Though still down from last year, Sunday’s Lakers/Suns Game 3 put up spectacular numbers on TNT.
The Suns’ win over the Lakers drew a 5.0 U.S. rating and 8.5 million viewers on TNT Sunday night, down 7% in ratings and 6% in viewership from Cavaliers/Magic Game 3 last year (5.4, 9.0 mil), but up 35% and 48%, respectively, from Lakers/Spurs Game 3 in ’08 (3.7, 5.7 mil).
Game 3 ranks as the second-highest rated, second-most viewed game of the 2010 NBA Playoffs, behind only Cavaliers/Celtics Game 6 on May 13 (5.7, 9.0 mil).
Despite the decline from last year, the 5.0 rating for Sunday’s game compares very favorably to previous seasons.
While seven of last year’s eleven Conference Final games on cable drew ratings higher than 5.0, only five such games hit that mark during the previous five year period (2003-08) — and four of those games took place during the ’04 Lakers/Timberwolves West Finals.
In fact, the 5.0 rating for Game 3 is the fourth-highest of the sixteen Game 3s in the Conference Finals (East or West, broadcast or cable) since the current television format went into effect in 2003.
Even with the strong numbers, every single game of the Conference Finals has had a decline in ratings and viewership versus to the comparable game last year — with the lone exception of Celtics/Magic Game 1 on ABC (even in ratings, down in viewership) and Suns/Lakers Game 1 on TNT (there was no comparable game last year).
Sunday’s game ranked as the most-viewed program of the week on cable. NBA games took up the top five spots.
(Turner Sports, TV By The Numbers)
