The Cavaliers may have delivered Cleveland’s first championship in 52 years, but their slow start led to lower ratings in the market.
The seven-game Cavaliers/Warriors NBA Finals averaged a 38.8 rating in Cleveland, down 11% from last year’s six-game series between the same teams (43.7), but the highest average of any market. Cavaliers secondary market Columbus ranked third with a 20.3 average, down 13% from last year’s 23.4.
The lower ratings are likely due to the Cavaliers’ rough start to the series, in which they were blown out twice and fell into a 3-1 hole. It took until Game 6 for any game to score a 40+ rating in Cleveland, after all six games did so last year.
In the Bay Area, the finals averaged a 34.1 rating — up 4% from last year (32.8) and second among all markets. Sacramento, which is in close proximity, was fourth with a 19.1 (+1%).
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, where LeBron James played four years with the Heat before rejoining the Cavaliers in 2014, was the top neutral market with an 18.5 rating (+5%). It was followed by San Antonio (18.0, +17%), Atlanta (17.7, +6%) and Memphis (16.5, -15%).
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Pittsburgh was last among the 56 metered markets with an average rating of 6.2 — 46% below the national average of 11.4. Pittsburgh is two hours away from Cleveland but could not be further apart when it comes to the NBA, especially in a year when the Penguins’ Stanley Cup run likely overshadowed all other sporting events. Providence was the second-lowest rated market, though its 6.9 rating marked an 8% increase over last year (6.4).
Minneapolis-St. Paul was the lowest rated NBA city, with just 8.1% of homes per game watching former T-Wolves F Kevin Love play in his first finals. Boston took its customary spot in the bottom ten, with its average rating of 8.2 up 4% from last year (7.9).
| HIGHEST/LOWEST RATED MARKETS FOR NBA FINALS National average: 11.4 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGHEST | LOWEST | ||||
| # | Market | Rtg. | # | Market | Rtg. |
| 1 | Cleveland-Akron | 38.8 | 56 | Pittsburgh | 6.2 |
| 2 | S.F.-Oakland-S.J. | 34.1 | 55 | Providence | 6.9 |
| 3 | Columbus (OH) | 20.3 | 54 | St. Louis | 7.6 |
| 4 | Sacramento | 19.1 | 53 | Tampa-St. Pete | 8.0 |
| 5 | Miami | 18.5 | 52 | Minneapolis-St. Paul | 8.1 |
| 6 | San Antonio | 18.0 | T50 | Boston | 8.2 |
| 7 | Atlanta | 17.7 | T50 | Buffalo | 8.2 |
| 8 | Memphis | 16.5 | 49 | Kansas City | 8.9 |
| 9 | Birmingham (AL) | 15.3 | 48 | Knoxville | 9.0 |
| 10 | Norfolk (VA) | 15.2 | 47 | Tulsa (OK) | 9.4 |
(Local numbers from ESPN)
