It was not nearly as big of a draw as Celtics/Magic or Heat/Lakers on ABC, but Saturday’s Christmas Day Bulls/Knicks game drew big numbers for ESPN.
The Knicks’ win over the Bulls earned a 2.3 U.S. rating and 4.017 million viewers on ESPN Saturday afternoon, up 35% in ratings and 52% in viewership from the comparable game last year (MIA/NY: 1.7, 2.652 mil).
The game ranks as most-viewed NBA game of the season on ESPN, and the net’s third-most viewed regular season game since resuming coverage in the 2002-03 season.
This is just the third time that ESPN has topped four million viewers for regular season NBA coverage.
Seven of the twelve most-viewed regular season games on ESPN have taken place this season alone. Three of those games have involved the Knicks.
Later in the day, ESPN drew a 1.2 U.S. rating and 2.028 million viewers for Nuggets/Thunder, and a 1.1 and 1.725 million for Blazers/Warriors. Ratings for last year’s comparable games were not available.
Most Viewed NBA Regular Season Games on ESPN Dating Back to 2002-03
| # | Date | Game | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Fri., 1/17/03 | LAL 104, HOU 108 | ESPN |
3.1
|
4,882
|
|
2
|
Sat., 12/25/04 | DET 98, IND 93 | ESPN |
2.9
|
4,325
|
|
3
|
Sat., 12/25/10 | CHI 95, NY 103 | ESPN |
2.3
|
4,017
|
|
4
|
Fri., 10/29/10 | ORL 70, MIA 96 | ESPN |
2.3
|
3,774
|
|
5
|
Wed., 2/20/08 | LAL 130, PHX 124 | ESPN |
2.5
|
3,616
|
|
6
|
Fri., 10/29/10 | LAL 114, PHX 106 | ESPN |
2.0
|
3,168
|
|
7
|
Wed., 10/29/03 | CLE 92, SAC 106 | ESPN |
2.3
|
3,032
|
|
8
|
Wed., 11/24/10 | MIA 95, ORL 104 | ESPN |
2.0
|
2,985
|
|
9
|
Fri., 2/22/08 | BOS 77, PHX 85 | ESPN |
2.0
|
2,793
|
|
10
|
Wed., 12/15/10 | BOS 118, NY 116 | ESPN |
1.8
|
2,787
|
|
11
|
Fri., 12/17/10 | MIA 113, NY 91 | ESPN |
1.9
|
2,768
|
|
12
|
Fri., 12/10/10 | MIA 106, GS 84 | ESPN |
1.8
|
2,756
|
|
13
|
Thu., 12/25/03 | CLE 101, ORL 113 | ESPN |
1.8
|
2,734
|
|
14
|
Wed., 11/5/03 | DEN 93, CLE 89 | ESPN |
1.9
|
2,716
|
|
15
|
Fri., 12/20/02 | LAL 104, PHI 107 | ESPN |
1.7
|
2,686
|
(Rating from Sports Business Daily)
