Through the first month of the season, NBA ratings are either flat or down nationally.
ESPN is averaging a 1.1 national rating for NBA coverage through December 3, even with the same point in ’07. NBA games on ESPN are up 2% in households, from 1.2 million homes in ’07 to 1.3 million this year. Unlike TNT and ABC, ESPN’s NBA telecasts are non-exclusive.
Meanwhile, TNT is averaging a 1.0 national rating for its first fourteen NBA telecasts, down 7% from a 1.1 through the first fourteen games in ’07. Ratings were hampered in part by the network airing a Thanksgiving night doubleheader, which averaged a 0.6 rating.
