Ratings and viewership for every nationally televised NBA game on ABC, ESPN and TNT during the first half of the 2010-11 season.
An average of approximately 2.4 million viewers per game have watched regular season NBA coverage on ABC (appx. 6.7 mil), TNT (appx. 2.3 mil) and ESPN/ESPN2 (appx. 1.9 mil) this season.
The first half of the season featured several viewership milestones.
TNT earned its three largest regular season audiences in fifteen years, with Heat/Celtics on Opening Night (7.348M), Heat/Cavaliers on December 2 (7.096M), and Lakers/Celtics on February 10 (4.714M). The Heat/Celtics game ranks as the most-viewed NBA regular season game ever on cable television.
Meanwhile, ESPN drew five of its ten largest regular-season audiences since reacquiring rights in 2002-03, with Bulls/Knicks on Christmas Day ranking third (4.017M).
Broadcast net ABC drew the largest audience for any NBA regular season game since 2004, as Heat/Lakers drew 13.113 million viewers. Excluding Christmas Day games, the net’s January 30 Celtics/Lakers game was the most-viewed on broadcast since February 2002.
Five of the ten most-viewed games this season — and 12 of the top 23 — have involved the Miami Heat. The least-viewed Heat game of the season, a 28-point blowout loss to the Nuggets with LeBron James sitting out due to injury (1.956M), outdrew 49 other NBA games this season.
Ratings/Viewership For Every Nationally Televised NBA Game This Season
Obtained from ESPN, Turner Sports, pifeedback.com, Sports Business Daily
| Date | Time | Game | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue., 10/26/10 | 7:30 PM | MIA 80, BOS 88 | TNT |
4.6
|
7,348
|
| 10:30 PM | HOU 110, LAL 112 | TNT |
2.8
|
4,279
|
|
| Wed., 10/27/10 | 8 PM | CHI 95, OKC 106 | ESPN |
1.2
|
1,697
|
| 10:30 PM | POR 98, LAC 88 | ESPN |
1.2
|
1,854
|
|
| Thu., 10/28/10 | 8 PM | WSH 83, ORL 112 | TNT |
1.1
|
1,524
|
| 10:30 PM | PHX 110, UTA 94 | TNT |
1.0
|
1,423
|
|
| Fri., 10/29/10 | 8 PM | ORL 70, MIA 96 | ESPN |
2.3
|
3,774
|
| 10:30 PM | LAL 114, PHX 106 | ESPN |
2.0
|
3,168
|
|
| Wed., 11/3/10 | 8 PM | MIL 102, BOS 105 | ESPN |
1.7
|
2,451
|
| 10:30 PM | LAL 112, SAC 100 | ESPN |
1.6
|
2,329
|
|
| Thu., 11/4/10 | 8 PM | NYK 120, CHI 112 | TNT |
1.3
|
2,004
|
| 10:30 PM | OKC 107, POR 106 | TNT |
1.2
|
1,734
|
|
| Fri., 11/5/10 | 8 PM | CHI 105, BOS 110 | ESPN |
1.6
|
2,473
|
| 10:30 PM | LAC 104, DEN 111 | ESPN |
1.2
|
1,914
|
|
| Wed., 11/10/10 | 7 PM | UTA 104, ORL 94 | ESPN |
1.1
|
1,589
|
| 9:30 PM | LAC 95, SAS 107 | ESPN |
1.1
|
1,588
|
|
| Thu., 11/11/10 | 8 PM | BOS 112, MIA 107 | TNT |
2.7
|
4,230
|
| 10:30 PM | LAL 112, DEN 118 | TNT |
1.8
|
2,872
|
|
| Fri., 11/12/10 | 7 PM | UTA 90, ATL 86 | ESPN |
1.0
|
1,440
|
| 9:30 PM | POR 108, OKC 110 | ESPN |
1.2
|
1,669
|
|
| Wed., 11/17/10 | 7 PM | PHX 96, MIA 123 | ESPN |
1.4
|
2,098
|
| 9:30 PM | CHI 94, SAS 103 | ESPN |
1.4
|
1,914
|
|
| Thu., 11/18/10 | 8 PM | PHX 89, ORL 105 | TNT |
0.8
|
1,212
|
| 10:30 PM | DEN 83, POR 86 | TNT |
0.7
|
1,052
|
|
| Fri., 11/19/10 | 7 PM | OKC 89, BOS 84 | ESPN |
1.4
|
2,121
|
| 9:30 PM | CHI 88, DAL 83 | ESPN |
1.2
|
1,771
|
|
| Wed., 11/24/10 | 7:30 PM | MIA 95, ORL 104 | ESPN |
2.0
|
2,985
|
| Thu., 11/25/10 | 8 PM | WSH 96, ATL 116 | TNT |
0.6
|
952
|
| 10:30 PM | SAC 82, LAC 100 | TNT |
0.6
|
952
|
|
| Fri., 11/26/10 | 7 PM | HOU 89, CHA 99 | ESPN2 |
0.3
|
442
|
| 9:30 PM | GSW 111, MEM 116 | ESPN2 |
0.4
|
530
|
|
| Thu., 12/2/10 | 8 PM | MIA 118, CLE 90 | TNT |
4.2
|
7,096
|
| 10:30 PM | PHX 107, GS 101 | TNT |
1.2
|
1,749
|
|
| Fri., 12/3/10 | 8 PM | CHI 92, BOS 104 | ESPN |
1.6
|
2,389
|
| 10:30 PM | DAL 93, UTA 81 | ESPN |
1.0
|
1,468
|
|
| Wed., 12/8/10 | 7 PM | DEN 89, BOS 105 | ESPN |
1.3
|
1,899
|
| Thu., 12/9/10 | 8 PM | BOS 102, PHI 101 | TNT |
1.1
|
1,687
|
| 10:30 PM | ORL 83, POR 97 | TNT |
0.9
|
1,310
|
|
| Fri., 12/10/10 | 8 PM | LAL 84, CHI 88 | ESPN |
1.6
|
2,480
|
| 10:30 PM | MIA 106, GSW 84 | ESPN |
1.8
|
2,756
|
|
| Wed., 12/15/10 | 7 PM | BOS 118, NYK 116 | ESPN |
1.8
|
2,787
|
| 9:30 PM | POR 98, DAL 103 | ESPN |
1.2
|
1,809
|
|
| Thu., 12/16/10 | 8 PM | ATL 90, BOS 102 | TNT |
1.3
|
2,031
|
| 10:30 PM | SAS 113, DEN 112 | TNT |
1.2
|
1,741
|
|
| Fri., 12/17/10 | 7 PM | MIA 113, NYK 91 | ESPN |
1.9
|
2,768
|
| 9:30 PM | PHX 91, DAL 106 | ESPN |
1.3
|
2,022
|
|
| Thu., 12/23/10 | 8 PM | SAS 101, ORL 123 | TNT |
1.1
|
1,795
|
| 10:30 PM | MIA 95, PHX 83 | TNT |
1.5
|
2,370
|
|
| Sat., 12/25/10 | 12 PM | CHI 95, NYK 103 | ESPN |
2.3
|
4,017
|
| 2:30 PM | BOS 78, ORL 86 | ABC |
4.6
|
8,657
|
|
| 5 PM | MIA 96, LAL 80 | ABC |
6.4
|
13,113
|
|
| 8 PM | DEN 106, OKC 114 | ESPN |
1.2
|
2,028
|
|
| 10:30 PM | POR 102, GSW 109 | ESPN |
1.1
|
1,725
|
|
| Thu., 12/30/10 | 7 PM | NYK 103, ORL 112 | TNT |
1.2
|
1,742
|
| 9:30 PM | SAS 99, DAL 93 | TNT |
1.1
|
1,743
|
|
| Wed., 1/5/11 | 10:30 PM | LAL 99, PHX 95 | ESPN |
1.5
|
2,140
|
| Thu., 1/6/11 | 8 PM | OKC 99, DAL 95 | TNT |
1.1
|
1,640
|
| 10:30 PM | DEN 102, SAC 122 | TNT |
0.8
|
1,110
|
|
| Fri., 1/7/11 | 8 PM | HOU 95, ORL 110 | ESPN |
0.8
|
1,175
|
| 10:30 PM | NYK 121, PHX 96 | ESPN |
0.9
|
1,295
|
|
| Thu., 1/13/11 | 8 PM | ORL 124, OKC 125 | TNT |
1.3
|
1,972
|
| 10:30 PM | MIA 102, DEN 130 | TNT |
1.3
|
1,956
|
|
| Fri., 1/14/11 | 8 PM | DAL 89, SAS 101 | ESPN |
0.9
|
1,348
|
| 10:30 PM | POR 111, PHX 115 | ESPN |
0.8
|
1,099
|
|
| Sun., 1/16/11 | 9 PM | DEN 97, SAS 110 | ESPN |
0.9
|
1,403
|
| Mon., 1/17/11 | 1 PM | CHI 96, MEM 84 | ESPN |
0.7
|
946
|
| 8 PM | ORL 106, BOS 109 | TNT |
1.7
|
2,618
|
|
| 10:30 PM | OKC 94, LAL 101 | TNT |
1.6
|
2,430
|
|
| Wed., 1/19/11 | 9 PM | LAL 100, DAL 109 | ESPN |
1.2
|
1,841
|
| Thu., 1/20/11 | 8 PM | DAL 77,CHI 82 | TNT |
1.2
|
1,900
|
| 10:30 PM | LAC 93, POR 108 | TNT |
1.1
|
1,633
|
|
| Fri., 1/21/11 | 8 PM | NYK 92, SAS 101 | ESPN |
1.2
|
1,844
|
| 10:30 PM | LAL 107, DEN 97 | ESPN |
1.5
|
2,369
|
|
| Wed., 1/26/11 | 9:30 PM | SAS 112, UTA 105 | ESPN |
0.8
|
1,263
|
| Thu., 1/27/11 | 8 PM | MIA 88, NYK 93 | TNT |
1.9
|
2,784
|
| 10:30 PM | BOS 88, POR 78 | TNT |
1.2
|
1,878
|
|
| Fri., 1/28/11 | 10:30 PM | BOS 71, PHX 88 | ESPN |
1.2
|
1,999
|
| Sun., 1/30/11 | 1 PM | MIA 108, OKC 103 | ABC |
2.5
|
3,788
|
| 3:30 PM | BOS 109, LAL 96 | ABC |
4.3
|
7,003
|
|
| 10 PM | UTA 81, GSW 96 | ESPN |
0.6
|
977
|
|
| Thu., 2/3/11 | 8 PM | MIA 104, ORL 100 | TNT |
1.8
|
2,794
|
| 10:30 PM | SAS 89, LAL 88 | TNT |
1.9
|
3,039
|
|
| Fri., 2/4/11 | 8 PM | DAL 101, BOS 97 | ESPN |
1.5
|
2,370
|
| 10:30 PM | UTA 113, DEN 106 | ESPN |
1.2
|
1,837
|
|
| Sun., 2/6/11 | 2:30 PM | ORL 80, BOS 91 | ABC |
2.3
|
3,711
|
| Thu., 2/10/11 | 8 PM | LAL 92, BOS 86 | TNT |
2.9
|
4,714
|
| 10:30 PM | DAL 120, DEN 121 | TNT |
1.3
|
2,042
|
|
| Fri., 2/11/11 | 8 PM | LAL 113, NYK 96 | ESPN |
1.5
|
2,298
|
| 10:30 PM | PHX 95, UTA 83 | ESPN |
1.1
|
1,579
|
|
| Sun., 2/13/11 | 1 PM | MIA 82, BOS 85 | ABC |
3.4
|
5,163
|
| 3:30 PM | LAL 75, ORL 89 | ABC |
3.5
|
5,631
|
|
| 9 PM | OKC 94, GS 100 | ESPN |
0.9
|
1,331
|
|
| Wed, 2/16/11 | 9 PM | DEN 94, MIL 87 | ESPN |
0.7
|
1,046
|
| Thu., 2/17/11 | 8 PM | SA 99, CHI 109 | TNT |
1.4
|
2,035
|
| 10:30 PM | DAL 112, PHX 106 | TNT |
0.9
|
1,311
|
