NBA Playoff games were the two highest rated shows on cable last week, with five games finishing in the top 20.
TNT won the week on cable for the second time in a row, averaging 2.9 million viewers in prime time, ahead of 2.8 million for USA Network. The network finished on top among adults 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.
TNT’s top NBA game of the week was Game 1 between the Cavaliers and Celtics, which drew 4.9 million viewers last Tuesday. The game was the highest rated program of the week on cable, drawing a strong 3.5 national rating.
Cavaliers/Celtics was one of four playoff games to finish with over 4 million viewers. TNT drew 4.3 and 4.4 million viewers for Spurs/Hornets Game 2 and Jazz/Lakers Game 2, respectively, while ESPN drew the largest NBA Playoff audience of the week with 5 million viewers for Hornets/Spurs Game 3 on Thursday.
Thanks in part to the big numbers for Hornets/Spurs, ESPN finished fourth for the week. The network aired only one other game in the top 20, Lakers/Jazz Game 3, which drew 3.6 million viewers on Friday night.
