Not even during the days of Magic, Bird and Jordan did Turner Sports average as many viewers for the NBA as during the 2010-11 season.
TNT averaged a 1.6 U.S. rating and 2.453 million viewers for NBA coverage during the 2010-11 regular season, up 45% in ratings and 42% in viewership from last year (1.1, 1.723M), and up 45% and 43%, respectively, from 2008-09 (1.1, 1.711M).
This marks the most-viewed NBA season ever on Turner Sports, which first began televising national NBA games in the 1984-85 season.
The previous record was 1.885 million viewers during the 1995-96 season, when Michael Jordan‘s Bulls won 72 games and Magic Johnson returned to the NBA.
Three of the five most-viewed NBA games ever on cable took place this season alone, including Heat/Celtics on Opening Night (7.348M) and Heat/Cavaliers on December 2 (7.096M).
Six games on TNT this season drew more viewers than last year’s most-viewed game (BOS/CLE: 4.021M). Five of those six games involved the Miami Heat, and the sixth — Rockets/Lakers on Opening Night — had a Heat game as a lead-in.
Viewership increased by at least 40% in all key adult and male demographics, including a 49% increase among adults 18-34.
NBA viewership on TNT has now increased for four consecutive seasons, rising 87% from 2006-07 (1.315M) to 2010-11 (2.435M).
The average viewership for the NBA on TNT does not factor in NBA All-Star Weekend. The NBA All-Star Game (9.093M) was the most-viewed since 2003, while NBA All-Star Saturday (8.031M) was the most-viewed ever.
Elsewhere, ESPN averaged a 1.3 and 2.025 million viewers for its coverage (click for more details), while ABC earned a 3.0 and 5.110 million (click for more details). Both networks had their most-viewed seasons since reacquiring rights to the league in 2002.
Ratings/Viewership For the NBA on TNT
During the 2010-11 Season
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| Mon., 1/17/11 | 8 PM | ORL 106, BOS 109 | TNT |
1.7
|
2,618
|
| 10:30 PM | OKC 94, LAL 101 | TNT |
1.6
|
2,430
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| 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
|
|
| Fri., 2/18/11 | 9 PM | NBA Rookie Challenge | TNT |
1.5
|
2,440
|
| Sat., 2/19/11 | 8 PM | NBA All Star Saturday Night | TNT |
4.4
|
8,130
|
| Sun., 2/20/11 | 8:30 PM | NBA All-Star Game | TNT |
5.2
|
9,093
|
| Thu., 2/24/11 | 8 PM | MIA 89, CHI 93 | TNT |
2.0
|
3,159
|
| 10:30 PM | BOS 75, DEN 89 | TNT |
1.6
|
2,572
|
|
| Thu., 3/3/11 | 8 PM | ORL 99, MIA 96 | TNT |
1.8
|
2,715
|
| 10:30 PM | DEN 103, UTA 101 | TNT |
1.0
|
1,471
|
|
| Thu., 3/10/11 | 7 PM | LAL 88, MIA 94 | TNT |
3.1
|
4,844
|
| 9:30 PM | NYK 109, DAL 127 | TNT |
1.6
|
2,429
|
|
| Tue., 3/22/11 | 8 PM | CHI 114, ATL 81 | TNT |
1.2
|
1,844
|
| 10:30 PM | PHX 137, LAL 139 | TNT |
1.5
|
2,206
|
|
| Thu., 3/31/11 | 8 PM | BOS 107, SA 97 | TNT |
1.7
|
2,767
|
| 10:30 PM | DAL 82, LAL 110 | TNT |
1.9
|
2,958
|
|
| Thu., 4/7/11 | 8 PM | BOS 81, CHI 97 | TNT |
2.1
|
3,258
|
| 10:30 PM | POR 98, UTA 87 | TNT |
1.0
|
1,535
|
|
| Tue., 4/12/11 | 8 PM | CHI 103, NY 90 | TNT |
1.8
|
2,771
|
| 10:30 PM | SA 93, LAL 102 | TNT |
1.7
|
2,623
|
(Season average from Turner Sports)
