleheader.

Sunday’s Heat/Knicks NBA regular season game earned a 3.7 overnight rating on ABC, down 14% from Knicks/Celtics last year (4.3), but up a tick from Bulls/Heat in 2011 (3.6). The 3.7 is the fifth-highest for a 1 PM ET regular season game on ABC since the network reacquired the NBA in 2002.

ABC’s lone regular season game between the Heat and Knicks last season (April 2012) earned a 3.3 overnight.

To the surprise of few, Heat/Knicks more-than-doubled the overnight of the Blackhawks/Red Wings NHL regular season game on NBC (1.6).

Later Sunday, Thunder/Clippers earned a 3.8 overnight rating — down 27% from Heat/Lakers last year (5.2), and down a tick from Lakers/Spurs in 2011 (3.9). Keep in mind last year’s Heat/Lakers game earned ABC’s best-ever regular season overnight.

Heat/Knicks was ABC’s third-highest rated NBA regular season game ever in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (14.3), and Thunder/Clippers was the third-highest rated ever in Oklahoma City (15.4).

In the nightcap, ESPN earned a 1.4 overnight for Bulls/Pacers.

(Sunday’s overnights from ESPN)

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  • Sam Rosem

    I’m surprised the Heat/Knicks didn’t do better than that since the game was close but the Hawks/Wings on NBC might’ve affected the rating a bit since the NHL might’ve gotten some casual viewers to watch their game over basketball until it went off.

    OKC/Clips did really well since this is a match-up that’s not been on the national level like that.

    The NBA has been strong in recent years as we all can remember when pulling in a 2.0 on ABC was sometimes impossible if the Lakers or any other premier teams were on during the regular season.

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

    Hopefully we’ll get Clippers/Thunder and Heat/Knicks in the playoffs..those pairings would have the potential to be epic and I’m sure tv ratings would skyrocket, too.