The NBA All Star Game will finish having drawn its lowest audience ever — however, the game saw major increases in some of the most attractive demographics.
The All Star Game on Sunday night drew a 4.3 overnight rating with 6.3 million viewers — down 16% and 9%, respectively, from last year’s game in Las Vegas, currently the least watched All Star Game. While the game was a disappointment overall, the ratings in the advertiser-friendly young demographics were the best in three years.
Among adults 18-34, TNT saw an 18% jump, from 1.9 million viewers in ’07 to 2.3 million viewers this year. When isolating men 18-34, that increase rose to 20%. In the adults 18-49 demo, TNT saw 5% ratings growth, to 3.8 million viewers, compared to 3.6 last year.
While ratings for the actual All Star Game were mixed, All Star Saturday night was an unmitigated success.
On the strength of a superb dunk contest performance by Dwight Howard, All Star Saturday Night drew 5.2 million viewers, up 7% from last year, and the most viewers ever for the event. TNT saw big increases in younger demos, with adults 18-34 up 13%, men 18-34 up 17%, and adults 18-49 up 13%.
Even the Rookie Challenge on Friday night saw big increases among younger viewers. Arguably the least interesting event of All Star Weekend (excluding the Celebrity Game) saw a 14% increase among adults 18-34, a substantial 31% increase among men 18-34, and a 5% increase among adults 18-49.
The strong performance in younger demographics mirrors what the NBA has seen this season overall, as TNT saw “double-digit gains in males 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54” through the first half of the season, with similar results on ESPN.
