The possible end of LeBron James‘ career with the Cavaliers attracted the largest audience for a second round NBA playoff game in seven years.
The Cavaliers’ season-ending Game 6 loss to the Celtics drew a 5.7 U.S. rating and 9.0 million viewers on ESPN Thursday night, up 84% in ratings and 87% in viewership from Celtics/Magic Game 6 in an earlier timeslot last year (3.1, 4.8 mil) and up 90% and 106%, respectively, from Hornets/Spurs in a later timeslot in ’08 (3.0, 4.4 mil).
Cavaliers/Celtics stands as the third-most viewed basketball game in ESPN history, behind only Games 4 and 5 of last year’s Lakers/Nuggets Western Conference Finals (9.7 and 9.2 million, respectively).
In addition, the 9.0 million viewers is the most ever for a second round NBA Playoff game on cable — topping the previous record set by Magic/Celtics Game 7 last year (8.4 mil) — and the most for any second round game period since Spurs/Lakers Game 6 on ABC in 2003 (9.5 mil).
Game 6 even drew more viewers than Game 7 between the same two teams in 2008 (5.7, 8.7 mil).
Compared to other recent big events on ESPN, Cavaliers/Celtics finished well ahead of the first round of the NFL Draft (4.6, 7.3 mil) and the first round of The Masters (3.4, 4.9 mil), which featured Tiger Woods‘ return to golf.
Thursday’s game won the night on broadcast and cable in the key adults 18-49 and 18-34 demographics, as well as among men 18-49, 18-34 and 25-54.
Entering the Conference Finals, ESPN is averaging a 2.3 U.S. rating and 3.6 million viewers for coverage of the 2010 NBA Playoffs, flat in ratings but up 4% in viewership compared to last year (2.3, 3.4 mil).
Of the 10 most-viewed NBA Playoff games since ’02 (excluding the NBA Finals), six have taken place in the past two years, and nine involved either the Cavaliers or Lakers.
Most Viewed NBA Playoff Games Since 2002 (excluding the NBA Finals)
| # | Date | Game | Gm. # | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tue., 5/26/09 | Cavaliers/Magic | 4 | TNT |
6.3
|
10,075
|
| 2 | Thu., 5/28/09 | Magic/Cavaliers | 5 | TNT |
6.2
|
9,995
|
| 3 | Mon., 5/25/09 | Lakers/Nuggets | 4 | ESPN |
5.8
|
9,731
|
| 4 | Thu., 5/15/03 | Spurs/Lakers | 6 | ABC |
6.5
|
9,477
|
| 5 | Mon., 5/31/04 | T’Wolves/Lakers | 6 | TNT |
6.0
|
9,438
|
| 6 | Wed., 5/27/09 | Nuggets/Lakers | 5 | ESPN |
5.6
|
9,238
|
| 7 | Mon., 6/1/05 | Pistons/Heat | 7 | TNT |
6.2
|
9,149
|
| 8 | Thu., 5/13/10 | Cavaliers/Celtics | 6 | ESPN |
5.7
|
8,983
|
| 9 | Sun., 5/24/09 | Cavaliers/Magic | 3 | TNT |
5.4
|
8,969
|
| 10 | Sun., 5/21/06 | Cavaliers/Pistons | 7 | ABC |
6.1
|
8,877
|
(ESPN)
