Opposite primetime coverage of the Winter Olympics, TNT drew strong numbers for NBA coverage on Thursday.
Thursday’s Nuggets/Cavaliers thriller drew a 1.8 U.S. rating on TNT, up 50% from Spurs/Pistons on the comparable night last year (1.2).
Meanwhile, the Celtics/Lakers nightcap also drew a 1.8 rating, up 50% from Celtics/Jazz last year (1.2).
Last year’s Lakers/Celtics game on TNT (2/5/09) drew a 2.7 rating. However, that game aired in a friendlier timeslot (8 PM ET, as opposed to 10:30 PM), did not face the Winter Olympics, and also included Kobe Bryant, who missed Thursday’s game due to injury.
The two games are tied as the fourth-highest rated NBA games of the season on cable.
Overall, 14 of the 15 highest rated games on cable this season have involved either the Lakers or Cavaliers. The only exception was Heat/Knicks on Christmas Day, which drew a 1.7.
(Turner Sports, Sports Business Daily)
