Just under 16 million viewers tuned into the latest chapter of the Lakers/Celtics rivalry on Tuesday night.
Game 3 of the Lakers/Celtics NBA Finals drew a 9.6/16 final rating and 16.0 million viewers on ABC Tuesday night, up 12% in ratings and viewership from Lakers/Magic Game 3 last year (8.6, 14.2 mil), up 4% and 10%, respectively, from Celtics/Lakers Game 3 in ’08 (9.2, 14.5 mil), and up 50% and 68%, respectively, from Spurs/Cavaliers Game 3 in ’07 (6.4, 9.4 mil).
This marks the most-viewed Game 3 of the NBA Finals since 2004. Tuesday’s game was down only 2% in viewership from that year’s Lakers/Pistons Game 3, which drew 16.2 million viewers.
Additionally, this is only the third time since 2004 that any of the first four games of the NBA Finals topped 15 million viewers. The two prior occasions came Sunday night (Celtics/Lakers Game 2) and last year (Lakers/Magic Game 4).
Dating back to Game 3 of the 2008 NBA Finals, 10 of the last 12 NBA Finals games on ABC have drawn at least 14 million viewers. To put that in perspective, only three of the previous 19 games hit that mark.
Game 3 ranks as the eighth-most viewed NBA game on ABC since the network acquired the rights in ’02, edging last year’s aforementioned Lakers/Magic Game 4 (15.959 mil to 15.957 mil). Only three games in, the Lakers/Celtics series accounts for two of the top ten games.
The game drew a hefty 6.7 rating among adults 18-49, up 14% from last year’s Game 3 (5.9), up 12% from 2008 (6.0), and the highest Game 3 rating in the demographic since 2004 (7.0). Among men 18-34 and men 18-49, the game drew the best numbers ever for a Game 3 on ABC.
Lakers/Celtics was easily the top program of Tuesday night in ratings, viewership and all key adult demographics, despite facing some unusually stiff summer competition — America’s Got Talent on NBC (7.4 rating, 13.1 mil, 3.7 among adults 18-49) and the season finale of Glee on FOX (6.3, 11.1 mil, 4.7 A18-49).
Through three games, ABC is averaging 15.3 million viewers and a 6.3 rating among adults 18-49 for the 2010 NBA Finals, up from last year’s 13.8 million and 5.7 in the demo and the second-highest average ever on ABC. The average U.S. household rating for the series was not immediately available.
Compared to other sports, the NBA Finals lags behind the 2009 World Series, which averaged 17.9 million viewers through the first three games. However, in the adults 18-49 demographic, the three-game average for the NBA Finals (6.3) tops the average for the World Series (5.6) by 13%.
Ratings For Game 3 of the NBA Finals Since 1995 (Viewership Since ’01, Adults 18-49 Rating Since ’03)
| Year | Date | Game | # | Net | Rating | Viewers | A18-49 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Tue., 6/8/10 | Lakers/Celtics | 3 | ABC |
9.6
|
15,959
|
6.7
|
| 2009 | Tue., 6/9/09 | Lakers/Magic | 3 | ABC |
8.6
|
14,196
|
5.9
|
| 2008 | Tue., 6/10/08 | Celtics/Lakers | 3 | ABC |
9.2
|
14,509
|
6.0
|
| 2007 | Tue., 6/12/07 | Spurs/Cavaliers | 3 | ABC |
6.4
|
9,492
|
3.8
|
| 2006 | Tue., 6/13/06 | Mavericks/Heat | 3 | ABC |
8.0
|
12,246
|
5.1
|
| 2005 | Tue., 6/14/05 | Spurs/Pistons | 3 | ABC |
7.2
|
10,633
|
4.5
|
| 2004 | Thu., 6/10/04 | Lakers/Pistons | 3 | ABC |
10.5
|
16,213
|
7.0
|
| 2003 | Sun., 6/8/03 | Spurs/Nets | 3 | ABC |
7.0
|
10,756
|
4.4
|
| 2002 | Sun., 6/9/02 | Lakers/Nets | 3 | NBC |
10.2
|
16,209
|
—
|
| 2001 | Sun., 6/10/01 | Lakers/76ers | 3 | NBC |
12.7
|
20,280
|
—
|
| 2000 | Sun., 6/11/00 | Lakers/Pacers | 3 | NBC |
10.7
|
—
|
—
|
| 1999 | Mon., 6/21/99 | Spurs/Knicks | 3 | NBC |
12.1
|
—
|
—
|
| 1998 | Sun., 6/7/98 | Jazz/Bulls | 3 | NBC |
16.2
|
—
|
—
|
| 1997 | Fri., 6/6/97 | Bulls/Jazz | 3 | NBC |
14.2
|
—
|
—
|
| 1996 | Sun., 6/9/96 | Bulls/Supersonics | 3 | NBC |
15.8
|
—
|
—
|
| 1995 | Sun., 6/11/95 | Magic/Rockets | 3 | NBC |
14.1
|
—
|
—
|
