The NBA’s Thunder set another ratings record Monday night. In other news, the weekend’s Rangers/Astros series was a bigger hit in Dallas than Houston, and the NASCAR Nationwide Series suffered a steep decline.
- Thunder Finish Series With Record Local Rating: Game 5 of the Lakers/Thunder second round NBA playoff series drew a 34.1 rating on TNT in Oklahoma City, up 42% from Grizzlies/Thunder Game 5 last year (24.0), and the highest rating ever for a Thunder telecast in the market. Game 4 of the series on Saturday drew a series-low 23.4 in the market, and Game 3 on Friday night drew a 26.7 — the second-best for a Thunder game on ESPN. The complete five-game series averaged a 28.3 rating in Oklahoma City, the highest ever for a playoff series in the market. (The Oklahoman)
- Rangers/Astros A Much Bigger Hit in Dallas Than Houston: The recent Major League Baseball interleague series between the Rangers and Astros drew ratings of 6.0 (Friday), 7.9 (Saturday) and 6.5 (Sunday) in the Dallas-Ft. Worth market, more than tripling the ratings for each game in Houston — 1.8 (Friday), 1.5 (Saturday) and 1.5 (Sunday). (dallasnews.com)
- Steep Decline For Nationwide Series From Iowa: Sunday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 from Iowa earned a 1.0 U.S. rating and 1.452 million viewers on ESPN, down 38% in ratings and 43% in viewership from the inaugural edition of the race last year, which aired on ABC (1.6, 2.548M). (ESPN)
