The five-game Heat/Bulls series was short but sweet for Turner Sports.
TNT averaged a 6.2 U.S. rating and 10.413 million viewers for coverage of the Heat/Bulls NBA Eastern Conference Finals, up 29% in ratings and 33% in viewership for last year’s West Finals on TNT (LAL/PHX: 4.8, 7.854M), and up 15% and 21%, respectively, from the 2009 East Finals on TNT (ORL/CLE: 5.4, 8.633M).
Heat/Bulls ranks as the most-viewed NBA conference final ever on cable, topping the previous high set by the aforementioned 2009 East Finals. The series also ranks as the top conference final overall since Lakers/Kings in 2002, which averaged approximately 12.8 million viewers over seven games on NBC and TNT.
The deciding Game 5 between the Heat and Bulls earned a 6.3 U.S. rating and 10.407 million viewers Thursday night, up 19% in ratings and 20% in viewership from last year (PHX/LAL G5: 5.3, 8.670M), and up 2% and 4%, respectively, from 2009 (ORL/CLE G5: 6.2, 9.995M).
Game 5 ranks as the fourth-most viewed NBA game ever on cable, and the third-most viewed playoff game. The series as a whole accounts for five of the eight largest NBA audiences in cable history, and four of the nine largest NBA playoff audiences on broadcast or cable over the past ten seasons (excludes the NBA Finals).
Four of the five Heat/Bulls games drew at least ten million viewers, topped by a record-setting 11.109 million for Game 1. Prior to this season, only one playoff game on cable had ever topped ten million — Cavaliers/Magic Game 4 in 2009 (10.075M).
Including Games 4 and 5 of that Magic/Cavaliers series, LeBron James has now played in seven of the eight most-viewed NBA games ever on cable, and the seven most-viewed playoff games.
For some perspective, TBS averaged a 5.1 U.S. rating and 8.223 million viewers for the six-game Rangers/Yankees ALCS last October, the network’s most-viewed LCS ever.
Overall, TNT’s coverage of the 2011 NBA Playoffs was the most-viewed ever on cable. More details will be available shortly.
Ratings/Viewership For NBA Eastern Conference Finals
Compared to 2010, 2009
|
Gm #
|
Year
|
Date
|
Game
|
Net
|
Rating
|
Viewers (000)
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
2011 | Sun., 5/15/11 | MIA 83, CHI 102 | TNT |
6.2
|
11,109
|
| 2010 | Sun., 5/16/10 | BOS 92, ORL 88 | ABC |
4.5
|
7,030
|
|
| 2009 | Wed., 5/20/09 | ORL 107, CLE 106 | TNT |
4.6
|
7,321
|
|
|
2
|
2011 | Wed., 5/18/11 | MIA 85, CHI 75 | TNT |
6.1
|
10,036
|
| 2010 | Tue., 5/18/10 | BOS 95, ORL 92 | ESPN |
4.6
|
7,156
|
|
| 2009 | Fri., 5/22/09 | ORL 95, CLE 96 | TNT |
4.4
|
6,910
|
|
|
3
|
2011 | Sun., 5/22/11 | CHI 85, MIA 96 | TNT |
6.4
|
10,889
|
| 2010 | Sat., 5/22/10 | ORL 71, BOS 94 | ESPN |
3.7
|
6,023
|
|
| 2009 | Sun., 5/24/09 | CLE 89, ORL 99 | TNT |
5.4
|
8,969
|
|
|
4
|
2011 | Tue., 5/24/11 | CHI 93, MIA 101 | TNT |
6.1
|
9,770
|
| 2010 | Mon., 5/24/10 | ORL 96, BOS 92 | ESPN |
4.9
|
7,960
|
|
| 2009 | Tue., 5/26/09 | CLE 114, ORL 116 | TNT |
6.3
|
10,075
|
|
|
5
|
2011 | Thu., 5/26/11 | MIA 83, CHI 80 | TNT |
6.3
|
10,407
|
| 2010 | Wed., 5/26/10 | BOS 92, ORL 113 | ESPN |
4.4
|
6,835
|
|
| 2009 | Thu., 5/28/09 | ORL 102, CLE 112 | TNT |
6.2
|
9,995
|
Most-Viewed NBA Games Ever on Cable
| # | Date | Game | Round, Game | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun., 5/15/11 | MIA 83, CHI 102 | ECF, G1 | TNT |
6.2
|
11,109
|
| 2 | Sun., 5/22/11 | CHI 85, MIA 96 | ECF, G3 | TNT |
6.4
|
10,889
|
| 3 | Sun., 2/9/03 | WEST 155, EAST 145 | All-Star | TNT |
6.6
|
10,829
|
| 4 | Thu., 5/26/11 | MIA 83, CHI 80 | ECF, G5 | TNT |
6.3
|
10,407
|
| 5 | Tue., 5/26/09 | CLE 114, ORL 116 | ECF, G4 | TNT |
6.3
|
10,075
|
| 6 | Wed., 5/18/11 | MIA 85, CHI 75 | ECF, G2 | TNT |
6.1
|
10,036
|
| 7 | Thu., 5/28/09 | ORL 102, CLE 112 | ECF, G5 | TNT |
6.2
|
9,995
|
| 8 | Tue., 5/24/11 | CHI 93, MIA 101 | ECF, G4 | TNT |
6.1
|
9,770
|
| 9 | Mon., 5/25/09 | LAL 101, DEN 120 | WCF, G4 | ESPN |
5.8
|
9,731
|
| 10 | Mon., 5/31/04 | MIN 90, LAL 96 | WCF, G6 | TNT |
6.0
|
9,438
|
(Numbers from Turner Sports)
