For the first time in seven years, the ABC averaged over 4% of U.S. television homes for early round coverage of the NBA Playoffs.
Coverage of the 2011 NBA Playoffs has averaged a 4.2 final rating and 6.75 million viewers on ABC, up 24% in ratings and 30% in viewership from last year (3.4, 5.21M). The 4.2 rating is the highest for the NBA Playoffs on ABC (prior to the NBA Finals) since 2004 (4.6).
Five of the nine early round games on ABC earned at least seven million viewers, the most through this point of the postseason on broadcast since 2002, when NBC topped that mark fifteen times prior to the NBA Finals. Of course, NBC aired substantially more games that year.
ABC’s last playoff game before the NBA Finals was Grizzlies/Thunder Game 7 on May 15. Oklahoma City’s win drew a 4.4 final rating and 7.141 million viewers, down a tick in ratings but up 2% in viewership from last year (BOS/ORL G1: 4.5, 7.030M), and down 2% and 5%, respectively, from 2009 (HOU/LAL G7: 4.5, 7.490M).
Grizzlies/Thunder was the only playoff game on ABC to have a decline in ratings compared to last year. All nine games had increases in viewership.
Ratings/Viewership For NBA Playoffs on ABC, Past Three Seasons (excludes NBA Finals)
* In 2009, ABC aired a tenth game prior to the finals.
|
TC
|
Year
|
Date
|
Time
|
Game
|
Rd., Gm. #
|
Net
|
Rating
|
Viewers
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
2011 | Sat., 4/16/11 | 3:30 PM | PHI 89, MIA 97 |
First, 1
|
ABC
|
3.0
|
4,546,321
|
| 2010 | Sat., 4/17/10 | 3:00 PM | CHI 83, CLE 96 |
First, 1
|
ABC
|
2.5
|
3,678,746
|
|
| 2009 | Sat., 4/18/09 | 3:00 PM | DET 84, CLE 102 |
First, 1
|
ABC
|
2.2
|
3,125,388
|
|
|
2
|
2011 | Sun., 4/17/11 | 3:30 PM | NO 109, LAL 100 |
First, 1
|
ABC
|
3.7
|
5,950,399
|
| 2010 | Sun., 4/18/10 | 3:00 PM | OKC 79, LAL 87 |
First, 1
|
ABC
|
3.3
|
5,131,989
|
|
| 2009 | Sun., 4/19/09 | 3:00 PM | UTA 100, LAL 113 |
First, 1
|
ABC
|
3.2
|
4,830,361
|
|
|
3
|
2011 | Sun., 4/24/11 | 1:00 PM | MIA 82, PHI 86 |
First, 4
|
ABC
|
3.1
|
5,025,250
|
| 2010 | Sun., 4/25/10 | 1:00 PM | BOS 92, MIA 101 |
First, 4
|
ABC
|
2.6
|
3,913,244
|
|
| 2009 | Sun., 4/26/09 | 1:00 PM | BOS 118, CHI 121 |
First, 4
|
ABC
|
3.3
|
4,960,758
|
|
|
4
|
2011 | Sun., 4/24/11 | 3:30 PM | BOS 101, NY 89 |
First, 4
|
ABC
|
4.2
|
7,019,903
|
| 2010 | Sun., 4/25/10 | 3:30 PM | CLE 121, CHI 98 |
First, 4
|
ABC
|
3.7
|
5,703,687
|
|
| 2009 | Sun., 4/26/09 | 3:30 PM | CLE 99, DET 78 |
First, 4
|
ABC
|
3.5
|
5,357,579
|
|
|
5
|
2011 | Sun., 5/1/11 | 1:00 PM | MEM 114, OKC 101 |
Semis, 1
|
ABC
|
3.1
|
4,786,955
|
| 2010 | Sun., 5/2/10 | 1:00 PM | MIL 74, ATL 95 |
First, 7
|
ABC
|
2.1
|
3,056,000
|
|
| 2009 | Sun., 5/3/09 | 1:00 PM | MIA 78, ATL 91 |
First, 7
|
ABC
|
2.6
|
3,829,180
|
|
|
6
|
2011 | Sun., 5/1/11 | 3:30 PM | BOS 90, MIA 99 |
Semis, 1
|
ABC
|
5.8
|
9,169,150
|
| 2010 | Sun., 5/2/10 | 3:30 PM | UTA 99, LAL 104 |
Semis, 1
|
ABC
|
3.8
|
5,954,670
|
|
| 2009 | Sun., 5/3/09 | 3:30 PM | DAL 95, DEN 109 |
Semis, 1
|
ABC
|
3.2
|
4,689,334
|
|
|
7
|
2011 | Sat., 5/7/11 | 8:15 PM | MIA 81, BOS 97 |
Semis, 3
|
ABC
|
4.9
|
8,202,176
|
| 2010 | Sat., 5/8/10 | 8:15 PM | LAL 111, UTA 110 |
Semis, 3
|
ABC
|
3.7
|
5,809,472
|
|
| 2009 | Sat., 5/9/09 | 8:15 PM | CLE 97, ATL 82 |
Semis, 3
|
ABC
|
3.2
|
4,964,089
|
|
|
8
|
2011 | Sun., 5/8/11 | 3:30 PM | LAL 86, DAL 122 |
Semis, 4
|
ABC
|
5.3
|
8,885,723
|
| 2010 | Sun., 5/9/10 | 3:30 PM | CLE 87, BOS 97 |
Semis, 4
|
ABC
|
4.2
|
6,579,648
|
|
| 2009 | Sun., 5/10/09 | 3:30 PM | LAL 87, HOU 99 |
Semis, 4
|
ABC
|
3.2
|
5,032,090
|
|
|
9
|
2011 | Sun., 5/15/11 | 3:30 PM | MEM 90, OKC 105 |
Semis, 7
|
ABC
|
4.4
|
7,140,597
|
| 2010 | Sun., 5/16/10 | 3:30 PM | BOS 92, ORL 88 |
ECF, 1
|
ABC
|
4.5
|
7,029,942
|
|
| 2009 | Sun., 5/17/09 | 3:30 PM | HOU 70, LAL 89 |
Semis, 7
|
ABC
|
4.5
|
7,490,120
|
(Grizzlies/Thunder Game 7 numbers courtesy Robert Seidman, TV By the Numbers)
