The numbers are by no means bad, but back-to-back blowouts have wiped out any momentum from the NBA Finals’ hot start.
Game 3 of the Warriors/Cavaliers NBA Finals had a 9.7 final rating and 16.5 million viewers on ABC Wednesday night, down 13% in ratings and 12% in viewership from the same matchup last year (11.1, 18.8M) but up 8% and 11%, respectively, from Spurs/Heat in 2014 (9.0, 14.8M). Figures do not include WatchESPN or ESPN Deportes.
The Cavaliers’ blowout win, which peaked at 18.8 million viewers from 10-10:15 PM ET, trails only last year as the most-watched Game 3 of the NBA Finals since Lakers/Sixers in 2001 (20.3M). It also ranks as the third-highest rated Game 3 since Lakers/Nets in 2002 (10.2), behind last year and Lakers/Pistons in 2004 (10.5).
Though excellent by post-Jordan standards, Wednesday’s numbers were well below what could be expected for Warriors/Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. In their six-game series last year, each game had a double-digit rating and all-but-one topped 18 million viewers. The good times continued into this year’s Game 1, which was the highest rated finals opener since 2001 (11.1) and the most-watched since 1998 (19.2M).
The series has been unable to build on the Game 1 performance, with ratings and viewership dropping sharply to Game 2’s 9.8 and 17.5 million and then slipping further to Wednesday’s 9.7 and 16.5 million. The last time ratings dropped successively from Game 1 to Game 3 was (of all years) 1998 — when Bulls/Jazz opened with an 18.0, dropped to 16.6 for a Friday night Game 2, and hit a low of 16.2 for the Bulls’ 96-54 Game 3 rout.
Game 3 had a 6.1 rating among adults 18-49, down 16% from last year (7.3) but up 3% from 2014 (5.9). Among adults 18-34, it had a 5.7 — down 21% from last year (7.2) and even down 3% from 2014 (5.9), which was just as lopsided a blowout. It was the lowest rated Game 3 in the 18-34 demo since Spurs/Cavaliers in 2007 (3.5).
Entering Friday’s Game 4, the NBA Finals has averaged a 10.2 rating and 17.7 million viewers on ABC — down 5% in ratings and 4% in viewership from last year (10.8, 18.5M) but up 14% and 19%, respectively, from 2014 (9.0, 14.9M). It ranks as the third-highest rated and second-most watched NBA Finals through three games since 2001.
(Wed. numbers from ESPN, ESPN Media Zone, with additional info from Programming Insider)
