For the first time since 2008, a game in the NBA Conference Finals attracted fewer than 4% of U.S. television households.
The Celtics’ Game 3 blowout win over the Magic drew a 3.7 U.S. rating and 6.0 million viewers on ESPN Saturday night, down 32% in ratings and 33% in viewership from Lakers/Nuggets Game 3 on ABC last year (5.4, 8.7 mil), flat in ratings and up 10% in viewership from Celtics/Pistons Game 3 on ABC in ’08 (3.7, 5.4 mil), and up 19% and 28%, respectively, from Spurs/Jazz Game 3 on ABC in ’07 (3.1, 4.7 mil).
Game 3 is tied as the lowest rated game of the NBA Conference Finals since Jazz/Spurs Game 5 in ’07 (2.7).
Ratings and viewership for Saturday’s game finished well below the other games in the Conference Finals; the previous lows were a 4.4 rating (Suns/Lakers Games 1 and 2) and 7.0 million viewers (Celtics/Magic Game 1 and Lakers/Suns Game 2).
Despite the lower numbers, Game 3 finished comfortably ahead of its sports competition on Saturday night, topping regional MLB action on FOX (4.3 mil) and NASCAR’s All-Star Race (3.8 mil).
Ratings and viewership were not immediately available for Monday’s Game 4, which drew a 6.2 overnight rating.
(ESPN)
