Like Tuesday’s Game 1, Game 2 of the 2012 NBA Finals hit an eleven-year high in viewership.
Game 2 of the Heat/Thunder NBA Finals drew a 10.4 final rating and 16.670 million viewers on ABC Thursday night, up 12% in ratings and 7% in viewership from Mavericks/Heat Game 2 last year (9.3, 15.525M), and up 13% and 6%, respectively, from Celtics/Lakers Game 2 on a Sunday night in 2010 (9.2, 15.718M).
Thursday’s game ranks as the most-viewed Game 2 of the NBA Finals since Sixers/Lakers on NBC in 2001 (18.719M) and the highest rated since Pistons/Lakers in 2004 (10.7). The 10.4 rating is the third-highest for a Game 2 in the NBA Finals since 1998.
Excluding series-clinching games, Game 2 ranks as the sixth-most viewed NBA Finals game on ABC since the network resumed airing games in the 2002-03 season.
Game 2 drew a 7.1 rating among adults 18-49, up 9% from both last year (6.5) and 2010 (6.5), and the highest Game 2 rating in the demo since 2001 (8.5). Ratings among adults 18-34 (7.5) and adults 25-54 (7.1) were also the highest for a Game 2 since 2001.
Among men 18-34, the Game 2 rating (7.5) was the highest since Bulls/Jazz in 1998.
Through two games, the Heat/Thunder NBA Finals has averaged a 10.1 rating and 16.439 million viewers on ABC, up 10% in ratings and and 7% in viewership from last year (9.2, 15.349M), and up 14% and 10%, respectively, from 2010 (8.9, 14.912M). This is the first time since 2004 (10.3) that the NBA Finals has averaged a double-digit rating through two games, and just the second time in the past decade.
The series has also averaged a 7.0 rating among adults 18-49, up 8% from last year (6.5).
Ratings/Viewership For Game 2 of the NBA Finals
Past decade
| Year | Date | Away | Home | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) | A18-49 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Thu., 6/14/12 | Heat | Thunder | ABC |
10.4
|
16,670
|
7.1
|
| 2011 | Thu., 6/2/11 | Mavs | Heat | ABC |
9.3
|
15,525
|
6.5
|
| 2010 | Sun., 6/6/10 | Celtics | Lakers | ABC |
9.2
|
15,718
|
6.5
|
| 2009 | Sun., 6/7/09 | Magic | Lakers | ABC |
8.2
|
14,061
|
5.8
|
| 2008 | Sun., 6/8/08 | Lakers | Celtics | ABC |
8.5
|
13,499
|
5.5
|
| 2007 | Sun., 6/10/07 | Cavs | Spurs | ABC |
5.6
|
8,551
|
3.4
|
| 2006 | Sun., 6/11/06 | Heat | Mavs | ABC |
8.0
|
12,410
|
5.3
|
| 2005 | Sun., 6/12/05 | Pistons | Spurs | ABC |
6.9
|
10,662
|
4.5
|
| 2004 | Tue., 6/8/04 | Pistons | Lakers | ABC |
10.7
|
16,129
|
7.0
|
| 2003 | Fri., 6/6/03 | Nets | Spurs | ABC |
5.2
|
8,058
|
3.3
|
| 2002 | Fri., 6/7/02 | Nets | Lakers | NBC |
9.1
|
14,046
|
5.8
|
UPDATED 6/15/16: Never too late to make a correction. The adults 18-34 rating was a 7.5, not a 9.8.
(Thursday’s numbers from ESPN Media Zone, ABC Media Net)
