The NBA stayed hot on ABC last weekend, as the Heat and Lakers attracted strong audiences for the network’s Sunday afternoon doubleheader.
In the early game, Miami’s loss to the Bulls earned a 3.0 final rating and 4.759 million viewers on ABC. There was no early afternoon game on the comparable date last year.
Excluding Christmas Day games, the 3.0 rating is the second-highest for an early afternoon NBA game on ABC (start time prior to 3 PM ET) since the network reacquired rights to the league in 2002. The only early game to draw a higher rating was Heat/Celtics in February (3.4).
Later in the day, the Lakers’ blowout win over the Spurs earned a 3.2 and 5.120 million viewers, up 52% in ratings and 61% in viewership from last year (LAL/ORL: 2.1, 3.176M), and up 100% and 118%, respectively, from 2009 (PHX/SA: 1.6, 2.347M).
Last year’s Lakers/Magic game aired in an earlier timeslot.
So far this season, seven NBA games on ABC have drawn at least a 3.0 rating, matching the total of the previous two seasons combined. When Christmas Day games are excluded, five games have topped a 3.0 — matching the total of the previous six seasons combined.
The NBA games ranked second and third among sporting events on broadcast last weekend, behind only NASCAR’s Kobalt Tools 400 on FOX.
(Courtesy Robert Seidman, TV By the Numbers)
