Ratings for the NBA’s Opening Night doubleheader since 2003.
Last year’s Cavaliers/Celtics and Trail Blazers/Lakers doubleheader averaged a 1.7 U.S. rating and 2.6 million viewers on TNT, up 12% and 29%, respectively, from a 1.5 and 2 million the previous year.
In the past six years, the highest rated Opening Night game was Mavericks/Lakers in ’03, which drew a 2.4 U.S. rating.
Ratings for NBA Opening Night since ’03
U.S. rating presented in chart; U.S. rating and cable rating (in parentheses) presented in table
Average rating for doubleheader presented in chart; additionally, average rating used for ’04 and ’05 data
| Year |
Date
|
Net | Game |
Rating
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2008
|
Tue., 10/28/08
|
TNT
|
Cavaliers/Celtics
|
1.7 (2.0)
|
|
TNT
|
Trail Blazers/Lakers
|
1.6 (1.9)
|
||
|
2007
|
Tue., 10/30/07
|
TNT
|
Trail Blazers/Spurs
|
1.4 (1.7)
|
|
TNT
|
Rockets/Lakers
|
1.5 (1.8)
|
||
|
2006
|
Tue., 10/31/06
|
TNT
|
Bulls/Heat
|
1.9 (2.3)
|
|
TNT
|
Suns/Lakers
|
1.6 (1.9)
|
||
|
2005
|
Tue., 11/1/05
|
TNT
|
Nuggets/Spurs
|
1.3 (1.6)
|
|
TNT
|
Mavericks/Suns
|
|||
|
2004
|
Tue., 11/2/04
|
TNT
|
Rockets/Pistons
|
1.1 (1.4)
|
|
TNT
|
Nuggets/Lakers
|
|||
| 2003 | Tue., 10/28/03 | TNT | Suns/Spurs |
1.9 (2.4)
|
| TNT | Mavericks/Lakers |
2.4 (3.0)
|
